Expeditioning with Middle Schoolers By Ryan Samantha Carson. Originally published in 48º North Magazine’s September 2026 issue. By and large, I’m deeply grateful for my childhood. I was afforded a wealth of opportunities and experiences that shaped me into a relatively happy, functional adult. Until recently, I hadn’t been able to point to anything that
Katelyn Kean is the Director of the Blue Schools Network, where she works with communities, educators, industry leaders, and policymakers to grow a national movement connecting communities with maritime learning and careers.
Originally from Connecticut, Katelyn studied archaeology and began her career in museums, where she developed a deep appreciation for the stories, traditions, and communities that shape our understanding of place. Today, she brings that same curiosity and collaborative spirit to building partnerships that help communities create meaningful connections between education, the maritime world, and local opportunity.
Katelyn leads the expansion of the Blue Schools Initiative by working alongside schools, employers, nonprofits, government agencies, and philanthropy to develop place-based pathways that reflect each community’s unique strengths while contributing to a growing national network. She enjoys bringing people together around a shared vision and helping ideas become lasting partnerships.
Away from work, Katelyn is an avid knitter and maker whose flock of three sheep keeps her both awake at night and well-supplied with natural material. She and her partner, Moses, a shipwright, enjoy the satisfaction of making things by hand and are always dreaming up the next project.
Peter grew up sailing dinghies on Lake Michigan and Puget Sound. During his high school years, he raced on the Bainbridge High School Sailing Team, twice competing at national championships, and was an active junior member at the Port Madison Yacht Club. Summer days were filled with teaching sailing classes for the local parks district and taking countless trips aboard various watercraft with friends. His family mostly owned wooden boats, so much time was also spent in boatyards engaged in various woodworking activities. These experiences laid the foundation for what became a professional maritime career. In 2009, Peter graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY, with a degree in Maritime Operations & Technology, a Third Mate Unlimited License, and a commission in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He spent the next ten years at Crowley Maritime, first on tugs servicing Western Alaska from the Aleutians to the Arctic, and then on Crowley’s articulated tug-barge fleet moving oil along the West and Gulf Coasts. After sailing for five years as captain, he left Crowley in 2020 to enter the rigorous Washington State Marine Pilot training program. Peter was licensed in 2022 as a Puget Sound pilot, one of approximately 56 people licensed to pilot large ships of all types in these waters, ensuring the safe and efficient movement of both cargo and passengers. He has since taken an active role in pilot training and in public outreach promoting pilotage and broader maritime industry needs that are vital to life in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Peter and his wife, Katie, live on Bainbridge Island and, among various other hobbies, cruise their Alajuela 38 cutter, Leukothea.
Eric King brings 35 years of maritime expertise to his role as Senior Director of Maritime Infrastructure at the nonprofit Schmidt Ocean Institute. He orchestrates global operations for the global-class research vessel Falkor (too) and its deep-sea robotic systems, having supported 100 expeditions and the mapping of over 2 million square kilometers of the seafloor. This operational depth was established during his service as a U.S. Coast Guard officer, supporting marine salvage and commercial tug and barge operations, and while managing the University of Washington’s research vessel operations across the Pacific.
His career is grounded in a sophisticated understanding of maritime compliance and the logistical complexities of international seafaring missions. A Maine Maritime Academy alumnus, Eric holds an MPA and a Certificate in Nonprofit Executive Leadership from the University of Washington. He serves on the NOAA Ocean Exploration board and is the founding chair of the Pink Flamingo Society, which fosters collaboration among philanthropic research vessel operators. Eric’s background bridges high-level technical command with strategic nonprofit governance. His commitment to collaborative maritime networks and ocean science offers a unique perspective on the evolving needs of coastal communities and the strategic stewardship of maritime institutions.
Stephanie fell in love with classic wooden boats and the sea at the age of fifteen aboard Mystic’s sail-training schooner Brilliant. Pursuing this passion led her to complete shore-based studies for the RYA Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore course. She sailed her own boat in the waters around the UK, and later along the west coast of Europe and in the Caribbean. In her ongoing quest to get out on the water, she most recently crewed a 600-nautical-mile ocean sailing race, where she learned from a brilliant skipper half her age how to make the boat go faster safely, despite breaking many of the rules a cruising sailor holds dear. All of these experiences convinced her of the power of the sea as a teacher. Stephanie’s early career in the financial markets took her from a small British investment bank in New York to J.P. Morgan in London. Sailing and boats brought her from London to Port Townsend, where she has run a small business offering wealth management and financial advice to clients for over 25 years. Stephanie raised her two daughters in Jefferson County and was actively involved in their schools. Committed to philanthropy, she has served on several local nonprofit boards and was on the organizing committee of the Jefferson Community Foundation. In addition to sailing, Stephanie has a lifelong love for the arts, regularly attending performances and engaging in music and dance.
