FCA Staff

Jake is a Philadelphia native and has been in swimming throughout the entirety of his life! He was born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia where he was a decorated swimmer at Father Judge High School. Jake later on and became a prolific swimmer at Bloomsburg University! He went on to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Trials. 

As his swimming career came to an end, he started his coaching career at Lower Moreland Swimming & Diving as an assistant coach. While coaching at LMSD, he coached multiple Junior & Senior Championship and Eastern Zone Qualifiers. 

Jake is now a full-time employee and will be our  Assistant Head Coach. He will oversee the development of the Junior I & II groups, and assist Coach Jack with the Seniors. Congrats, Coach Jake!

Chris Gleason is joining the FCA coaching staff this season as the new Assistant Head Coach. He will be taking command as lead coach for the Novice and Junior ll groups, as well as being a support for Coach Jake with the Senior groups.

Coach Chris has served as a coach for a variety of clubs over the course of ten years. Most notably, Chris coached the Marlins of Raleigh, where he served as an assistant coach from 2023-2025. He also held positions with Penn Charter Aquatic Club from 2022-23, and with the Lower Moreland swim team from 2015-2018. Most recently, he was the Assistant Coach at La Salle University for the 2025-26 season, where he helped the team qualify 2 individuals for the NCAA Championships.

In college, Chris competed as a Husky for the Bloomsburg University Men’s Swimming program. His distinguished athletic career boasts accolades including PSAC All-Conference athlete, as well as a PSAC Scholar athlete. He was also a member of the Conference team that won the PSAC Championship in the 2020-21 season.

Gleason earned a Bachelor of Science from Bloomsburg University in 2021.

Bridget is the Head of FCA's Swim School and Assistant Swim Team Coach.  She is a Philadelphia native and a mother of three. During high school, she swam for world-renowned and recently inducted Swim Hall of Fame legend, Jim Ellis—check out the biopic film about him: Pride!

Bridget is a University of Pittsburgh graduate, where she participated in Varsity Swimming and Track. Her BS is in Health and Physical Activity, and her Masters is in Sport Management. Bridget has also been the Aquatics Manager at the KROC Center and the Coordinator of Aquatics Safety at Drexel University. Bridget is a Level II Member of American Swim Coaches Association.

Alex is a coach and a Swim School Instructor for FCA, having been with us since 2023. A 2005 Villanova graduate, Alex enjoyed a successful career in advertising, before taking time off to raise her children and volunteer with several local non-profit organizations. She swam throughout high school, and is excitedly returned to the world of aquatics, bringing varied experiences to the FCA team. Alex is the mother of two FCA swimmers and is dedicated to instilling a lifelong love of the sport of swimming in our youngest team members. 

Kerry has been teaching and coaching in the area for over 25 years and has been with FCA since the summer of 2003.  Kerry is our swiss army knife of coaches as she works with all possible levels from Masters swimmers to Level I Swim School participants.  She is the lead coach for Masters, Minis and Level I Swim School.  Kerry was also a FCA swim parent as one of her sons swam for FCA who still holds the 15-18 50 free team record and later went on to swim at West Chester University.

Kerry has a BS in Music Education from West Chester University and plays professionally with a string quartet and Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra.

Miranda is one of the Lead Junior 2 coaches and a Swim School instructor with FCA. She graduated from Cabrini University in 2021, where she was a four-year member of the women’s swim and tennis teams. During her swim career, she helped the swim team earn three conference championship wins.

Prior to FCA, Miranda was an assistant coach at Arcadia University, where she was the primary distance coach. Her coaching career began in 2013 when she became a volunteer coach at her alma mater, St. Cecilia’s School, and has been coaching since.

Bria is an assistant coach at FCA, working with the Junior and Novice groups. She is also a swim school instructor and current student at Saint Joseph's University. Bria has been an active swimmer since she was 5 years old and was a varsity member on her high school team.

Olivia Gillison is an Assistant Swim Coach and Private Lesson Instructor at Friends’ Central Aquatics, an Aquatics Specialist at The Lab, Inc., and the founder of SwimON. A competitive swimmer for over 15 years and Cum Laude student-athlete graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, she has more than two decades of coaching experience with swimmers of all ages and abilities. Certified in Lifeguarding, CPR, AED, First Aid, USA-Certified Swim Coaching, and Athlete Protection Training. Olivia is dedicated to making swimming accessible, confidence-building, and equitable—especially for communities historically excluded from the sport. Beyond the pool, she is an accomplished communications and marketing professional, creating strategies and storytelling that elevate diverse voices, foster authentic engagement, and drive meaningful change.

Victoria Gillison is an Assistant Swim Coach and Private Lesson Instructor at FCA. She is also a Yoga and Aquatics Specialist for The Lab Inc., and a 500-hr Yoga Teacher at a number of studios in Philadelphia. Victoria has been teaching swimming since she was 13 years old and works with all ages; she was previously the Head Coach Team Phoenix Program. 

Victoria received both her undergraduate degree and Master’s from the University of Pennsylvania and works full time at the intersection of policy and communications.