Catherine Collins
Executive Director
Catherine Collins has more than two decades of leadership experience in nonprofit fundraising and management and holds an MBA. She has worked for national youth organizations including Outward Bound and City Year and spent a decade helping to strengthen local economies with ACCION USA, a subsidiary of worldwide microfinance leader ACCION International. A native of Massachusetts, Catherine grew up sailing Cape Cod waters. Her passion for the power of sailing ships was sparked by her experience in 1993 as a volunteer educator aboard the sloop Clearwater on New York's Hudson River.
Nate Seward
Staff Captain
Nate knows Adventuress better than nearly all of us, having volunteered as a Port Townsend teenager more than a decade ago and subsequently sailing aboard for eight seasons as an Educator/Deckhand, Bosun, Second Mate and Chief Mate. He has worked aboard during multiple winter maintenance seasons including in the roles of Bosun and Rigger. Nate’s passion for education and maritime has taken him to Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, Center for Wooden Boats, Northwest Maritime Center and the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. Nate spent time as crew of the Oliver Hazard Perry in Rhode Island and has most recently been “driving” schooners for the Portland Schooner Company in Portland, Maine. Nate’s commitment to excellence is clear whether he’s leading a volunteer work weekend or helping students experience sailing for the first time in a small boat or on a tall ship such as Adventuress.
Amanda Leighton
2nd Captain
Amanda has spent over a decade sailing the North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea, and she is excited for her first sailing adventure on Pacific waters. After first joining a tall ship in 2011 as a deckhand/educator on the schooner Roseway, she fell in love with sailing and outdoor education; eventually returning to Roseway for three years as chief mate. She continued to sail on several tall ships, including Liberty Clipper, Lynx, Amistad, and Spirit of Bermuda. Her first command was the 1924 schooner Bagheera in Portland, Maine, and she has also run water taxis and tours in Maine and charters in the Virgin Islands. But her true passion is tall ship sailing, and spreading that love to all the crew and students who cross our decks. Amanda also loves wildlife and environmental studies, and is excited to share these interests with the Adventuress communtiy. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and loves working on painting and illustrations in her "spare" time.
Jenny Huntley
Program Director
A Pacific Northwest native, Jenny first came aboard Adventuress for a four day overnight program when she was 12 years old and absolutely loved the entire experience. She discovered Adventuress again and enjoyed two seasons working as the shipboard Program Coordinator in ’16 and ‘17. Jenny graduated from Western Washington University’s Huxley College with a BA in Environmental Education. In her role at Sound Experience, Jenny assists with fundraising, event planning, grant writing, social media, organization of day and overnight programs with schools and educators, and supporting our crew and shipboard community. Jenny has always loved the Salish Sea and is very passionate about orcas, especially our Southern Resident Killer Whales. She lives in Bellingham with her husband and toddler and they love being near/on the water as much as possible.
Hali Miller
Development Officer
Hali is a native of the Puget Sound region and has worked with nonprofits for over 15 years. She is committed to supporting organizations that provide creative hands-on learning. At Sound Experience she wrestles technology and streamlines data so that members can spend more time on the water and less time in front of a screen. Hali currently lives in a small house in the woods outside of Port Townsend with her husband, Gregg, and their oversized diffenbachia.
Richard Lauridsen
Partnership Director
Richard is a bilingual Spanish speaker and has lived with his wife most of their lives in the Pacific Northwest. Together they love sailing the San Juan and Gulf Islands. Richard has a Master’s degree in Educational Administration and has spent 15 years as a classroom teacher before following his love of the sea into maritime education. He served as Program Director for the Lady Washington. Later he worked as Chief Operating Officer for the Hawaiian Chieftain, where he helped guide the ship through restoration work and its U.S. Coast Guard certification. He holds a USCG 25-ton Master’s license and an AB Seaman credential, and has also taught ASA Bareboat Skipper courses with San Juan Sailing. Now at Sound Experience, Richard focuses on building strong partnerships that help bring powerful, hands-on learning experiences to life, and supporting the crew and community aboard Adventuress.
Gordon Sims
Administrative Captain
In addition to serving as Captain on Lady Washington and as Mate and Engineer on the East Coast schooner Ernestina, Gordon has a long history with Sound Experience. Starting in '91, Gordon spent fifteen seasons aboard Adventuress as Watch Leader, Mate, Engineer, and—finally—as one of Adventuress' primary Captains from '02 to '05. Gordon returned to Sound Experience in 2015. He says, "I'm humbled to be coming back. I'm grateful and really looking forward to the opportunity to bring Sound Experience and Adventuress to the world." In his spare time, Gordon, a resident of Indianola, WA, is a member of a singing trio and loves being outdoors. He describes himself as having "a wonder of all things non-human."
Amy Kovacs
Special Projects
Amy first came aboard Adventuress between '09 and '11 as an Educator/Deckhand and Program Coordinator, then joined the staff team as Program Director in 2015 and Partnership Director in 2023. Amy has a Masters in Anthrozoology and has an extensive background in experiential education. She has started an outdoor education program at a newly-formed charter school in Salt Lake City, ran experiential school programs for Mountain Workshop as well as been a staff lead for wilderness therapy programs. At Sound Experience, Amy has moved into a party time role on special projects. A Northwest transplant as of September, 2014, Amy loves the Puget Sound region. In addition to her passion for experiential education, Amy likes to bike, canoe, and work on ceramics.