2022 Speakers

Karen’s experience includes time as a high school guidance counselor and close to ten years as a professional college admissions consultant. Karen has been active in the rugby community for over 20 years and knows firsthand what it takes to be successful at the highest levels of the game. Her rugby accolades include competing at the collegiate Division I level, being selected as a Collegiate All-American and National U-23 player, and formerly served as a top national referee. 

She is passionate about helping as many rugby student-athletes achieve their goals as possible and offers academic advising in a variety of settings such as the annual Eagle Impact Rugby Academy Winter Camp, the US Collegiate Development Camp at Dartmouth University, and providing educational seminars around the country.

Salty Thompson’s vision for American rugby has transformed the growth and the future of the sport. His dedication to the education and development of young players has created a pipeline that will sustain the success of the USA Eagles for years to come.

A native of Northern Ireland, Salty began his rugby career at Regent House School and was an Ulster u19 and u23 player. Salty attended Loughborough University, England, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Sports Science and was a dual-sport athlete, competing in track and rugby. 

Salty’s coaching career started and continues with Tempe Rugby. He coached Atlantis 7s and the Southern California Griffins in 15s and 7s before taking on the role as USA u19 Boys Head Coach in 2002. He coached USA Age Grade teams, u19s, u20s, and High School All American levels until 2018. That timeline included seven u19 IRB World Championships, the inaugural 2008 World u20 Championships, and the 1st World Trophy in 2009. In 2010 he became the Head Coach for the High School All Americans until 2018. 

During his era with USA Rugby, Salty and his staff helped nurture over 40 Eagles, 35 Eagle 7s, and even more Collegiate All Americans. The current MLR rosters contain over 35 American players that came through the USA Age Grades during Thompson’s tenure. 

Salty retired from a 25-year teaching career to become the Director of Eagle Impact Rugby Academy (EIRA) in 2013. Since EIRA’s creation, the program has produced significant numbers of High School All-Americans, u20s, Collegiate All Americans, MLR, and Eagles (both 7s and 15s). Through EIRA, Salty has led the charge in closing the gap in the global game of rugby and influenced thousands of young ruggers nationwide.

Rosalind Chou became the head coach of Life University Varsity Women’s Rugby team in January 2014. In 2016, the team built on its success, making it to the D1 Elite semi-final before falling to eventual champions, Penn State. The team earned their first USA Rugby National 7s Rugby Championship and followed that up with the university’s first Collegiate Rugby Championship 7s title. 

In 2017, the 15s A-side squad made its third Final Four appearance in a row. The 7s squad continued its success as USA Rugby National 7s Championship runner-up, and back-to-back champions taking the 2017 Collegiate Rugby Championship crown. In January of 2017, she was honored at the USA Rugby National Development Summit as the 2016 Female Coach of the Year. In 2018, the squad made their first trip to the USA Rugby D1 Elite National Championship match, finishing as runners-up. The squad made back-to-back return trips to the 15s D1 Elite National Championship in 2019 and 2021(No championship in 2020 due to COVID-19). 

Most recently, the squad returned to the Collegiate Rugby Championship final in May of 2021. Several players have represented the US at various levels, such as the Junior All-Americans and Collegiate All-Americans. Life U has had twenty-five players named Collegiate All-American by USA Rugby, and five Running Eagles have been selected for the US National team in 15s, and three named to the USA 7s National Team.

Joe Lippert is a native of Pittsville, Wisconsin, and has been involved with rugby for over eighteen years as a player, coach, referee, administrator and fan.  He led the Wisconsin Rugby Club to a Division Two National Championship in 2013 after a runner-up finishes the previous season.  In 2019, at the helm of Lindenwood University-Belleville, Lippert led the Lynx to a D1AA 7s National Title.  Several players from his LU-B teams have since been drafted into Major League Rugby (MLR) and gone on to professional careers. 

Along with Wisconsin and Lindenwood-Belleville, Joe has been a head coach of the Wisconsin Rugby Selects, Iowa 7s Selects, Palmer College of Chiropractic, and McKendree University.  He continues to play with the Bremer County Bucks (Waverly, IA) whenever possible and referees match around the Midwest.  Joe has lived in several foreign countries and played rugby internationally many times with the Southerners Sports Club (Bangkok, Thailand) and other touring teams. He still plays and referees when possible but loves his job as an assistant coach at Iowa Central CC.  And, his favorite rugby player is his wife and fellow Wisconsinite, Grace Hovde.  

