Lynn Handy, started as the manager of the Downtown Sailing Center's outreach and accessible sailing programs in May of 2011. Since joining the sailing center she has organized dozens of volunteer supported programs that have helped more than 700 Baltimore area youth and more than 500 Baltimore area sailors with disabilities experience the life enriching programs the Downtown Sailing Center offers.
Lynn’s sailing experience began in 1993 as a camper in the DSC Junior’s program. She continued to sail throughout her summers and became a DSC instructor in high school. For two summers in college Lynn was a first mate and then captain for Sail Caribbean. She navigated the waters of the BVI’s with teenagers who learned team-building and sailing in a unique environment.
Before Lynn Handy was our Outreach Manager she was a high school U.S. History teacher for four years at Aberdeen High School. She engaged students of all levels from Special Education to A.P. college level students. In 2009 Lynn completed her Master’s degree in Education Leadership.
Jack Pettenati, Membership & Marketing Manager - jack@downtownsailing.org
My name is Jack Pettenati and it is my pleasure to announce I will be joining the Downtown Sailing Center this week as the program's new Office and Membership Manager.
Born and raised in northern New Jersey I moved to the Baltimore area in 2006 to attend college at Loyola University. Upon graduation in 2010 with a Bachelors Degree in Sociology I chose to continue to live in Baltimore City. Baltimore's vibrant culture, eclectic neighborhoods and on-the-harbor location has kept me here to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector.
In the pursuit of fundraising and development I spent two years working at Johns Hopkins University's Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences. I gained a tremendous amount of experience in the field of fundraising but wanted to contribute more directly to the Baltimore Community. With a background in sailing summers off the coast of Massachusetts, the DSC is an organization that strongly grabbed my interest and I am excited to start this new adventure with you all.
Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns. I will make myself very available to every: member, volunteer, skipper and supporter. I look forward to meeting with all of you and contributing to this great organization.
Stuart Proctor, Programs & Education Manager - stuart@downtownsailing.org
Stuart Proctor took the reins as Fleet and Facilities Manager in March of 2012. Stuart joined the DSC as a summer instructor in May 2011 and quickly found his niche helping with fleet maintenance and leading summer programs. With a passion for people and for the water, Stuart brings a broad sailing and teaching background to the Downtown Sailing Center. He grew up in North Carolina as the son of a kindergarten teacher and a Baptist preacher, and he developed a passion for the water at a young age. As a teen, he raced in the local Sunfish fleet around the Albemarle Sound, crewed on area PHRF boats, and competed regionally and nationally in the Windmill Sailboat Class.
Stuart received his first taste of Maryland's regional flavor when he attended St. Mary's College in Southern Maryland, where he was an integral part of the Offshore Sailing Team and the Windsurfing Club. The Offshore Team competed against the national Maritime Academies in Navy 44s, J24s, and Colgate 26s. Stuart learned every position on the school's various boats, which included a Tripp 36 and a Taylor 40, and became a leading crew boss and skipper on the team. Meanwhile, his passion for windsurfing blossomed. After graduating, Stuart moved to the Outer Banks of North Carolina where he worked in the wind sports industry with OceanAir Sports.
While the beach lifestyle suited him well - surfing or windsurfing every morning, working and teaching all day, sailing or surfing into the sunset, rinse and repeat - Stuart decided to pursue a more sustainable path that led him to Baltimore. He is a U.S. Sailing Level 1 Small Boat instructor, Level 1 Windsurfing Instructor, U.S. Powerboat Powerboating Instructor, and he completed his Basic Keelboat Instructor Certification this May. His passion for the DSC runs wide and deep with a goal to see an Accessible/Outreach Racing program! Find him on the docks, pick his brain, and ask him about Carolina Barbecue - he'd love to visit with you while you help him with Fleet maintenance!
Julia Riddle, Adult Education Coordinator - julia@downtownsailing.org
Julia Riddle started sailing as a teenager on 50-foot boats. After high school, Julia became and EMT and worked for ActionQuest, a teen sailing camp in the Caribbean every summer during college. After graduating from Georgetown University, Julia decided to pursue her Master's License in South Africa. She holds a 200 ton RYA Yachtmaster License with Sail Endorsement as well as RYA Instructor certifications. For the next four years, Julia directed the sailing programs and fleet for ActionQuest. During the academic year, Julia taught and sailed aboard larger training schooners during ocean passages with Seamester, a college study-aboard program. She also worked in the headquarter's office in Sarasota, FL. There, Julia managed marketing, the scholarship process, curriculum, staff recruitment, hiring and training, and helped develop medical protocols.
Julia left ActionQuest to pursue a career in medicine in 2010, but ran a course in French Polynesia in the summer of 2011. When she moved to Baltimore for medical research, Julia was out on the water with the DSC within 48 hours of signing her lease! Julia brings her skills and background to the curriculum development, marketing, and staff training at the DSC. She is very excited use sailing to give back to the greater Baltimore community! In addition to sailing, Julia is a Red Cross First Aid/CPR Instructor and PADI Divemaster. She loves windsurfing, running, and sailing new boats and bodies of water. She will start medical school at Johns Hopkins University in the Fall of 2012 and plans to stay connected to the DSC throughout her training.
