
Living , Modern
Dawn
Riley
1964 –
Dawn Riley is both an expert big boat and match racing sailor. She was the first woman ever to manage an America’s Cup syndicate and the first American, male or female, to sail in three America’s Cups and two Whitbread Round the World races. From her groundbreaking participation in the first all-women’s Whitbread team (Maiden), to winning the America’s Cup in 1992 with America3, to running her own America’s Cup campaign (America True), Dawn has competed and won at the top level of our sport. She now has a resume that includes 1999 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, 2002 IC 45 World Championship, first two-time winner of the Santa Maria Cup, and crew on the maxi yacht Morning Glory as they set the all-time course record in the 1996 Sydney to Hobart ocean race. She was team captain of America3, the historic all-women America’s Cup team in 1995, a member of the winning America’s Cup team America3 in 1992 and skipper of Heineken, the all-female team in the 1993-94 Whitbread Round the World sailing marathon. The French America’s Cup team AREVA brings her total to four America’s Cups. Growing up in Detroit, Michigan, where she sailed on Lake St. Clair, Dawn became obsessed with sailboat racing at the age of 13. She joined North Star Sail Club and became Commodore of the junior sailing program. Dawn said it was difficult to break into professional sailing – she had to clean quite a few boat bottoms and learn to fix motors before people took her seriously. A television host, author and experienced public speaker, Riley has spoken on topics ranging from entertaining sea stories to defining and attaining personal success, from risk assessment to competing in a co-ed world. Dawn’s experience creating and managing $20-35 million projects is used to make the topics of team building and achievement especially relevant to businesses. A former member of the International Speakers Association, she has spoken to hundreds of clients including YPO, Oracle, Microsoft, Sweetbriar College, Franklin Covey, Association of Professional Fundraisers, Commonwealth Club, universities, women’s groups, and many sailing associations. She continues as the CEO of America True Foundation, currently dedicated to providing youth with the opportunity to benefit from sailing and its inherent life lessons nationwide. She has gone on to succeed in leadership roles as a board member at US Sailing, president of Women’s Sports Foundation (founded by Billie Jean King), and now runs Oakcliff Sailing* (see below) – providing race training to advance the skills of sailors. Dawn is also an advisory board member of the National Women’s Sailing Association, National Sailing Hall of Fame and a founding member of the International Women’s Match Racing Association, Agua Limpia, an environmental education effort and a Young Leader with the BMW Herbert Quant Foundation and the Aspen Institute. *Dawn Riley has developed a unique organization in Oakcliff Sailing, with the primary goal of building American leaders through sailing. Over the past decade as Executive Director, she has grown the organization into a world-class training facility for sailors, umpires & marine industry professionals. They are partners with American Magic, 11th Hour Racing Team, the World Match Race Tour, and are a critical part of the pathway to the Olympics. Dawn has also successfully transitioned Oakcliff to fully public non-profit, with a diverse funding base. This past year during the COVID pandemic, Dawn led her team in developing new socially-distanced boating protocols to get their teams and the local community sailing safely. As a result, Oakcliff was able to host eight graded match races, more than any other organization in the world during the pandemic. Dawn and her team developed a novel method of socially-distanced umpiring that is more effective than pre-COVID methods. And they also ran two Double-Handed Offshore events with onboard live streaming – showcasing the viability of the new Olympic Mixed Doubles Offshore Event. Furthermore, Dawn expanded Oakcliff’s training by establishing an accredited High Performance High School, including training in Florida during the spring semester. Oakcliff has also recently partnered with the World Match Racing Tour to run their official Match Race Academy. Oakcliff’s 300+ graduates are now working and sailing on America’s Cup and Ocean Race teams, managing sail lofts and rigging shops, and running offshore racing programs around the world, all due to Dawn’s vision & leadership. Oakcliff Highlights :
Preserving America’s Sailing Legacy
Engaging Sailing’s Next Generation
Stay Connected to the National Sailing Hall of Fame