Jim Whittaker, internationally renowned mountaineer, adventurer, and environmentalist, is best known as the first American to summit Mt. Everest, on May 1, 1963. A visionary business and community leader, Jim was the first full-time employee of one of the country’s largest outdoor retailers, Recreational Equipment, Inc. – REI – retiring as its President and CEO after 25 years with the company. Jim is a talented and inspirational public speaker, who has given presentations to hundreds of corporations and organizations for more than four decades. He has led numerous, high-profile climbing expeditions, including the first ascent of Mt. Kennedy (with Senator Robert Kennedy) in the Canadian Yukon in 1965, the first American ascent of K2 in 1978, and the spectacularly successful Mt. Everest International Peace Climb in 1990. He is an accomplished blue-water sailor, having twice skippered his own boats on the 2,400-mile Victoria-to-Maui International Yacht Race. He and his wife Dianne Roberts, along with their two sons, made a four-year, 20,000-mile Pacific sailing journey to Australia and back to their home in Port Townsend, Washington, aboard their 54-foot steel ketch, Impossible. Jim is the author of the best-selling, award-winning memoir, A Life on the Edge: Memoirs of Everest and Beyond. (Bio courtesy of jimwhittaker.com.)
Luke is the Planner for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. He helps the Tribe facilitate future development and maintain relations with federal, state, and local organizations to further the Tribe’s interests. Luke’s family has deep roots in and around the Pacific Northwest. He is the son of a commercial fisherman (and commercial fisherman himself), which meant spending lots of time on boats and out at sea from a very young age. Prior to his planning career with the Jamestown Tribe, Luke worked as a contractor building maps for a variety of clients, often supporting aviation and maritime navigation systems, bathymetry projects in and around the Salish Sea were his favorite. Luke is a passionate boater, fisherman, and surfer who is dedicated to coastal conservation, environmental stewardship, and expanding opportunities for outdoor recreation. He volunteers regularly with Save The Waves, an international non-profit that works to protect surf ecosystems around the world. Luke has a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Western Washington University and a Master’s in Natural Resource Management and Planning from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.
John Simpson is a retired university professor and administrator. Dr. Simpson received his Bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz and his advanced degrees from Northwestern University. He is a neuroendocrinologist, studying interactions between the endocrine and nervous systems, particularly related to body fluid and cardiovascular homeostasis. After a postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania, he served as a faculty member at the University of Washington (Psychology) and the UC San Francisco School of Medicine (Physiology). He was also the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Washington, and subsequently the Provost at UC Santa Cruz, and then President of the University at Buffalo, part of the State University of New York.
John is an avid boater, cruising the Puget Sound and the Salish Sea and north in Canada. Simpson is a licensed captain. He is particularly interested in modern art and is an active woodworker. He has served on numerous public boards, including the University of Washington Foundation, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, and the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences. His two children and four grandchildren are Seattle area residents. In addition, he is part owner of SEAMarine in Port Townsend and the vice chair of the Port Townsend Marine Trades Association Board of Directors.
Sally is the co-founder and former executive director of the National Science Resources Center (now the Smithsonian Science Education Center), established in 1985 by the National Academies and the Smithsonian Institution. Throughout her career, she has played a pivotal role in working with colleagues, partners, and sponsors to translate research and implement best practices for scaling high-quality K-12 science education programs across local, state, national, and international levels. Working in 13 states and more than a dozen countries, these efforts have brought about transformational and sustained change, especially in communities serving underrepresented youth.
During her three decades at the Smithsonian, her organization earned numerous accolades, including the Center for Excellence in Education Certificate for Contributions to STEM Learning, the International Science Education Award, the Purkwa Prize for International Scientific Literacy, and the Washington State Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform Advocacy Award.