Lippert is a proud Wisconsinite with a passion for mentoring young people and helping them make good decisions.  In his free time he enjoys hunting, reading, investing, world travel, supporting the Green Bay Packers, and helping around the family farm and woodlands.  He is also a part-time adjunct instructor of business at Iowa Central.

Alex Goff has been around rugby his entire life. His earliest memories are of watching his older brothers play while his family was in England, and Alex himself played rugby at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School in Elstree, Hertfordshire, and then later the University of Rochester. 

He is a co-founder of the Budd Bay Rugby Club in Olympia, Washington, and in fact, scored that club’s first points—his one and only try for the team.

A journalist by trade Alex began writing about rugby in earnest in the mid-1990s and since then has been at the forefront of rugby journalism in the United States. In 2001 he started his own news outlet, and let worked for Rugby Magazine and United World Sports before going back on his own in 2014. That was when he formed Goff Rugby Report, which remains the chief news outlet for youth, high school, and collegiate rugby in the USA. 

Alex was the first person to rank college teams, which he did in 2004 and has done ever since, and the first to rank high school teams. He continues to champion the game and the players that make it special, and as he has done for over 20 years, does a bit of coaching on the side. 

Alex Goff’s work can be found at GoffRugbyReport.com and he is also active on social media with video interviews and commentary … and, of course, he continues to rank everything.

Guy Hagen started his rugby career at Truman State University and continued to play in Kansas City after graduation. He played for Kansas City Rugby Club as well as the KC Blues before retiring in 2000.

His coaching career also began at Truman State University where he was the Assistant Coach during grad school, as well as the Assistant Coach for the Heart of America Collegiate Select Side from 1995 – 1997.

Guy moved to San Diego and started coaching with the San Diego Mustangs in 2006 and coached every age grade (U8 – U18) over the course of 11 years. He was also a Club Administrator, including 3 years as Club President.

Guy stayed involved with youth rugby and when the San Diego Legion was formed, he was tasked with administering their Youth Development programming. He moved into the COO role for the Legion from 2019 – 2021, before officially transferring to his current role as Director, Youth Development for the MLR.

Eddie Abel is an Indiana native who has spent the last seventeen years coaching Indiana and Midwest-based teams at all levels. 

Eddie started coaching in 2004 when he founded Broad Ripple Park Youth Rugby. The program has produced one current Eagle (Bryce Campbell) and several other u20 and High School All-Americans. At the same time, Eddie helped revive the Indiana Select Side. Eddie took ten Rugby Indiana Select Side teams to the Challenge Cup over a four-year span, winning six titles and three runners-up. After leaving the Rugby Indiana program, he founded the Indy Speed all-star program. The team only competed for one summer but had a successful trip to the Rocky Mountain Challenge in Denver where its three teams finished a combined 11-1 and won two of the three age groups. After that Eddie helped found EIRA Midwest under Salty Thompson's EIRA program. Eddie spent five years running the Midwest for EIRA, winning several Rocky Mountain Challenge tournaments with the EIRA Midwest team, and serving as head coach and assistant coach for several EIRA national team tours. 

In 2021 Eddie left EIRA to restart the Midwest Thunderbirds program for u15-u19 players. The program will look to provide HP opportunities to all Midwest players as it runs camps, plays in domestic tournaments, and tours internationally. In 2021 Eddie was also named Interim Head Coach at his alma mater Indiana University where he led the program to a top 10 ranking and several high profiles wins including beating #20 Iona 55-14 on ESPN.

Coach Lindersmith is the head coach of the University of Minnesota Men’s Rugby program. His coaching background includes coaching women, men, youth, high school, and select side rugby.   

He has spent 20 years as a player for his home Clubs of the San Diego Old Aztecs (USA), Mid Northern RFC (NZ), and the Coast Guard Select Side.   

He has also served as the Team Manager for the US Men’s National XVs Team, USA Falcons Sevens, and the San Diego Breakers in PRO.  

He currently serves as the Director of Operations for Premier Rugby Sevens professional league.

I joined Thomas More Rugby at the beginning of the Fall 2022 campaign. Mainly working with the forward pack and focused on set pieces. As well as recruiting domestic students. We had a very successful season going undefeated in regular season and making it to the semifinals of the NCR D1 Playoffs.  

Prior to joining Thomas More I had the privilege to coach at The University of Rio Grande and American International College. I have been very fortunate to enter my fifth year of Coaching Collegiate Varsity Rugby and heavily involved with financial aid.  

