OUR VALUABLE TEAM MEMBERS

Derek Wall

Executive Director​

• 919.459.4045
• [email protected]

Derek Wall, a local entrepreneur, re-joined the Triangle Aquatic Center in the fourth quarter of 2022. Derek has spent the past decade building a local pool management and staffing company, which he recently has sold in order to oversee the TAC TITANS and TAC business operations. Prior to his stint in pool management, Derek served as the Operations Director of TAC and was instrumental in the founding of the TAC TITANS USA Swimming team program. Derek graduated from Campbell University with a degree in Business Administration and a minor in Marketing.

Derek lives in Apex, NC with his wife, Ashley Twichell, who is a multiple time world champion open water swimmer. When Ashley qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she became the oldest rookie swimmer to do so since the early 1900s. Ashley and Derek have recently welcomed their first child, Lochlan William Wall.

Derek’s “Gold Medal Promise” is sure to find its way into the hearts of all TAC employees, TITANS coaches and our numerous aquatic constituents. Please stop by and say hello; there is always time to hear from our customers when in the pursuit of excellence!

Tiffany Miller

Finance Director​

• 919.459.4045 x2310
• [email protected]

Tiffany joined the TAC in September 2018. She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in North Carolina and comes to us from the service industry where she oversaw all accounting, financial and HR functions of several commonly owned businesses.

Tiffany graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelors degree in Economics and a Masters degree in Accounting. She is a native North Carolinian living in Raleigh with her children and yellow lab, Hazel. She enjoys staying active and has aspirations of joining the TITANS Masters team. Stay tuned!!

Melissa Oman

Director of Operations​

• 919.459.4045
• [email protected]

Melissa became the Director of Operations at TAC in June 2024, however she was no stranger to the TAC organization! Starting in 2021, Melissa served as a volunteer in positions including Parent Liaison, Senior/Alumni Chair, and most recently VP of Team Relations.

Melissa holds a BS in Chemistry from Murray State University. She began her career as a Business Analyst with Keane, Inc., transitioned to Kroger as a Release Coordinator, and soon became Manager of the Desktop Transition Team. With a move to Georgia, she took time away from the business world, and instead took on the role of President of the Blue Tide Swim Team.

Melissa brings a breadth of knowledge in process improvement, change management, software release coordination and project management skills to her role as Director of Operations. When not working or volunteering, Melissa spends her time with her husband Jason, and her two children, Erik and Kennedy – both competitive swimmers.

Bruce Marchionda

TITANS Swim Team / Head Coach​

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Bruce begins his first season with the TAC Titans. He brings with him over twenty-nine of coaching experience at the collegiate, prep school, and club levels. He has already had a major impact on the Titan swim program including creating a 15:1 swimmer to coach ratio and creating an environment that is conducive to great swimming.

Some of Bruce’s recent accomplishments include; qualifying two swimmers for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio Brazil, qualifying two swimmers for the 2015 World University Games, produced 2014 American Record holder, 2013 World Record Holder, 2013 SC USA National Champion, and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist. Bruce was on the USA coaching staff for both the 2012 and 2014 SC World Championships. He was recognized by the American Swimming Coaches Association as a Coach of Excellence for the past eight years. He has received Coach of the Year honors eight times from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Conference USA, and the Sun Belt Conference.

Bruce’s strength is the rapport that he establishes with his student-athletes. This relationship is based on mutual respect and a coaching philosophy that focuses on the whole person. This approach enables the student-athlete to be successful in all areas of their lives.

Bruce’s Head Coaching experience began at Norfolk Academy in Norfolk Virginia where his teams won fifteen Virginia Independent School State Championships. As Head Coach at Clemson University from 1994 – 2002 his team’s set 34 Clemson University school records, swimmers qualifying for the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, and won the 1997 Women’s Atlantic Coast Conference Championships. His tenure at Western Kentucky University included placing Claire Donahue on the 2012 USA Olympic Team, establishing 107 Western Kentucky University school records, and an over-all dual meet record of 2018-30-1.

John Payne

TITANS Swim Team / Associate Head Coach / TITANS Masters Head Coach​

• [email protected]

John “JP” Payne has over 25 years of coaching experience at all levels of competition from the youngest beginner to elite professional athletes. JP began his coaching career at the Raleigh YMCA in 1988 working with Brooks Teal as an Assistant Senior Coach and saw immediate success with the team winning the YMCA Men’s National Championship, a team which included 1996 Olympic gold medalist, David Fox. From there he assumed the Head Senior Coach duties with the Durham Aquatic Club producing a USA Swimming Junior National Qualifier in his first year. His next coaching step took him to the New Wave Swim Team, where he served as Head Age Group Coach leading the top 12 and Under group that consisted of multiple state champions, NC Swimming state record holders, and Top-16 age-group swimmers including future Olympic gold medalist, Charlie Houchin. John returned to coaching at the Capital Area YMCA as a lead senior coach in 1996, helping the team win the 1997 Women’s Long Course YMCA National Championship. Following a period of employment in the technology industry, JP returned to the New Wave Coaching staff in 2009, serving as Head Age Group Coach and site coordinator for the Optimist site.