Since retiring in 2012, Sally has remained dedicated to advancing science education by advising and consulting nonprofits on capacity building, organizational development, systems thinking, fundraising, partnership cultivation, and strategic planning. She continues to serve on various committees and boards, driving initiatives that improve science learning for all youth.
Sarah’s career started in 1989 as a Cadet at Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG), which is also the Texas Maritime Academy. Her commercial sailing endeavors have included working on supply boats, tugs, landing crafts, high-speed catamarans, seismic, hydrographic, and fisheries research vessels from the Gulf of Mexico to the South Pacific Ocean to the Bering Sea. Her maritime land adventures include providing scientific support for marine oil spills, working in health and safety for tugs, shipyards, and fishing companies, designing and conducting adult learning experiences, being the Dean/Director of the Seattle Maritime Academy, and advocating for the Maritime and Manufacturing Industry within an economic development department in city government.
Most recently, she was Vice President of Pacific Coast Operations for the Transportation Institute. In this role, she conducted research, education, and advocacy for the U.S. Flagged Merchant Fleet. Now, she is the General Manager, PNW of the Maritime Institute. This includes two USCG-approved training facilities in Edmonds (Compass Course by Maritime Institute) and Everett, WA. She is passionate about ensuring the next generation of maritime workers, including more people of color and women, are competent, confident, and safe. Besides her regular work, she volunteers as a mentor at the Maritime High School and is on the following boards to broaden her understanding of the maritime and state workforce development environment and stay connected to folks in the maritime industry from across the sector: Board Member or President of the Seattle Propeller Club from 2015-2022; Board Member or President of the Tacoma Propeller Club since 2022; Co-President of WISTA PNW since 2022; Board member of the Northwest Maritime, Board member of Seattle Jobs Initiative since 2024 and Executive Board Member of the newly formed Maritime and Manufacturing Industrial Association (MMIA).
Peter has over 25 years of hands-on maritime experience in the Pacific Northwest. He began his career in Alaska, fishing for salmon during his high school summers, and ended his fishing days on factory trawlers out of Dutch Harbor. This eventually led to Peter joining Foss Maritime in 2005 as a deckhand where he hawse piped his way up to Captain, sailing in Puget Sound. Peter then decided that he felt he could make a significant impact on the shore where he held various positions from Project Management to Director of Business Development for their Columbia River division. In 2023, Peter took on a new role as VP of Sales for Gunderson Marine, and that path has led him to his current role as President of Markey Machine LLC in 2024.
Peter and his wife, Amanda, and their two boys currently live outside their hometown of Anacortes, WA. In his off time, you can find Peter on the golf course, being active in his kids’ sports, taking in all the San Juan Islands have to offer, and traveling with his family.
Caitlin is a communications professional with experience developing and executing marketing strategies for a variety of businesses, including enterprise companies, non-profits, and personal brands. With a B.S. in Chemistry from Harvey Mudd College, she leverages her background in math and science to bring a data-driven perspective to solve marketing challenges. Caitlin grew up spending time swimming, fishing, and boating on coastlines across the country as the daughter of a Coast Guard airman. She currently resides in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle with her husband, Jason.
Kris grew up sailing Sabots, Mintas, and Lido 14’s in Southern California, where she was also an avid sportfisher. As a young adult, Kris stopped out of college for several years to own and operate a 32-foot Monterey-style commercial fishing boat out of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf.
In her professional career, Kris was a founding partner of the retained executive search firm Morris & Berger. This firm had a specialty practice focused on the nonprofit sector. The firm received numerous awards, including being named one of the 50 leading retained executive search firms in North America. Clients included secondary and post-secondary educational institutions, policy organizations, foundations, organizations in the arts, and human and social service agencies.
Kris has always had a deep and abiding commitment to volunteer work and community philanthropy. She has served on numerous Boards and Commissions, including as a Trustee (now Emerita) of Occidental College, with previous service on the Greater Los Angeles Boards of the American Red Cross and United Way. Kris has spoken nationally on topics ranging from change management and institutional leadership to cultural competency.
Third generation on the family homestead near Gig Harbor, Ron grew up exploring Puget Sound in wooden boats built by his dad. College brought him to California, and a 30-year engineering career at Apple kept him there. Retirement in 2017 allowed Ron and his wife, Elizabeth, to become full-time residents of Port Townsend.
Apple vendor and manufacturing interactions brought extensive international travel, with the opportunity to learn from different cultures and work styles. Decades of collaborative engineering experience shaped an ability to bring people of varied backgrounds together in creative problem-solving.
