Dartmouth resident MacMahon steps down as rowing center leader

After 15 years of service to New Bedford Rowing Center, D'Arcy MacMahon of Dartmouth will be stepping down from his position as executive director and CEO at the end of this calendar year. 

He will remain with the center in a consulting role, offering advice, support, and guidance to the organization's management team, and will continue as the center's lead sculling instructor, according to information provided by the center. Plans for the search for a new executive director will be forthcoming.

Thanks to MacMahon's leadership, the rowing center has undergone a significant evolution, shifting from a subordinate part of Boston's Community Rowing, Inc., to an independent full-service organization, providing the Greater New Bedford community with access to the sport of rowing, according to information provided by the center. 

Under his tutelage, the center has introduced hundreds of middle- and high-school-age students to competitive rowing. For most, it was their first contact with the sport, and for many, their first time out on the harbor waters, according to information provided by the center.

MacMahon's notable accomplishments include his oversight of the center's merger with Phoenix Rowing Association in Fairhaven, the construction of its first boathouse on Pope's Island, the sighting of a future 1,500 meter race-course on the upper reaches of the Acushnet River, and the founding of the annual South Coast Indoor Rowing Festival.

"As a community rowing organization, operating in legendary New Bedford, we aim to foster the joy of rowing for all, irrespective of age, ambition or ability, and we want to be visible in this historic community to encourage anyone who has an interest in rowing to talk to us about taking up this unique and rewarding sport,’’ MacMahon said.

Co-founder of Boston’s legendary Head-of-the-Charles Regatta, MacMahon received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he captained the varsity lightweight crew, and his master's in business administration from Harvard Business School.  

Following a 25-year career in the financial services industry in Boston, he held leadership positions in community development and educational services, most recently as executive director of Lloyd Center for the Environment in Dartmouth. Previously, he served as executive director and CEO of the Head-of-the-Charles Regatta and as executive director of the national Brain Tumor Society.  

He currently serves as treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors at the New Bedford Education Foundation.

He currently resides in Dartmouth with his wife, Ivy. In addition to his sculling instruction, he fills in when needed as youth coach at the Rowing Center.