Denise Dombay , Owner
Denise Dombay is the owner of SwimLabs Montgomery County. She is a Montgomery County mom who started swimming at the age of 4, then went on to swim at The George Washington University, where she earned an Accounting degree. After a 30-year corporate career, Denise decided to bring a new type of swim school to the County—a swim school that served beginner through advanced swimmers and utilized technology to improve the learning experience. Denise continues to swim with the Germantown Masters and participates in swim meets and open water swim events throughout the year. She completed the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim ten times. She attributes her success to her parents, who were both educators. Her mom taught her how to swim and was her first swim coach. She also acknowledges that she could not have opened SwimLabs without the love and support of her husband, Chris, and her kids Ellie and Jake.
Margo Kim , Operations Director
Margo is originally from Scranton, Pa, she moved to Gaithersburg, MD shortly after college. She has been swimming her entire life both competitively at the high school level and later as part of her personal health and fitness program.
Margo has been with SwimLabs Montgomery County since 2018, she started as a Client Service Representative and Swim Instructor before taking on the full-time position as Operations Director.
When she is not at SwimLabs, you will find her chauffeuring her kids to their various activities and working on home improvement projects.
Lucy Valiente , Aquatics Director
Lucy joined the SwimLabs team in 2019. She brings over 20 years of experience as a swim instructor, pool operator and lifeguard. Over the past 20 summers, Lucy has been the Aquatics Director at Bretton Woods Country Club.
In addition to supervising and mentoring our swim instructors here at SwimLabs, Lucy teaches a combination of group and private lessons of all levels and abilities. She brings a unique combination of compassion and technique that has helped even the most reluctant students find joy in learning to swim.
Lucy is one of our most requested instructors, especially among our adult students!
Deanna Cherry
Senior Instructor
Deanna joined our team in 2018 and quickly became our most requested instructors. Deanna brings with her a wealth of knowledge pertaining to students with disabilities. She was a MCPS paraeducator for 10 years and has brought this experience from the classroom to the pool.
Deanna specializes in teaching students with conditions classified as special needs, specifically autism, sensory disorders, and the deaf and hard of hearing. Her favorite part of her job is seeing children take pride in their independence in the water.
When Deanna isn't teaching lessons, she is training and mentoring our newer instructors.
Marley Hammond
Level 2 Coach
Marley Hammond has been immersed in the world of competitive swimming since the age of 7, beginning with the North Creek Neptunes summer team and continuing year-round with programs such as Joe Flaherty’s Dolphins (JFD) and Rockville Montgomery Swim Club (RMSC). This summer, she’s proud to serve as the head coach of the North Creek Neptunes for the first time.
Before joining SwimLabs in March 2021, Marley led her summer team’s pre-team, gaining hands-on coaching experience while continuing her own competitive swimming journey through MSCL, JFD, RMSC, and Club Swim at the University of Virginia.
Marley’s coaching philosophy centers on her genuine passion for the sport, which she brings to every lesson with energy and enthusiasm. She strives to instill confidence and joy in each of her swimmers.
Outside the pool, Marley enjoys playing volleyball, reading, and spending time with friends.