My 15 year playing career in composed of playing mainly second row which is rooted from high school rugby in Wisconsin for Lake Country RFC and the Wisconsin Selects, American International College in Massachusetts, and Professional rugby in Texas with the Austin Huns.   

All of this was made possible by loving support by friends and family, amazing coaching staff and colleagues, and outstanding athletes along the journey.   

To speak again at the Wisconsin Rugby Summit again this year has become a great honor, and great to see more and more young adults get involved with rugby.

Joseph Rasmus is the Head Coach of Men’s Rugby at the University of Illinois and the Director of Rugby for Silverbacks Elite Rugby. Rasmus was a crossover to rugby from track and soccer and had a modest playing career with the University of North Carolina, New York Rugby Club, and West Bulldogs. 

Inspired by his college coach, Jonathan Atkeison, Rasmus took up coaching after graduation with the New York Rugby Club high school program. In 2016, he worked as a guest coach with the NAV HS Selects at CRC 7s. After a brief stint at Lycée Français de New York, Rasmus headed to Australia to coach at Brisbane Boys College and play for Wests. In that role, he had the opportunity to work with and learn from the Queensland Reds staff. Rasmus returned to the States with new knowledge to lead Notre Dame de La Salette. In 2019, Rasmus moved an hour east to take over at the University of Illinois. 

At the Wisconsin Rugby Summit, Rasmus will be presenting a session on building a modern attack. The session will be focused on simplifying modern attack concepts for implementation in grassroots clubs – given limitations like player experience and practice time.

Nic Tyson started playing rugby his sophomore year of high school. He moved on to the University of Wisconsin and then the Wisconsin Rugby Club. The WRC won a national championship in Division 2 in 2013 and was runner-up in 2012 and 2015. 

Tyson was invited to play with the Midwest Select Side in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Based upon his play at the NASCs, he was included in the USA Eagle Player Pool for Rugby World Cup 2007. 

Tyson started his coaching career at Middleton High School in 2005. He then joined the University of Wisconsin coaching staff in 2008. The club placed 2nd in Division 2 Nationals in 2009 and was promoted to Division 1. Tyson took over as head coach of the Badgers in 2014. With Tyson as head coach, Wisconsin won Big Ten 15s, Big Ten 7s, and competed at the national level for both codes. They won the Plate Championship at the CRCs in both 2016 and 2017. 

In 2018, Tyson moved on to Lindenwood University as a full-time assistant coach. He specialized in defense and set pieces. While there, Lindenwood consistently ranked in the top-4 nationally in 15s. In 7s, Lindenwood won both the CRC and the D1A 7s championships in 2018 and 2019. 

Tyson also served as head analyst for the USA U20/U18 program at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center in 2018. 

In August 2020, Tyson moved back to Madison, WI and took over as head coach of the Wisconsin Rugby Club. The team participated in its first Division 1 season since 2009 winning games against Palmer, St Louis Bombers, and the Milwaukee Barbarians.

Jessica Burda Leslie leads the Brand Communications team of the Wisconsin Badgers telling the stories of one of the country's leading NCAA Division I and Power 5 athletic programs. Jessica also works as a Coaching Educator for USA Rugby and World Rugby. 

She also played competitive rugby for 20+ years and helped lead the Wisconsin Women to a 2015 USA Rugby national championship and 2016 runner-up finish. She's been a coach and administrator, most recently coaching with Oregon (Wis.) High School Boys and serving as a USA Rugby and World Rugby coaching educator. 

She earned a 2019 Premiership Rugby Scholarship to train with professional teams in England. Through her professional expertise in social media, communications, and marketing and her love of rugby, she strives to help grow our sport at all levels.

• High School All-American 15s

• Junior All-American 15s

• Collegiate All-American 7s

• Rugby World Cup 2015 (15s)

• Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013, 2018 (6th)

• Rugby Olympian - Tokyo (2020)

Brett Thompson began playing rugby at the age of 14 after growing up around the game in Tempe, AZ.

He was selected for multiple All-American assemblies with USA Rugby. Among them are a 2008 tour to England with the High School All-Americans, 2009 U20 World Rugby Trophy appearances (15s) and 2011 Collegiate All-American 7s in Canada.

Thompson made his national team debut with the Eagles Sevens at the HSBC Sydney Sevens in 2012 and also earned his first cap in 15s against rival-Canada in June of 2014.

As an Eagle, Thompson has played in three Rugby World Cups across sevens (2013, 2018) and fifteens (2015).

Matt began his rugby career at UW-Milwaukee in 1990. After graduation from UWM, he joined the Green Bay Celtics and played
full-time through 2006, and hung up his boots for the last time in 2011.