Northwest Maritime and all it represents are major factors in Ron’s choice to live in Port Townsend; serving on the Board provides the opportunity to contribute to that enterprise and its future.
After a childhood of paddling and sailing the lakes of Minnesota, a collegiate rowing career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a year-long stint working for Outward Bound in East Africa, Alyssa moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2001 to teach outdoor education and pursue an environmental law degree at the University of Washington. Currently a partner at K&L Gates, where she practices environmental, energy, and water law, she remains deeply involved in outdoor and experiential education through her non-profit board work with the YMCA, the RAVE Foundation, and now the NWMC. Alyssa taught kids how to sail in Sunfish Sailboats on Prior Lake, has lived aboard a catamaran in the BVI, and has happily been the guest of generous captains on Lake Pepin, Bahia de Banderas, and Puget Sound. She recently re-discovered surfing while living as a digital nomad in San Pancho, Mexico.
Alyssa and her husband are raising their two young sons in West Seattle, where easy access to the Sound allows for hours of paddle boarding and kayaking. She takes every opportunity she can to be out on the water, whether exploring low tide from a SUP, waiting for just the right wave to surf, or learning more about the art and science of sailing.
Dave’s respect for the water began along the banks of the Mississippi River, where he explored its backwaters in a 1940s-era Alumacraft fishing boat loaned to him by his grandfather. For the past 25 years, he has called the Pacific Northwest home and is a regular on the Salish Sea, whether under sail or on power vessels. He is passionate about traditional wooden boatbuilding and maintenance methods and is currently a caretaker of a classic wooden trawler. For 30 years, Dave has worked in and around technology and operations, having held leadership positions at Deere & Company, Microsoft, and Avanade, and consulting with Grand Banks Yachts. After graduating with a degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois, he obtained CPA and CMA certificates and completed a dual degree MBA and Master of Manufacturing from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School & McCormick School of Engineering. Dave currently serves as CEO of ArchLynk, a leading supply chain consulting firm with offices in Europe, North America, Australia, and India. His volunteer work and contributions have included the Boy Scouts of America, Evergreen Goodwill (formerly Seattle Goodwill), and various choral organizations around the US. Dave enjoys spending time on the water and in the mountains with his spouse, Margie, and their three children.
Harium Martin-Morris is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in both the private sector and public education. He spent over 17 years at The Boeing Company, focusing on software development and management.
When he arrived in Seattle, he worked in the maritime industry in various positions, including as a general manager of a shipping line from Seattle to far-east Russia.
In the realm of education, Harium has made significant contributions. He served on the Seattle School Board from 2007 to 2015, during which he was involved with the Council of Great City Schools and the Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE), holding the position of vice-chair on the CUBE steering committee.
In 2018, Governor Jay Inslee appointed Harium to the Washington State Board of Education, where he continues to advocate for equitable and quality education for all students.
Harium holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the State University of New York at Cortland and a Master of Business Administration from Babson College. He also possesses a Washington State Residency Teaching Certificate.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Harium is actively involved in community organizations. He serves on the board of the Equity in Education Center of Washington, a group comprising over 100 community-based organizations dedicated to promoting educational equity. He is also a private pilot in his spare time.
Mark is a seasoned leader with 30 years in marketing, communications, and event management. Most recently, he led Marketing and Communications at Saltchuk Marine and Foss Maritime, where he played a key role in community engagement, corporate giving, and stewarding the relationship with Maritime High School. Prior to Saltchuk Marine, Mark worked in philanthropy at Fred Hutch Cancer Center and ran his own marketing agency, consulting for major brands like U.S. Bank, Hyundai USA, Nintendo, Toyota, Westfield, and UPS. His background as a collegiate athlete has shaped his ability to build strong, collaborative partnerships rooted in shared values and long-term success.
Born and raised in Seattle, Mark grew up inspired by the towering gantry cranes at the Port of Seattle, where his father worked as an ILWU Local 19 crane operator. He attended the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Now residing in West Seattle, Mark enjoys an active lifestyle with his wife and two daughters. In the winter, his family can be found skiing and snowboarding across the West, while the warmer months are filled with mountain biking, road cycling, paddleboarding, and his ongoing challenge—standing on a physio ball for a full hour.
