David Collicutt, Athletic Director
David has been an Athletic Director for over 25 years, including 17 years as Athletic Director and Coach at Marlborough School before joining Geffen Academy. In 2016, he was named an inaugural CIF-SS MVP Athletic Director, and he continues to serve on the CIF-SS Athletic Administrators Committee as well as the Soccer Advisory Committee, the Technology Committee, and the Small Schools Committee. He currently serves as the Coastal League President, overseeing the eight member schools. David is a regular presenter at California State Athletic Director conferences and summits as well as Concordia classes. In 2018, David was awarded the N.I.A.A.A. California State Award of Merit in recognition of outstanding leadership and meritorious achievement in interscholastic athletic administration. He was also awarded the Concordia University Award of Excellence in the same year. David has a background as a soccer coach, having coached at Santa Monica HS, Marlborough, and at Geffen Academy. In 2022, David coached the Bruins to their inaugural CIF-SS Championship in Boys’ Soccer. He was named the 2022 CIF-SS Boys’ Soccer Coach of the Year. He now leads our competitive golf program. David attended Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, England, where he earned a B.A. degree with honors and a postgraduate professional diploma and served as captain of both the cricket and soccer [football] teams.
Owen Yancher, Assistant Athletic Director.png)
Owen is an accomplished athletics administrator and coach with a proven track record in scholastic sports leadership and team management. Owen is a Bruin, having graduated from the UCLA Master’s Program in Transformative Coaching & Leadership. Owen returns to Westwood from Woodbridge High School, where he led daily operations for 25 interscholastic sports programs, supporting over 1,000 student-athletes and 75 coaches at one of Orange County’s largest public schools. He has a decade of high school swim coaching experience across public schools, private institutions, and collegiate programs, including some prior coaching experience in the Coastal League. In 2019, Owen was named CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Coach of the Year [Swimming & Diving]. During his time at UCLA he was the Assistant Coach for the Women’s Swimming Program and also served on the John Wooden Center Board of Governors.
Owen earned his B.A. in Communication with a Minor in Physical Education from the University of California, Davis.
La Keisha Fair, Athletic Trainer.png)
As our athletic trainer, La Keisha is responsible for recognizing and treating injuries, identifying general medical conditions, and making the appropriate referrals. She will also work closely with Nurse Heidi Ley to support student health in the absence of the school nurse when available. Prior to joining us, LaKeisha served as an athletic trainer, instructor, and graduate assistant at Cumberland University in Lebanon, TN. There she worked in clinical instruction and supervision and the development of policies and procedures for the athletic training of students, and operated as a faculty mentor for the Athletic Training Student Association while serving as an instructor in the Athletic Training Education Program. LaKeisha’s past experience also includes working for the West Coast Sports Medicine Foundation (WCSMF) in Manhattan Beach, CA. She is an Inglewood, CA native and received her bachelor’s in exercise and sports science from Concordia University in Irvine, CA and holds a master’s degree in education from Cumberland University. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with family and friends and is an avid Lakers and Dodgers fan.
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Jeremy Tan, Strength and Conditioning Coach
Jeremy supports our P.E. Department as both Educator and strength and conditioning coach. After obtaining his teaching credential in single-subject Physical Education in 2018, Jeremy (Coach Tan) also worked in the Irvine Unified and Los Angeles Unified School District as a middle school educator. Jeremy also has extensive research experience, having published a number of articles based on research regarding concurrent training, exercise physiology, and athletic footwear. Besides Jeremy’s background as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) since 2012, he also brings to Geffen Academy his training in ELDOA, which is focused on posture and myofascial stretching. His degrees, including a bachelor’s in 2009 and a master’s of science in 2012, are in Exercise Science and Strength and Conditioning. Jeremy teaches the 8th grade PE classes for the middle school, the Athlete Conditioning (AC) courses and Nutrition and Performance class for the upper school. The Athlete Conditioning class is designed to teach students long-term athletic development, focus on injury prevention, and lifelong skills. Jeremy works with all of the student-athletes at Geffen Academy, along with the program directors for each sport, and with the sports performance team to optimize and further advance the overall well-being of the students. Jeremy also heads the Weightlifting Club, which is open to the upper and middle school during lunch to give students a movement break and an opportunity to challenge themselves both physically and mentally.
