EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Louis Stanfill

lstanfill@rugbynorcal.org

Lou hails from Sacramento, CA, and began playing rugby at Jesuit High School in 2000. After Jesuit, he went on to play and earn his degree at UC Berkeley before continuing an extensive career in rugby with the USA Men’s National Team (including three Rugby World Cups) and various professional and amateur clubs around the world.  He now lives in Sacramento with his wife and son and is eager to lead Rugby NorCal.  Lou has a wide range of experience including  10 years as an international athlete representing the United States, director of sales and programming at the former Serevi Rugby and brokerage at Jones Lang Lasalle. He has been coaching at Jesuit High School since 2016.

“Rugby in Northern California has a rich history that continues to create an amazing story. More men’s national team players have come out of Northern California than any other region in the country and that is a testament to the quality of our youth rugby systems. With girl’s rugby in Northern California continuing to develop, we are sure to make our mark on that squad as well. As a proud native of Northern California, I believe that this is the greatest region to participate in the game played in heaven. I am excited to give back to the community that taught and has given me, and the US rugby community, so much. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that RNC has offered me and promise to serve its members with honor and integrity.”

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Christina Gein

cgein@rugbynorcal.org

Christina grew up in Modesto, California with a passion for sports. She discovered rugby while attending the University of the Pacific and began playing. Upon graduating with her Bachelor of Arts in Sport Management, she moved to New Zealand where she continued the pursuit of her passion for rugby, coaching and playing in the Waikato region. After a year in New Zealand, Christina moved to Uganda for six months where she volunteered with the nonprofit, Gainline Africa. During her time there she worked to empower youth through rugby, strengthening and growing their rugby programs in northern Uganda. Christina has been working for Rugby NorCal since 2017 and enjoys working with the RNC team to continue growing and legitimizing rugby throughout Northern California.

CENTRAL VALLEY REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Nate Dalena

ndalena@usarugby.org

Born in Fresno, California, Nate found his passion for athletics while playing baseball and football throughout youth and High School. After playing baseball and receiving his Associate's Degree in Social Sciences from Fresno City College, Nate found rugby at St. Mary's College of California.  After two years playing for one of the nations top rugby programs, Nate returned to Fresno with his degree in Business Administration and Management.

Nate's two passions in life are rugby and the Central Valley.  He coaches youth and high school rugby while also playing 7's during the summer for the Fresno Rugby Club.  His goal is to make the Central Valley a hotbed of rugby talent and give the kids of the Central Valley a chance to play the wonderful game of rugby.

BAY AREA REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Ceara Lafferty

clafferty@usarugby.org

While she’s always had a passion for team sports, Ceara did not discover rugby until her freshman year at UC Berkeley. She immediately fell in love with the sport and played until graduating in May 2017. During her time there, she had the privilege of representing Cal at a National All Star Camp and on the Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference All Star team. With the PMRC All Star team, Ceara traveled throughout Ireland and played in scrimmages and tournaments hosted by the Impact Beyond program in conjunction with the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup. She is now giving back to the team that introduced her to rugby by acting as the Forwards Coach for the Cal women. Ceara is also playing for the Berkeley All Blues, developing her game in the hopes of making the 15s National Team some day.

Ceara knows how life-changing rugby can be, especially in how it empowers young people and helps them realize their self-worth. For that reason, she worked with other Program Coordinators to introduce rugby to 15,000 kids in the Bay Area through the 2018 Rugby World Cup’s Impact Beyond Program. She now hopes to get more kids involved in rugby programs in the Bay Area through her RDO position, thereby expanding the rugby community in the United States.