Jeanne was the skipper of the 2018 winning Race to Alaska team, Sail Like A Girl. The team is a group of eight women, three with little to no sailing experience, who set out on a journey of adventure and achieved more when they reached Ketchikan as the first monohull to win the race, ever. Despite a multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2021, she repeated a win in 2023 with team We Brake For Whales, alongside her husband aboard their custom Lyman Morse-built, cold-molded cedar race boat, Gray Wolf. Jeanne began sailing and racing in 1999 in Boston, where she met her husband, Evgeniy, who has circumnavigated the globe on sailboats. They have two children and live on Bainbridge Island.
Jeanne spent 25 years in wealth management and trust and estate administration. Jeanne has also spent volunteer time working to increase planned giving in the Puget Sound area, and is engaged with a number of non-profits to aid them in this goal.
Aletia Alvarez’s connection to the Northwest Maritime runs deep. Joining the Board is a homecoming of sorts, after serving as its founding Executive Director. Her return brings a lifetime of maritime experience and leadership, currently demonstrated through her role leading the Port of Seattle’s Maritime Planning Department and spearheading transformative waterfront and infrastructure projects. Aletia’s professional journey spans economic development leadership, consulting via A3Resources, co-owning of Madrona MindBody Institute, and providing capital planning at the Port of Olympia. Beyond her strategic expertise, Aletia is a true “Jill-of-all-trades.” From repairing and sailing Neil Young’s schooner, the W.N. Raglund, with her 100-ton USCG license, she has sailed the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Pacific, Atlantic, and North seas—and to raise a topsail, she has also served as a commissioned US Army Aviation officer (Rotary-winged). Her diverse experience and proven leadership make her an invaluable addition as a new member to the Northwest Maritime Board.
Alex is a Senior Environmental Program Manager at Port of Seattle, where he leads maritime sustainability programs. Prior to working at the Port, Alex led climate change and energy programs at King County’s Department of Transportation. Alex is also a licensed captain, with over a decade of experience leading students of all ages on semester-long ocean education trips aboard tall ships in the Great Lakes and ocean waters between Canada and Trinidad. He also served as captain of King County’s Water Taxi and spent time as a fly-fishing guide in Alaska. Alex earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Wheaton College in Massachusetts, where he grew up, and a Master’s in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington. Alex loves living in the Pacific Northwest and is committed to experiential education, addressing the complex issue of climate change, and creating opportunities that inspire others to learn about science, the natural world, and themselves.
LeeAnne has committed her entire career to public service with extensive experience working for and with the judicial, municipal, and special government elected officials. She has a passion for equitable policy development, challenging societal norms, and creating opportunities and access to underserved communities. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Arizona State University 4 years after earning her G.E.D.
She is the Commission Office lead for the Port of Seattle Commission, where she provides support for policy research and analysis on issues with an emphasis on equity, diversity, and inclusion. She also provides direct support to commissioners in achieving individual and commission-wide policy objectives. She is most proud of her work to develop the Port’s workforce development policy and her role in supporting the launch of the Maritime High School.
LeeAnne was born and raised in the Southwest but has always been drawn to the sea. She and her family moved to the Seattle area in 2013 and are happy to live so close to the sounds and smells of Puget Sound.
Kirstin grew up boating and windsurfing with her family in and around the Pacific Northwest, which fostered a love of the water and the beauty of the region. For 16 years, Kirstin served in various finance and accounting roles at Saltchuk Resources and its operating subsidiaries. She spent 13 of those years as CFO for Foss Maritime, a global marine services business founded in Tacoma in 1889. Prior to joining Saltchuk, Kirstin worked at Optiva Corporation, makers of the Sonicare toothbrush, and previously with public accounting firms. Kirstin holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in accounting from the University of Washington. Kirstin retired from the Seattle Foundation in May 2021, where she served as Chief Financial Operating Officer. In addition to spending time on the water, Kirstin loves to travel, is an avid cyclist, and enjoys hiking and golfing. Kirstin also serves on the board of the Perigee Fund and Seattle-King-Kittitas County Habitat for Humanity.
Scott retired as a transactional lawyer from Cascade Asset Management Company. He remains active as a member of the board of directors of Lake Union Drydock Company, a commercial shipyard, and as an advisor to Leading Harvest, a multinational sustainable agriculture standards, education and certification company. Scott is a founder of Farmland Capital Alliance, the nationwide trade association for large-scale farmland owners and operators.
