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Rick DunetzExecutive DirectorRick Dunetz is the founder and executive director of the Side-Out Foundation. His love for the sport of volleyball drew him to the world of coaching in 2002, and he hasn’t left the courts since. He was the assistant coach of the West Springfield girls volleyball team from 2002-2003 before assuming the head coach position from 2004 through 2006. In that time, “Coach D” led the Spartans to the district finals twice (2004 and 2005), once to win their first championship which sent them on to the regional semi-finals (2004). He served as both the head freshman coach (2007) and the head varsity coach (2008) at Annandale High School before accepting his current position as the head coach of the Oakton girls freshman volleyball team and assistant coach for the Oakton girls varsity volleyball team. He is also active in the club volleyball community as the Southern Region Director of Metro American Volleyball Club. Coach D has numerous coaching certifications to include Gold Medal Squared, Sports Performance and CAP I. Prior to establishing his presence in the sport of volleyball, Rick worked in the technology industry where he mastered the art of data mining, still one of his favorite pastimes. He enjoys pushing the limits of all things computer-related and is dedicated to utilizing his skills to make a difference for breast cancer patients and their families. Rick’s passion for volleyball and his role as a coach led him to create the Side-Out Foundation in honor of his mother, Gloria, who lived with breast cancer for over six years. Rick lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Akiyo, and their two cats. |
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Bryant DunetzChief Operations OfficerMr. Dunetz’s professional and executive career, of more than 40 years, spans multiple fields of R&D, engineering and procurement in business and government. He was a charter member of the US Government’s Senior Executive Service during the Carter and Reagan administrations where he was responsible for collaborative programs in 35 countries. He has held positions as a Structural Aviation Engineer, Systems Analyst, Assistant Director of a leading national laboratory and project manager of large and complex technology projects in the US and abroad. His achievements as an executive in sensitive international negotiations have brought him numerous awards and recognition from the US and foreign governments. In 1990, Mr. Dunetz founded CICAT Networks to deliver telecommunications access to global companies. In 1996 he founded Telco Exchange, the first web portal to price and order voice and data services nationwide. In 2000 he founded Rivermine Software, providing enterprise level telecommunications management software to Fortune 1000 companies. Today Mr. Dunetz is retired from the companies he has founded after closing several rounds of venture capital successfully and recruiting the best talent in the technology and software sectors to run these companies. Bryant is a graduate engineer. He served in the US Army and attended advanced executive programs at Wharton Business School, Harvard Kennedy School and the Defense University. He is active in the Northern Virginia technology community, a respected business leader among the major national carriers and co-author of one of the first books on high-speed Internet access. He has also published a number of technical papers and is a frequent author in professional high tech journals. Mr.Dunetz has 3 sons and lives in Fairfax, Virginia. His hobbies include tennis, horseback riding and surf fishing. |
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Janice KrugerDirector of Strategic InitiativesJanice Kruger coached college volleyball for thirty years, from 1977 to 2007. She began at Platte Technical Community College in Columbus, Neb., spent nine years at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and enjoyed twenty years as the head coach of the University of Maryland Terrapins. In her thirty years of coaching, she lead four teams into the Division II National Championship, won 10 career conference titles, and was recognized six times for Conference and Region Coach of the Year honors. Twice she was voted as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Coach of the Year. Janice belongs to the 700 AVCA-Tachikara Victory Club with 756 career victories. She retired as the all-time winningest Maryland and ACC Volleyball coach with 381 Terrapin wins. To honor her, the University of Maryland established an endowed scholarship in her name, the first of its kind for Maryland volleyball. The scholarship is a symbol of her lifetime of accomplishments in the sport of volleyball and will serve as a reminder of greatness to which future coaches will aspire. |
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Nila StrakaDirector of External AffairsDirector of Northeast Region Nila Straka graduated from the University of Colorado with a Masters in Education and received a BS in Physical Education and Health at Frostburg State University. During her two years at Frostburg, she was the captain of both the women’s field hockey and lacrosse teams, and was awarded the “Most Valuable Defensive Player” her senior year. While at Colorado, Straka coached two seasons with the women’s field hockey team and they finished in 9th place at nationals. Straka began her coaching career at CSM, formerly known as Charles County Community College, in 1977. Her tenure posted five MDJUCO championships (1980-1986), three regional championships (1983-1985), finishing second in the nation in 1985. She became the head coach of Georgetown University in 1987 where her teams were Big East Conference runner-ups for two years (1987-1988). Straka then became the assistant coach at George Mason University from 1992-1996. During that time Mason won five consecutive CAA championships and had five NCAA appearances, finishing 16th in the nation in 1996. In 2000, she was head coach at Westlake High School, and in 2007 she was the assistant coach for the All-Navy Women’s Volleyball team that finished second at the All Armed Forces Games. Straka lives in Charles County with her husband Joe and son Kiel. |
