Jon Klein is President and Pool Coordinator for Swim for Charlie, leading strategy, operations, volunteer training, and swim instruction.

He founded Swim for Charlie in honor of his friend, Charlie (Charles van der Horst), a physician, educator, philanthropist, and athlete, following his death in June 2019.

Jon met Charlie in 1991 at the Chapel Hill Community Center’s Masters swim program. Encouraged by Charlie, Jon competed in his first Masters meet—one of many they would attend together.

A retired family physician, Jon is dedicated to community health, public service, and swimming. He practiced medicine for 33 years at Orange Family Medical Group, building lasting relationships with local families.

He has taught swimming to all ages, served as head coach for a summer league team, and continues to compete in Masters meets. Now a Masters coach with Carolina Aquatics Team, Jon combines mentorship and instruction, reflecting his belief in water safety, confidence, and lifelong physical activity.

Beyond the pool, Jon has a strong civic record, serving as Chair of the Orange County Board of Health, on the Orange County Schools Health Advisory Committee, and on the advisory councils for the Orange Congregations in Mission Child Care Center and Healthy Carolinians.

Jon’s love for Charlie, commitment to public health and children, and his passion for swimming drive his vision to expand Swim for Charlie statewide in North Carolina, ensuring that every community has access to water safety and youth swimming programs.

Lynn is the Administrative Assistant to our President. She leverages her versatile skills for Swim for Charlie (SFC) to ensure accurate data collection for metrics and data analytics in support of decision-making, fundraising and reporting requirements; write grants; oversee SFC vendors and equipment orders; and coordinate onboarding and scheduling of SFC volunteers. She also serves as Pool Coordinator for our Orange County Schools (OCS) program and liaises with OCS schools to optimize the lesson experience for special needs students.

Lynn is a retired mathematics educator who taught high school and university students in Florida, California, and Minnesota, helping them overcome their fear of the subject. Lynn graduated from Duke University.

At 13, Lynn began teaching swimming at a YMCA camp. She swam competitively with AAU and high school teams and coached age-group swim teams in Florida and New Jersey, working with swimmers ages 7 to 18.

Because she has spent so much of her life in and around water, Lynn is passionate about ensuring that all children are water safe. In her non-swimming time, she loves to travel, hike, and create abstract quilt designs.

Isabel Callaway (M.Ed., University of Washington) is the Program Manager for Swim for Charlie and serves as the primary liaison between Swim for Charlie staff and our program’s school and pool partners. She brings nearly 10 years of experience in education, spanning roles in the classroom, nonprofits, and research.

Isabel works closely with a wide range of partners including parents, school superintendents, principals, teachers, bus transportation administrators and pool facility directors, to ensure each program day runs smoothly. Throughout her work, she has focused on reducing barriers in the education system and helping students and families thrive. She loves that Swim for Charlie helps students discover the joy of being in the water while building their water-safety skills and confidence.

Isabel grew up swimming competitively, visiting her grandparents in North Carolina, and cheering on the Duke Blue Devils long before attending Duke herself as an undergraduate. She’s happy to be back in Durham, contributing to a community that has shaped both her life and her work

Paige Welch joined Swim for Charlie as a volunteer instructor and now serves as Pool Coordinator and Assistant Program Manager, supporting program delivery and operations. A lifelong lap swimmer who also competes in open water events, she brings a deep passion for working with children and teaching life-saving water safety skills. Paige first began teaching water safety in high school and has since returned to the pool as a certified Red Cross Water Safety Instructor. Paige holds a PhD in United States History from Duke University and a BA in Women’s Studies from the University of California, Irvine. She is also an active printmaker and painter who teaches screen printing at Super G Print Lab in Durham and shows her work at PEEL Gallery in Carrboro.

Ava Alston Brownlee serves as assistant pool coordinator and volunteer instructor with Swim for Charlie since the program’s inception in September 2022. She is an American Red Cross certified water safety instructor who also works part-time with Durham Parks and Recreation, teaching water safety and swim lessons to all age groups.

Ava draws on her roots as a native of Durham and on her academic achievements in all her pursuits. Following her graduation as an honors student from Hillside High School in 1973, she continued her studies at Boston University, earning a degree from the School of Management in 1977.

After completing her studies, Ava embarked on a 42-year career with Allstate Insurance Company as a claim representative, sales manager, and agency owner, before retiring in 2020. Recognized with over 30 honors, she has continued to focus on helping others and staying healthy through swimming and personal training.

In addition to her professional experience, Ava is also devoted to public service. Over many years, she volunteered with the Duke Children’s Classic and the City of Medicine Road Race. Her agency was a major sponsor for Find a Kid Jr. Golf Club, the Triangle Chapter of the M.S. Society Annual Walk, the Holt Foundation, the Mary Chambers Cancer Foundation, and a Paralympian from Durham for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio De Janeiro. Ava has further served on the boards of the West End Community Foundation for 8 years, the National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere (S.A.V.E.) for 6 years, and the Women and Mathematics Mentoring Program (W.A.M.) for 8 years. She is also a 50-year member of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., a public service organization, rooted in sisterhood, scholarship, service, and social action.

Ava’s combined experience, passion for swimming, and dedication to children’s water safety—especially for those with limited resources—make her a natural fit for Swim for Charlie. She is dedicated to inspiring and motivating children, modeling diversity in leadership, and helping the program achieve its mission.