Scott is an active sailor and motor boater, including transiting the Atlantic on a 44’ sailboat in 2023, sailing the west coast of Sweden and transiting the Panama Canal on a sailboat in 2024 and as a participant in the WA360 on team Old Salts.
Steve grew up cruising and sailing the Salish Sea with his parents and grandparents. Today, he and his wife, Kelley, sail with their children and grandchildren on their Bill Garden ketch Blackbeard II. Steve has been a Board Member of Northwest Maritime since 2001 and served as Board President from 2008 to 2021. Steve was a founding board member and past president of the Olympic Medical Center Foundation and the First Fed Foundation. He has also served on the boards of several other charitable organizations during his career.
Steve practiced law on the Olympic Peninsula for 35 years, retiring from active practice in 2010. His practice emphasized civil litigation, maritime, banking, and municipal work. He served as general counsel to the Port of Port Angeles for over 30 years. He is the former Chairman of the Board of First Fed Bank. He retired from that position in 2023 after serving on its Board of Directors and as its General Counsel for over 20 years.
Lynn began her sailing career late in life with an ocean passage from Hawaii to Seattle. She repeated the magical experience again four years later as First Mate. For the past 25 years, she has been in information security and risk management, working for large corporations—Microsoft, Barclays, and Oracle. Her background includes being a founding member of the Cloud Security Alliance, working on national critical infrastructure protection projects with IT-ISAC, Telecom, and the Electrical Power Interdependency Task Force. Her volunteer work includes being a former board member of the National Women’s Sailing Association and currently serving on the First Fed board and advisory board for the Executive Women’s Forum. She enjoys sailing locally with her spouse, Nancy, aboard Tethys.
Robin sailed into the 1996 Wooden Boat Festival as a deckhand aboard the local schooner Alcyone, having started with them in New Zealand a year earlier. She has ventured out doing seasonal work, sailing, teaching, and fishing but has called this place her home now for 30 years. She also loves a blue water crossing, securing the 4-8am watch and catching the sunrise. Her USCG Captain’s license and Able-Seaman documents have expired but she holds dear her many memories and adventures at sea!
In a “quest for adventure” after college graduation, Robin began work as an Instructor/ Captain for the Outward Bound Sea Program based in Anacortes, WA. The experience of living on a 26’ longboat for 65+ days a summer with students opened her eyes to the impact of experiential education, motivating her to obtain a Master’s in Teaching & Teaching credential.
Her career with us started at the Wooden Boat Foundation way back in 2000 as a Longboat Captain, Volunteer Coordinator and eventually Program Manager. After a 14-year break raising her three kids and commercial fishing, she returned in 2018 to be hired as Program Director.
When interviewing for her job, Robin pitched a partnership with Juvenile Services. Within her first summer in the role of Programs Director, she had launched that initiative; it has since become a feeder program for the Port Townsend Maritime Academy. This arc is illustrative of Robin’s focus on action, as well as her commitment to “broadening the impact of the organization to include young people who would not normally have access to opportunities in the maritime industry.”
In addition to directing Northwest Maritime’s sailing, school and boat shop programs, she is a board member at the Teaching with Small Boats Alliance. She loves longboats!
A native of nearby Sequim, Jesse’s maritime skill set was borne from years in leadership roles with traditional sailing ships and maritime educational programs including Port Townsend’s own schooner Adventuress, The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, and Hurricane Island Outward Bound school. After Covid, he returned home to join Northwest Maritime. The teamwork, shared intention, and versatility gained at sea were a key preparation for his current role.
Jesse’s formidable title of Race Boss means he heads up the machinations behind Northwest Maritime’s adventure races: Race to Alaska, SEVENTY48, and WA360, as well as the Salish 100, the longest small-boat cruise in North America. He finds it rewarding to build connections between racers, local partners, the Salish Sea community, and Northwest Maritime’s race programs. For Jesse, these flagship events “strip away the distractions that keep people from feeling fully alive,” offering a front-row seat to humans at their most human—and a chance to celebrate them.
Directing the second-largest Wooden Boat Festival in the world is “a lot like being the maestro,” says Barb Trailer. “My job is to find the balance between managing it and allowing it to unfold—so that all that energy turns into something magical.”
