BSA Leadership
The BSA leadership team consists of a part-time, salaried Managing Director and a dedicated team of volunteer Board Directors. Our Directors are committed and enthusiastic about providing quality youth sports programming to diverse young people throughout Brussels. They support BSA's mission by offering support in areas ranging from administrative functions to development and management of our sports programs.
Managing Director
Jodi Harris
Jodi has BAs in both English and Spanish as well as a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. Her background includes experience in education, corporate and non-profit training, clinical social work, and program management. Since 2013, she has provided coaching and mindfulness training to expats. She also currently serves as the Vice President on the board of Families in Global Transition. A lifelong athlete, Jodi is dedicated to BSA's mission to build community through quality sports programming for Brussels' internationally diverse community. |
Jodi Harris, PresidentJohn McConnico |
John McConnico is an American photojournalist and has lived abroad for the past 30 years, living in Latin America, south Asia, eastern Europe and now western Europe. John came to the BSA in his first year in Brussels as a baseball coach, but happily lends a hand with any sport. Most of his closest friends in Brussels and some of his fondest memories of Brussels come from the BSA, either in lacrosse, baseball or basketball. A big reason for that is the spirit of the organization, which places an emphasis on fair play and building fundamental skills in place of winning at any cost. The BSA has been a huge part of his youngest son's development and John volunteers with the BSA to give a little something back to an organization which has given his family so much.
Advancement Director
Carol Vanevenhoven
Before moving to Belgium, Carol worked within healthcare in the United States for over 20 years as a clinical pharmacist and later as a health system executive. She also served as adjunct faculty at Washington State University teaching clinical and business classes within the College of Pharmacy. Carol has served on the board of directors for numerous US-based organizations. She received her Doctorate of Pharmacy in 1999 and her Masters in Business Administration in 2013.
Carol volunteers her time to support youth arts, science, and sports programs. She has served as a soccer coach and team manager for youth teams (8 years and under) for the last 5 years. She spends her free time golfing, mountain biking in the forest, running, snow skiing, playing volleyball, and hiking. Carol also enjoys writing and home brewing along with adventure traveling with her son Case and husband Karl.
Finance Director
Cliff Lucas
Lacrosse DirectorJohn Bernards |
Cliff Lucas joined the BSA in August 2017 as Finance Director after he and his wife, a Middle School ELD teacher at ISB, relocated from the US. Originally from Maryland, Cliff worked in corporate finance and investment analyst positions while pursuing a photography hobby outside of the office. Since moving to Belgium, he has reversed these roles, creating a photography and videography business focused on the food & drink industry while keeping a finance ‘hobby’ alive through the BSA! He is an avid cyclist, a frequent traveler, and loves Belgian beer. John Bernards is a native Californian, who relocated to Brussels in August of 2017. He began his career in finance with Morgan Stanley in 2001, after a short stint with the US House Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill. John is a founding partner of The Harvey Group, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, and an Investment Adviser Representative of Commonwealth Financial Network®. He received his degree from the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, in economics, with a concentration in marketing. He also was a member of the lacrosse team. John, his wife Stacey, and their three children, Coco, Jack and Emme, have lived in Brussels since August of 2017. They moved here from Washington, DC when Stacey received a new position in Government Relations for a US based company managing Europe, The Middle East, India and Africa. |
Baseball Director
Scott Albrecht
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Scott was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and went on to attend Florida State University University before beginning work with the US government in the early ‘90s. Scott has played baseball his entire life and has been involved with a number of youth baseball programs in Wisconsin, Florida, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Scott coaches part-time with the Brussels Kangaroos Baseball Club and both coaches and serves on the board of the Brussels Baseball Academy/Brussels Little League program. Scott is extremely excited about the opportunity to build the BSA baseball program into a solid baseball instructional as well as competitive program which caters to Brussels’ international expat and diplomatic community, as well as to all members of the Brussels sports community. Scott and his wife Tari have been married for 21 years and have four children attending ISB: JP, Ty, Emma and Will.
Soccer Director
Jamie Martino
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Jamie was born and raised in Chicago and spent 5 years living in the Pacific Northwest before graduating from Loyola University Chicago with a BA in International Studies. Moving to Italy in 2000, she received her MBA from St. John's University in Rome, beginning her career in Knowledge Management and Learning. Currently working as an IT Director for UCB Biopharma she and her family, husband, and two boys, have called Belgium home since 2010.
Playing and coaching soccer has been a part of Jamie’s background since middle school. Today, she plays for BUFC Ladies in the RBFA Division 2 and has been volunteer coaching at BSA since Fall 2018; taking up the Director role in Spring 2020. She is very excited to be a part of BSA and to continue building an amazing soccer program while giving back to the international community and transmitting a passion for the game to the next generation of players.
Basketball Director
Darby Carter
Darby was raised in Asheville, North Carolina and joined the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating high school. After 22 years of service, he retired from the USMC in 2014. During his career with the USMC, he served in numerous locations throughout the United States and overseas. He previously served in Brussels with his wife, Kim, from 2005-2008.
Darby has been involved in basketball his entire life through intramural sports, coaching youth sports, and adult recreational leagues. He enjoys being involved in communities and believes sports offer a great opportunity to not only advance athleticism and team skills which are invaluable in youth development, but also grow self-confidence and teach flexibility to adapt in all situations. Darby, Kim, and their daughter Rainey have lived in Fairfax, Virginia; Stuttgart, Germany; Stockholm, Sweden; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Zagreb, Croatia, and just returned to Brussels in July 2020. Darby also has an older son, Joe, who lives and works in Fairfax, Virginia.
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