About Us

Courageous Staff

At the core of Courageous' success are the enthusiastic and professional efforts of the management and instructor staff. About eighty percent of the Summer Youth Program instructor and instructor-in-training corps grew up through the program. At Courageous, safety is paramount, and many staff members are US Sailing certified, and all are First Aid, and CPR trained. Our staff is customer-focused, with a mandate to make sure kids and adults alike enjoy their every experience on the water.

John Maconga, Executive Director
John is an enthusiastic sailor, lawyer and non-profit executive dedicated to improving the lives of children. As Executive Director, John is responsible for the general management and development of the Courageous Sailing Center, an integrated community sailing center providing adult memberships, racing, cruising and youth development programs inspired by the sailing experience. Prior to joining Courageous, John served as the Executive Director of The Barton Center for Diabetes Education, a year-round center providing education, recreation and support programs for children with diabetes and their families. Prior to joining Barton, John practiced law in both private practice and as in-house counsel where he gained a wide range of business and legal experience.

Bryan Peugh, Associate Executive Director
Bryan is the Associate Executive Director of the Courageous Sailing. Bryan creates and implements strategies to deliver Courageous' value proposition to children, adults, and corporations. Bryan works with numerous constituencies, including the City of Boston, Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), Carroll Center for the Blind, Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Club of Boston and The New England Aquarium.

During his tenure at Courageous, Bryan has launched two highly successful fundraisers to benefit its youth program: the Courageous Challenge Corporate Regatta and the Make a Mark Gala Charity event. Bryan's other achievements include engaging headline sponsors for the program and creating the Rhodes 19 Junior National Championships.

Prior to joining Courageous, Bryan held program management positions at San Diego Yacht Club and Cape Cod Sea Camps. He is a US Sailing certified Instructor Trainer, and accomplished sailor and windsurfer who has competed in national and international regattas.

Bryan attended San Diego State University, where he majored in speech communications.

Miguel Corti, Director of Sailing

Kate Henderson, Director of Youth Programs
Kate brings to Courageous an extensive background in sailing instruction and youth sailing program development. She grew up sailing and working at the Cohasset Sailing Club on the South Shore, where she was head instructor in 2003. She has worked as a part-time instructor at the Boston Sailing Center since 2002 and was most recently the head instructor at the Winchester Boat Club during summer 2007. You still might catch her racing in her spare time, either as a member of the Winthrop frostbite fleet or at other events in and around Boston Harbor.

Kate earned her B.A. in Human Biology from Brown University in 2005, where she also raced competitively as a member of their sailing team for two years. Currently, she is a candidate for a Master’s Degree in Public Health (MPH) at the Boston University School of Public Health. Her research interests include women’s health, disease prevention among at-risk youth and the study of health disparities across different ethnic, racial and socioeconomic populations in urban areas.

Previously, Kate worked as a clinical coordinator for the BU Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Research Program from 2005 to 2007. In spring of 2007, she interned with the Foundation for Sustainable Development as an education and outreach assistant with INPPARES, a family planning clinic in Puno, Peru.

Michelle DuBois, Administrator
As Administrator for Courageous Sailing Center, Michelle plays an important role in the fiscal health of the organization, while assuring that human resources and programmatic administration run smoothly. Michelle manages the Courageous website, as well as creating most of our printed material.

Michelle is personally motivated by the Courageous mission because she enjoyed learning to sail as a youth through a similar program. She is most supportive of the access to sailing that Courageous offers to children who would otherwise not learn to sail or enjoy Boston Harbor and Jamaica Pond in such an interactive way. Michelle received a B.A. from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, where she majored in Philosophy. She is currently a City Councilor in Brockton.