Her progression into the role was a natural one. Barb has always loved traveling, entertaining, and being on boats. She lived aboard for over ten years, constantly on the move, which laid the foundation for all that followed. Planning for extended offshore sailing, living outside the U.S.for a decade, while hosting guests—including catering weddings on far-off beaches—prepared her for just about anything. Years spent in remote places, sometimes requiring three dinghy rides, a drive across two islands, and a ferry trip just to do laundry, added to that education.
Barb lived on St John in the US Virgin Islands before joining a crew on a wooden boat heading to Alaska. The boat stopped in Port Townsend and Barb fell in love the minute she landed in Point Hudson. She knew immediately she wanted to end up here. The natural beauty, along with the proximity to abundant fresh food, sealed it.
Life at sea has imparted a simple wisdom: not to make the little things big—or the big things little. Barb is proud of helping the Wooden Boat Festival stay true to its soul—its craft, culture, and community—while evolving to reflect the times we live in. She believes in keeping traditions alive while keeping the doors open to what’s next.
Kate Philbrick supports land-based activities at the Northwest Maritime campus, with a focus on the visitor experience and earned revenue to support programs. That doesn’t mean she’s not shaped by the sea, though. “Spending ten days offshore was an experience I’ll never forget,” she recounts. “I learned I can do things I never thought possible, from contributing during shifts at all hours of the day and night.. . to getting past five days of seasickness.” Kate hails from Oregon and spent time living in New England and the Rockies before being drawn to the community and outdoor opportunities in Port Townsend. Her path to her role began with a B.A. in Geosciences from Wellesley College and completion of the Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program.
As Campus Director, Kate supports operation of the Swan Hotel, the Welcome Center, Venue Rentals, Registration, and the maritime library. Her suitedness for the job owes to a blend of past experience, including hospitality management work at a resort and time at a non-profit children’s museum. She is proud of her role in Northwest Maritime’s purchase of the Swan Hotel in 2022, which pulled it into the organization while maintaining its reputation as the #1 local hotel (per Tripadvisor), known for its excellent guest service and dedicated longtime staff.
Growing up surrounded by Minnesota’s lakes, Joe Cline developed a deep appreciation for backcountry canoe adventures, as well as a passion for sailing. Though much of his time afloat has been spent trimming sails on racing sailboats, he says, “Cruising the water-wilderness of the Pacific Northwest is the perfect combination of the things that made me fall in love with boats and the water in the first place.” Proud dad to two young kids, Joe’s day-to-day involves less sailing than it once did, but a whole lot more fun with playgrounds and pretend and puddle-jumping.
Joe’s degrees in music and economics offered an unconventional launchpad toward his current role, in which he heads 48° North—the free, regional sailing and boating magazine published by Northwest Maritime. He found his way to the Editor’s chair naturally, though, after running Seattle Sailing Club for five years and taking great pride in building community and bringing new folks into sailing. After more than a decade at the helm of 48° North, he remains as community-driven as ever.
Joe is especially proud of the work that brought 48° North into the Northwest Maritime ecosystem in 2018, following decades of independent publication. The integration broadened the publication’s horizons, while creating new mission impact and helping the big-tent of the non-profit get even bigger. According to Joe, Northwest Maritime has a knack for “assembling communities of individuals whose intelligence, passion, capability, spirit of fun, and creativity obliterate all expectations.”
Anika Colvin didn’t set out to become a graphic designer; she fell into it by accident and never looked back. While co–Art Directing a women’s surf magazine on California’s Central Coast with her husband, she had a quiet but immediate realization: this was the work that fit. “Graphic design demands organization and strategy while still being visually expressive. Instant love.” What began unexpectedly quickly became the creative language she chose to build her life around.
A Midwest lake kid at heart, Anika somehow found herself aboard more than fifty different small boats along the way. She doesn’t claim the title of sailor, but those experiences—equal parts thrilling and humbling—cultivated a deep respect for the ocean.
Anika has collaborated with nationally recognized brands including Martha Stewart Living, West Elm, Urban Outfitters, Michaels, and Lowe’s. She also has five different logo designs tattooed on the bodies of strangers. Off-screen, she’s cheering on her talented family, channeling her creative instincts into remodeling, or traveling on a good two lane highway.
