Director of Athletics Peter Roby and head coach of the Northeastern men's rowing team John Pojednic named Ted Benford Associate Head Coach on Friday, Aug. 27. In this role, Benford will work closely Pojednic to guide and develop student-athletes from the first steps of the recruitment process through graduation.

With a diverse background in professional leadership, Benford brings more than 20 years of experience as a coach, university administrator and businessman into his role as mentor to the Husky oarsmen.

“Ted and I have known each other for 15 years,” Pojednic said. “We have had the opportunity to work together on several professional ventures and coaching assignments.”

From 2006 to 2010, Benford led a remarkable resurgence of the MIT Lightweight Men's rowing program as the program saw its strongest results in decades. Specifically, Benford developed a focused recruiting emphasis that proved successful in attracting exceptional oarsmen to MIT and retained student-athletes within a rigorous academic environment.

Outside of collegiate coaching, Benford helped guide the U.S. Lightweight Men's pair to the world championships in 2008 and 2009. In the summer of 2010, he hosted the U-23 Lightweight Men's pair development camp in Boston.

Benford has focused primarily on developing collegiate rowing talent. He has been the head coach at Boston College and Tufts University, and also gained a familiarity with Northeastern during a season as Assistant Coach of Men's Crew.

As well as coaching, he serves as a trustee of Community Rowing, Inc. which is an organization dedicated to making rowing accessible to all communities. As part of his ongoing commitment to helping the sport grow and develop, he has coached camps in diverse locales, including the Three Rivers Rowing Association in Pittsburgh, Pa., the Capitol Rowing Club in Washington D.C., the Craftsbury Sculling Center in Craftsbury Vt. and the Riverside Boat Club in Boston.

“Ted is a process-oriented leader who is committed to enhancing the overall body of work produced over time by the coaching staff, the individual athletes, and the team as a whole,” Pojednic said. “He is a proven leader who will enhance the quality of our program and the student-athlete experience within Northeastern Rowing.”

In addition to his passion for coaching, Benford also brings a unique business background to Northeastern's program. He has served as special projects manager for the chief operating officer of Restoration Hardware and also owns a small business. Benford also acted as the Associate Director of Career Services at Tufts University.

Benford lives in Belmont with his wife, Susan, and trusted dog, Orion. His two stepsons, Alex and Ben, are currently undergraduate students at the University of Rochester and the University of Michigan, respectively.