While he played prop throughout his career, he has spent as much or more time as an administrator than a player:

• UW-Milwaukee Rugby Club Held various roles Captain, Match Secretary, Treasurer, and finally President. (1990-1995)

• Green Bay Rugby Club Treasurer (1998-2018)
  2001 headed the project to achieve 501c3 status

• Bay Port Rugby/Green Bay Leprechauns Coach (1996-2001), Administrator/Manager (1996-present)
  Within a year of graduation, Matt volunteered to be an assistant coach for the brand new Bay Port Rugby Club. Before he started that role the originally planned head coach withdrew due to work conflicts. Matt was now the head coach of a new team, with no players, no plan for recruitment, and no funds. The only thing he had was a few balls and a set of jerseys and the help of a Celtic old boy.

• NE Wisconsin Youth Rugby League Treasurer (1998-2021)

• NE Wisconsin Rugby Foundation Secretary (2012-present)
  NEWRF has the goal to develop youth rugby at all levels in NE Wisconsin and develop a rugby complex
  Raised $400,000 and working towards the design and building of the complex
  Built relationships with local school district phy ed teachers to introduce rugby into their classes.

• Green Bay Youth Rugby Director (2013-present), Co-Founder with JJ Rose
  Flag/Tag program started in 2013 – co-ed flag program for kids in grades 1-9
  Middle School Boys Tackle started in 2017
  Middle School Girls Tackle started in 2018
  High School Girls Tackle played first full year schedule in 2021

• Wisconsin Youth Rugby – Committee Member (2020-present), Treasurer (2020-present)

Matt’s day job has been primarily as an operations leader in Logistics, Manufacturing, Transportation, and Warehousing. He married his wife Ellen in 1995 and she has put up with his rugby addiction since their very first date which happened to be a UWM Rugby Banquet. While all three of his kids grew up surrounded by rugby only his son has picked up the oval ball. Matt is still trying to figure out how a lifelong prop raised a flyhalf….

Benjamin Blanc played for the Fond du Lac Wolfpac from 2002 to 2007.

While playing he also fulfilled several positions on the Wolfpac Board, from Treasurer to President and helped create Fond du Lac Rugby Inc in 2004, the 501c3 organization that oversees the Fond du Lac Rugby clubs.

In 2006 he started the Fond du Lac Rugby Academy: A club that introduces Rugby to kids grades 1st to 8th and to this day he is still the Fond du Lac youth Rugby coordinator working with many schools, recreation departments and other local organizations in the Fond du Lac area to continue and grow youth Rugby.

Ben has coached the Fond du Lac Sirens HS Girls Rugby team in 2009 and 2010 and has also organized and managed 3 Rugby tours in France in 2007 with the Wolfpac and 2013 and 2017 with the Fond du Lac Sirens.

He currently serves as the President of Fond du Lac Rugby Inc and is also the Northern Area Referee supervisor for Wisconsin Tag Rugby.

Brian Gleason is the current vice-president of Wisconsin Youth Rugby, Inc. and previously served on the executive boards of the Wisconsin Rugby Football Union as the VP of Youth Development, and an At-Large officer of the Wisconsin Rugby Referee Society. Introduced to rugby in the spring of 1998 at UW-Whitewater, Brian went on to play 13 seasons with the Fox Cities Gargoyles Division III men’s club and is currently actively refereeing throughout Wisconsin.

A level 200 rugby coach for nearly a decade, Brian has coached flag rugby and tackle rugby at levels K-12th grade for many years and aided in the formation of a new flag, middle school, girl’s high school programs, as well as the rebranding of a high school boys program.

A secondary level special education teacher for the past +8 years and candidate for school administrator certification, Brian is familiar with the pedagogy and standards-driven curriculum that is prevalent in schools today. This knowledge aided in developing a 20 session summer school curriculum, that was successfully implemented in two different school districts and integrated rugby instruction into existing summer school phy. ed. courses. With the aid of Guy Hagen and MLR, Brian will be leading the effort to spread newly developed curriculum tools in Wisconsin. The course titled “P.E. Curriculum: Getting rugby into a school near you” will highlight lessons learned in the effort to grow rugby scholastically.

Jake has been coaching referees since 2018, and refereeing for over a decade, including HS Boys & Girls State Finals, D1 Men league play, Qualifier 7s, NCR and D1A playoffs and 7s. He brings 20 years of playing experience across nearly all positions to his refereeing. He seeks to work with coaches and players for the most enjoyable game for players and fans.