Leadership & Site Directors

Dan Jacobs - Head Coach/Chief Operations Officer
dan@machineaquatics.com

Dan started swimming when he was 4 years old for his neighborhood team, the Marlbank Mudtoads. He swam AAU/USS for Coast Guard Blue Dolphins in Yorktown, VA, until the age of fourteen, when he moved to Northern Virginia. Dan then swam for Solotar, Oakton High School, and Vienna Aquatic Club (VAC). He started coaching in 1985 as a developmental assistant at VAC, and assistant coached there until he graduated HS.

Dan attended College at Old Dominion University, where he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He also swam Division 1 for ODU.

During the summers Dan coached at Dunn Loring for three years before accepting the head coach position at Vienna Aquatic Club. Upon graduation from ODU he worked in the graphic design field for approximately 12 years, continuing to coach for VAC in the summer and coach year-round for York Swim Club.

Dan started Machine Aquatics in 2001 with Paris Jacobs and Christian Doud. We all strive to make a positive impact on every swimmer and help each individual reach his or her maximum potential.  He believes he will never stop learning to be a better coach.

Becky Widman -
Team Administrator, Maryland

becky@machineaquatics.com

Becky is the Team Administrator for the Machine Maryland locations. She also manages all of our meet entries for our swimmers and coaches. When she’s not at her desk, you’ll find Becky whipping up tasty treats for the officials and coaches in hospitality, chasing her dogs and children through their busy days or simply heading out for a run.

Paris Jacobs - Owner/Chief Executive Officer
paris@machineaquatics.com

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Paris grew up recreationally swimming for Dynamo Swim Club. She began her coaching career in Atlanta at her summer league pool as an assistant coach. She moved to the Northern Virginia area in 1993 to attend boarding school. She attended George Mason University studying Business.

After working as a developmental age group coach for a few years, in 2001 Paris co-founded Machine Aquatics, where she served as team manager and age group coach until 2009 when she stepped off the deck as a full-time Machine coach to run the dry side team operations and be a mom. 

Since its inception in 2001, Machine Aquatics has grown into Machine Brands, which encompasses four divisions.  Machine Aquatics, a nationally ranked USA Swimming competitive team with seven training sites and 1100+ members, Machine Swim School, a large swim school providing 800+ lessons weekly, Machine Performance Center, a 22,000 sq. ft. performance center for swim, fitness, yoga, and physical therapy.

Paris serves as CEO of Machine Brands overseeing the business operation and development of all divisions.  After a long volunteer career within USA Swimming and USA Swimming Foundation, Paris served as a business development consultant for The American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) from 2015-2017 and the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the American Swim Coaches Association from 2018-2020.  Paris also severed as Senior Management Advisor and Event Operations Director for the International Swimming League (ISL) in 2019 & 2020. Currently, Paris sits on the CEO Advisory Council for USA Swimming.

Paris has two children Lillyan (22), a recent graduate of the University of South Carolina studying exercise science and neuroscience, and Daniel, III (20), a Junior at East Carolina Univeristy studying Sports Management/ Business.

Alison Galbraith - Team Administrator, Virginia


alison@machineaquatics.com

Alison is the Team Administrator for the Machine Virginia locations. She also manages all of our registration and billing. She is the mother of three former Machine swimmers. When she’s not at her desk, you’ll find Alison playing in her garden or playing with her three dogs.