JP is also the founder of [iX3]sports which provides him the opportunity to expand his influence through the professional ranks of the swimming world. Currently, through that platform, he coaches two-time Olympian, Chloe Sutton, 2012 Olympic and 2013 World Championship gold medalist, Charlie Houchin, USA Open Water National Team members Ashley Twichell and Alex Meyer, who is also a member of the 2014 Pan Pacific Games team and 2014 National Open Water 5K Champion, and Puerto Rican National Team Member, Christian Bayo.

In addition to having developed a successful swim coaching career, in 2004 JP expanded his application and study of sports coaching to include soccer, cross country, and triathlon. He helped found the St. Timothy’s School Cross Country program and coached future state and national record holder, Wesley Frazier. He is a certified coach by both USA Track and Field and US Youth Soccer. He has also worked with World Champion multi-sport athletes, including World Aquathlon Champion, Andrew Ferrell.

JP is active with both USA Swimming and NC Swimming . He has worked as a staff member of USA Swimming’s National Open Water Select (2011-2014) and National Select (2012 & 2013) camps. As a member of the NC Swimming Open Water committee, he helped to develop the NC Open Water Select Camp and has served as its head coach since its inception.

JP was a letter winner at NC State University and was a member of the 1984 ACC Championship team. Prior to his collegiate career, he was an All-American Swimmer at the Baylor School, located in Chattanooga, TN. He also competed as a professional triathlete for six years throughout the US and Canada earning Triathlon Today! magazine All-American honors and gaining sponsorship from Nike. JP has a B.A. in English and a M.S. in Technical Communication from NC State University. He lives in Raleigh with his wife and three sons.

Kenneth Tackett

Facility Manager​

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Kenneth joined the Triangle Aquatic Center in 2021. He was promoted to Facility Manager in June 2022. He had owned a HVAC company for several years and has worked for Lee Air, Allen Kelly, Costal Mechanical, and Axis Technologies. He has over 18 years of experience in the field of HVAC. He holds certifications in HVAC, EPA universal 601 refrigeration license, Tracpipe, and many more.

Kenneth has a degree in applied sciences from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a degree in HVAC from Vance Granville Community College. He is a native to Durham, NC and is currently living in Stem, NC with his 2 Labradoodles Isabel and Annabelle.

Darria Chance

Programs Manager​

• [email protected]

Darria joined TAC in October 2019 as a swim instructor. She currently manages the Learn to Swim and private lesson programs. Darria has 8 years of experience in aquatics as a lifeguard, swim instructor and swim coach.

Matthew Cardenas

Events Manager​

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Matt joined TAC in October 2021 as a Swim Instructor and started managing events in November of 2022.  He is native Ruston, Louisiana, a Psychology alumnus of Louisiana Tech University, and has earned the rank of Eagle Scout through the Boy Scouts of America. He also holds many aquatic specific certifications, including Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor and WSI.

He has over a decade of experience organizing events through the BSA in the Louisiana Purchase Council from summer and winter camps to facilitating Scout participation in the Shriner Circus fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. He also served in middle management staff for Camp Lenox, a sports camp located in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. Matt currently lives in Holly Springs with his wife, Jess.

Natalie Lafferty

TITANS Team Manager​

Natalie joined TAC Titans in the fall of 2022 after graduating from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. There, she swam and competed at the Division III level while majoring in American Studies and minoring in Mathematics. As a part of the Carleton College Swimming and Diving program she became a four-time MIAC Championship finalist in several events, was heavily involved in NCAA organizations, and served as a team captain her senior year. Natalie is originally from Aurora, Illinois where she joined her summer league team and local club team at the age of eight and has been swimming ever since.

She brings her experience coaching young swimmers to North Carolina, currently coaching Titans Prep and Silver 2. Her hobbies include swimming with the TAC Titans Masters, lifting, and training for triathlons. She enjoys remaining active and expanding her knowledge of American history! Natalie’s goals as a coach and team manager are to inspire passion for the sport of swimming while maintaining open communication between athletes, coaches, and parents. She is excited to help manage and plan for our growing team!

Liz Rosen

Executive Assistant and Special Projects Manager​

• 919.459.4045 x2360
• [email protected]

Liz joined TAC in March 2024. She brings a variety of skills to TAC after a long tenure in the software startup world. Liz has done a little bit of a lot of things, from customer service and tech support to project management and business operations. She was also the Race Director for the Fat Salmon Open Water Swim (in Seattle) for nine years.

Liz graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Social Work. She was a diver on the swim team for all four years and has been swimming Masters for 20+ years – five of them here with the TITANS.