About Us

Courageous Staff

At the core of Courageous' success are the enthusiastic and professional efforts of the management and instructor staff. Eighty-five percent of Courageous instructors grew up through the Five Step Youth Program. At Courageous, safety is paramount, and many staff members are US Sailing certified, 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.

Mary Yntema, Executive Director
Mary joins Courageous this spring, with the responsibility for general management and development of the Courageous Sailing Center. She brings to this role a wide experience in nonprofit and corporate management. A resident of Moscow, Russia for over seven years, she worked there as vice president of a corporate training company and in institutional equity sales. During that time she held various leadership positions on the board of United Way Moscow. Earlier, Mary worked for United Way International in Moscow, founding and running its Russian program.

She holds an A.B. from Harvard College, an M.A. from Johns Hopkins SAIS, and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School. A Boston native, Mary learned to sail on the Charles River, at Community Boating, Inc.

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 Mellon Financial and Cabot Corporation as headline sponsors for the program. Bryan also created 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.

Lauren Thirer, Director of Youth Sailing Lauren Thirer graduated from Cornell University in May 2002 and has been with Courageous since September of last year. Lauren learned to sail on the Finger Lakes in upstate New York, and has been teaching sailing to children at a variety of sailing clubs and summer camps since 1996. Last summer she directed a boating program at Camp Micah in Bridgton, Maine, where she set up a new sailing program and wrote a curriculum specifically for the camp. She was also responsible for the training and supervision of the waterfront staff. Lauren manages a staff of approximately 50 Instructors at Courageous. She is responsible for setting the curriculum for the Youth Program and overseeing daily program operations. In the off season, Lauren researches potential funders and drafts grant proposals. Lauren is a Red Cross certified Waterfront Lifeguard, and a US Sailing certified Small Boat Instructor.
Karl Seibert, Adult Program Director Karl brings over 8 years of diverse sailing and coaching experience to Courageous. Karl joined Courageous after serving most recently as the junior racing coach at Piers Park Sailing Center in East Boston. He also previously coached the Yale Sailing Team and the Buckingham, Browne & Nichol School sailing team. Karl graduated from Yale University with a degree in geology and geophysics, followed by 3 years as an environmental consultant in Massachusetts and California. He remains active as a volunteer judge at collegiate regattas and as a trustee of the Yale Sailing Associates, the Yale Sailing alumni organization. As Adult Program Director, Karl and his staff design and implement events for over 300 adult members, from Learn to Sail students to advanced racers, in addition to maintaining Courageous’ fleet of over 40 sailboats and safety launches. Karl raises money for Courageous by increasing revenue from the paid adult membership by way of a marketing program that includes direct mail, newsletters and member mailings, and a display at the New England Boat Show. Karl furthermore works to expand the winter revenue by growing Courageous’ frostbite racing program.
Grant Mathews, Assistant Program Director Grant is a college student pursuing an engineering degree at UMass Lowell. Originally from Montana, Grant worked his way through the Courageous Five Step Youth program, and has been teaching sailing here for eight years. This will be Grant's second summer working as Assistant Program Director. He is an expert at sailing Lasers and has sailed aboard the HMS Bounty.
Jennifer Toscano, Youth Program Head Instructor Jenn is a rising senior at Lasell College and besides sailing she loves to dance and swim. This is her seventh year at Courageous Sailing Center. Jenn learned to sail through the Courageous Five Step Youth Program, and now manages the children's Taste of Sailing and Learn to Sail programs as Head Instructor. Jenn has sailed in four Rhodes 19 Junior Nationals, as well as aboard the tall ship, Bounty.
John Greene, Assistant Head Instructor John is a senior at Boston Latin School and really enjoys sailing. He learned to sail in the Courageous Five Step Youth Program. John instructs for both the youth and adult programs.
Leo Bronder-Giroux Leo has been an instructor at Courageous for the past four summers, and he has been sailing here for seven years. He has been instrumental in implementing an environmental programming component into the Five Step Youth Program. This coming winter, Leo will represent Courageous at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Baja, Mexico. Leo will be attending Marlboro College in Vermont this fall.
Janet Guarino Janet is currently a sophomore in High School. She enjoys soccer, swimming and the arts. Janet has been sailing four years at Courageous and is a Junior Instructor.
John Lyons John is a High School student. He likes computers and basketball. John has been sailing at the Courageous Sailing Center and in Southie for the last 5 years. John is a Junior Instructor at the Courageous Sailing Center.
Joseph Poles A High School student and Junior Instructor at Courageous Sailing Center. Joseph has been sailing at Courageous for the last four years.
Alice Sodroski Alice is a high school student and has a passion for sailing. She has been sailing for eight years now and six of those years have been at the Courageous Sailing Center. Alice's favorite part of the Courageous Sailing Center's program is the Junior National Championship held every August. As an instructor Alice works hard to pass her own love for sailing to the sailing youth of Boston.

Back to top