The US Women's Rugby Foundation (USWRF) and Women's Rugby Leadership Council (WRLC) selected five candidates to be considered for the USA Rugby (USAR) Board of Director positions that have been recently vacated. The national governing body is vetting applicants quickly, and thus USWRF and WRLC encourage the rugby community to contact their USAR Congress representatives to endorse these candidates in an attempt to #BalanceTheUSARBoard.
Read more about the candidates here:
Professional Experience
Ms. Armstrong is Founder & CEO/Head Brewer of Brazo Fuerte Artisanal Beer, a craft beer company based in New England. Prior to founding Brazo Fuerte (which is Spanish for "arm strong," a rugby tour nickname), she served in senior management/executive roles in the biotech industry, including CFO, CCO, GC and VP Operations-Administration.
Prior to becoming a biotech executive, Ms. Armstrong advised biotech and high-tech companies in legal, business and operational matters while working with a premier Boston-based law firm. She started her career at Morgan Stanley in investment banking. She has served on the Board of Directors of several not-for-profit organizations and has provided consultation for organizations in areas including finance, accounting, governance, marketing strategy, strategic alliances and organizational design and management. She is a BJCP Certified Beer Judge and a Certified Cicerone®.
Armstrong received her undergraduate degrees in Economics and Government from Harvard University, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a JD from Harvard Law School. She was named to the 2008 Boston Business Journal list of “40 Under Forty” top leaders in the Boston business community. In 2018, she was named to the GK100 List of the 100 Most Influential People of Color in Boston.
Rugby Experience
Armstrong spent the majority of her 20+ years in the rugby community for Beantown RFC and currently plays for the Olde Girls (15s) and The Pony Express (7s). Armstrong has also played with the Northeast Rugby Union Select Side 15s and 7s teams, been a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team player pools in 15s and 7s, been a reserve for the U.S. Women’s 7s Hong Kong Squad, and toured internationally with Atlantis 7s select squads. In addition to serving on the USWRF Board, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Youth Rugby Organization and works to grow rugby in the U.S. at all levels.
More Reading Material
• Black Enterprise: Black Woman-Owned Brewery Partners With Samuel Adams Beer
• Rugby Today: The Braza Fuerte Beer Story - Female Owned, Rugby Inspired
• Business Insider: This former biotech executive left her day job to open her own brewery — and Samuel Adams is taking note
• Oprah Magazine: This Brewer Will Blow Away Stereotypes About Craft Beer