Xoe Huffman White serves as Northwest Maritime’s Human Resources expert, a role she approaches with both humor and dedication. While she might make a small joke that her job is “to keep us out of court,” in reality, her focus is on supporting the staff, advising managers and leaders, and facilitating all the relationships among the lot. Xoe started in NWM’s accounting department nine years ago, having come from 20 years in retail and a stint at a public access television station. Having started her college career in technical theater, Xoe soon realized that it wasn’t the right path and eventually found college completion with a degree in Sociology. With all these twists, she was prepared to “roll with whatever life throws” at her and found herself in Human Resources. “HR is never boring,” she says, “but often very rewarding.”
Xoe moved to Port Townsend in 2012, right before a major snowstorm, and while she’s lived many places, this is where she now calls home. When not staff-wrangling, she spends time relaxing with her family and volunteering for the local Steampunk festival. Highlights of her job include witnessing the growth of our staff and navigating a major software transition to improve HR processes, including obtaining staff buy-in, as well as mastery of the Excel pivot table.
As Development Director, Brad leads and supports a team of fundraising professionals to connect supporters with Northwest Maritime’s mission, facilitating the generosity that makes our work possible. He brings decades of experience in nonprofit philanthropy, especially arts and culture, education, and human services.
Growing up in Kansas, Brad didn’t have many opportunities for transformative maritime experiences, but an affinity for the sea was part of what drew him to Seattle in the early 2000s. There he helped to raise funds for major institutions like the Seattle Art Museum, Pacific Science Center, and Seattle Opera. Now, he’s thrilled to be helping people of all ages connect with the wonders of the sea through Northwest Maritime. He’s even learning to sail.
Brad earned a B.A. from the University of Kansas, and he is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) and Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
Shea Louthen is trusted with general financial governance at Northwest Maritime, performing the key function of “deciphering the financial means with the end of promoting maritime culture, while minimizing the administrative burden on co-workers that do the truly heavy-lifting work.” Shea earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, but went back to night school to study accounting after being offered a Comptroller position. “I figured, why not?” she explains. “I like sudoku puzzles.” Since then, she has earned an MBA, become a CPA, and completed her CNP (Certified Nonprofit Professional) designation.
Shea grew up in Texas, Delaware, California, Arizona, and Georgia; a vacation in the Olympic National Forest inspired her to live in the Pacific Northwest. When offered a job in Port Townsend decades later, she jumped at the chance to make the move. She remains motivated to seek “new experiences, new places, and new people,” and has proven that with a new keel boat certification. She values her “wonderful team” of colleagues and counts “opportunities to jump on a boat and sail the Sound” among the perks of working at Northwest Maritime.
What does the CEO of Northwest Maritime do? In his own words: “I help people and communities connect with the sea.” His self-described career path has been “totally accidental.” It began a post graduation vacation volunteering on a tallship and never looked back. A native of Bellingham, Jake has worked as a professional mariner on freighters to Alaska, petroleum barges on the Chesapeake, tallships, and taught on longboats for Outward Bound. He credits the sea for making him who he is today and the value of those experiences are why he has worked for multiple decades to help others experience them firsthand.
Jake remains inspired by time at sea. For him connecting with the natural world through sailing “It’s like my version of church! CEO since 2011, he still finds meaning in his role here for both the work and how we do it: “At Northwest Maritime we do big things, sometimes hard things, and we do it with laughter and camaraderie.”
Katie keeps Northwest Maritime’s operational engine running smoothly, while helping shape an organizational culture that values excellence, curiosity, and actual humans. Born & raised in Massachusetts (don’t ask her to slow down when she talks), Katie holds a degree in architecture from Princeton and a master’s in Public History and Cultural Heritage from Trinity College Dublin. Her academic work explored how cultural institutions make decisions about how to invest, what to preserve, what to change, and what to let quietly fall apart.
An accomplished mariner, Katie has long understood the world through the lens of the sea. She first went offshore at sixteen aboard the schooner Brilliant and has completed four Newport–Bermuda races and a transatlantic passage. Her USCG Captain’s license may be long expired, but the lessons of seamanship—teamwork, adaptability, and respect for forces much bigger than oneself—remain central to how she works and leads.
Before joining Northwest Maritime, Katie worked in planning and design for cultural buildings and spent many years as a management consultant, helping cultural organizations make smarter, more intentional decisions about capital projects and operations. When a job posting at Northwest Maritime appeared, it offered a rare chance to bring together her professional life, her love of the sea, and her belief that well-run organizations make room for both rigor and joy. She took it.