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Kelli MyersDirector of Partner Development and SupportDirector of Southeast Region Kelli Myers coached college volleyball for 17 years, from 1990-2007. She began her coaching career at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she helped the Terrapins claim the 1990 ACC Championship. Kelli played at the University of Maryland where she was both team captain and MVP. Her playing career included accolades as an ACC All Conference player and a member of the U.S. Olympic Sports Festival team serving as captain of the North Squad in the 1990 Summer Games in Los Angeles. A native of Hagerstown, Maryland and a Williamsport High School alumnus, Kelli was inducted into the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. Kelli’s coaching career continued as an assistant at both The George Washington University and Ohio University from 1993-1998. While at George Washington, the Colonials captured the 1993 Atlantic 10 Conference Championship, earning a berth to the NCAA tournament. During her stay at Ohio University, Kelli was named interim head coach during the 1996 season. Kelli took over the reins as head volleyball coach at the University of Connecticut from 1998-2004 where she led her teams to a Big East Conference regular season championship and 5 trips to the Big East Conference Tournament. Myers coached 17 Big East Conference and AVCA All Region Players and four Big East Conference rookie selections while at Connecticut. Kelli also spent 11 years teaching and leading young women as a USVBA club coach. She coached at Wheaton College in Massachusetts before entering the business world with Pfizer, Inc and the Maryland Real Estate industry. Myers stayed involved in collegiate coaching during this time as she again joined her alma mater assisting at the University of Maryland in 2005 and 2007. Kelli’s exceptional people skills and salesmanship make her a wonderful addition to the Side-Out family. |
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Tim AndersonMidwest Region LiaisonTim Anderson joined the Side-Out Foundation in March of 2011 as the Midwest Region Liaison. His territory includes Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Michigan. Prior to working at Side-Out, Tim spent nine years in Southern California where he obtained his Master’s degree in Sports Management from Long Beach State. He worked as a development officer as well as coordinator of facilities for the Long Beach State athletic department for two years. While working at Long Beach State, he was part of the team that hosted the 2004 NCAA Women’s Final 4 Volleyball Tournament as well as several other 1st/2nd round NCAA tournament games. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska and Wisner-Pilger High School where he assists in running the scorer’s table at home matches. He is a club coach for the Pinnacle 15’s (Wisner-Pilger) and also spends some time as a referee. He currently resides in Omaha. |
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Susan SouthSouthwestern Region LiaisonSusan South maintains ties in both medical and volleyball communities. She works directly with medical students and residents of the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and Baylor College of Medicine, teaching and evaluating them in a simulated medical office setting. Volleyball became a passion after watching her daughter play on club and school teams (her daughter is a senior varsity player currently in the recruiting process with various Division I college teams). Susan received her Bachelor’s in Business Administration in marketing from the University of Houston. She has worked with various sports teams to include the Houston Dynamos Outdoor Soccer team (a precursor to the current professional soccer team, the Houston Dynamo) and the Houston Oilers. Her experience extends beyond the sports world to sales and office management. She is also an active volunteer with Special Olympics volleyball and the National Charity League, a mother/daughter organization that volunteers with local philanthropies. Susan and her husband have three children and they reside in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. |
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Dawn RentropWestern Region LiaisonDawn Rentrop was a high school All-American, All-League, All-CIF and All-County player at Canyon High School in Anaheim Hills, CA. When she was a sophomore, her club team placed 2nd in the U.S. at the Junior Olympics. She entertained numerous full athletic scholarships and chose to play at the University of Washington where she was a four-year letter winner despite blowing out both of her knees while playing. In her four years at UW, Dawn was named to the All-Pacific 10 Freshman Team, several All-Tournament teams and given the honor of Best Offensive Player. She graduated with a degree in sociology. After graduating, she played professional volleyball for a 4-woman grass and indoor league. She then turned her focus to coaching. Dawn coached at Cornelia Connelly High School, Mater Dei High School, University High School, Northwood High School and Irvine High School (where she remains today). She has also coached various club teams in southern California. Her interests are as extensive as her volleyball resume: Dawn enjoys spending time with her husband and son, cooking and baking, traveling, scrapbooking, volunteering and gardening. |
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Julie MatthewsSpecial Projects CoordinatorJulie Matthews is one of only two Side-Out employees who is not a volleyball coach! Nevertheless, her writing skills and her constant desire to learn about the sport make her a valuable member of the team. She also happens to be a cancer survivor (acute myelogenous leukemia) which gives her a unique perspective when writing for the Side-Out Blog or communicating with breast cancer patients. Despite the fact that her undergraduate and graduate degrees (from the University of Virginia and American University, respectively) are both related to Spanish and Latin American Studies, she realized post-cancer experience that writing (in English!) was what truly inspired her. She keeps a personal blog and she has a few book ideas that she hopes to get to one of these days. Prior to The Side-Out Foundation, Julie had various temping jobs, worked as a sales associate in a florist, waited tables in a sports bar/restaurant and interpreted for Spanish-speaking parents and students in Fairfax County Public Schools. Her leukemia kept her out of the workplace for about five years, and she’s happy to have found such a wonderful opportunity at Side-Out. She enjoys spending time with family (to include, of course, her dogs Jameson and Guinness and cat Bella!) and friends, and she racewalked her first full marathon in the fall of 2010 with Team in Training, the endurance training/fundraising arm of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She looks forward to doing several more in the future! |
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