Brett Hart, the organization’s Executive grew up in Frankford, four blocks from the location of the shop. He is a Tall Ship Captain and wooden boat builder with eight years of direct service experience working with at-risk youth form Philadelphia. Prior to joining PWBF, Brett was employed by the Los Angeles Maritime Institute going to sea with teenage students from East Los Angeles. He was the Captain and Director of Maritime Education for Philadelphia City Sail on board their 75′ Schooner North Wind, traveling for extended periods with Philadelphia teenagers. Brett worked as a boat-building educator for PWBF’s in-school, industrial arts program Canoe Build, from 2000 to 2003, and returned as Executive Director in the fall of 2009.

Leonard Bonarek, the organization’s Program Director went to sea at the age of 18 aboard commercial tankers, sailing routes between the Middle East and the United States. He has lived for extended periods abroad including Kazakhstan, where he began his career in youth services while working for a forestry program with middle school groups. He began a Philadelphia Chapter of Baltimore NGO Tenderbridge, a group that links students to activities and programs in their areas of interest. He has also volunteered for Neighborhood Bike Works and most recently was employed as Volunteer Coordinator and Court Liaison for CASA. Leonard speaks fluent Indonesian and is learning Spanish. He is a superb mentor and direct service provider, with an engaging narrative, clear boundaries, and is someone the kids respect and relate to very well.

Tim Harbeson, the organization’s Artist In Resident is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1989, with a concentration in sculpture. Tim moved to Maine in 1994 and spent two years working for Dave Corcoran of Bullhouse Boatworks, a shop specializing in authentic Nathaniel Herreshoff wooden boats. Tim, with his wife Buffy Miller and son Lark, co-created Stillhouse Theatre, a 31-seat jewel box behind their home in Mt. Airy.

Deepa Vasudevan graduated from Haverford College in 2007 with a B.A. in English and a minor in Cultural Anthropology. Deepa is currently the Research Coordinator at the Out-of-School Time Resource Center (OSTRC) at the University of Pennsylvania. In this position, Deepa provides evaluation and research assistance to out-of-school time organizations (afterschool, summer programs, etc) interested in improving their professional development offerings. She also conducts trainings on survey and research design for community programs and co-facilitates monthly networking events for youth work professionals at the United Way. As a supporter of vibrant community programs, Deepa has served as board president of the Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory since 2009. She is also a board member of the Seybert Foundation, an organization that awards financial support to nonprofits programs serving children and youth in Philadelphia.

Ryan is a practicing attorney specializing in bankruptcy, commercial real estate and civil rights in South Jersey and Philadelphia. In addition to the Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory, Ryan is active in South Jersey Legal Service’s bankruptcy Pro Bono Project, the ACLU of Delaware and the Camden County Bar Association. He has spent time working within various civic organizations as well, ranging from the Zoning Board in Lebanon New Hampshire to the Cooper-Grant Neighborhood Association in Camden, New Jersey. From coaching little league baseball to assisting those in need of legal aid, Ryan believes firmly in giving back to his community and paying it forward. Mr. Lamb has a B.A. from Vassar College in Geography and a J.D. From Rutgers School of Law.

Chris Myers is a passionate entrepreneur and founder of seven start-ups who has been visible in the commercial Internet space since 1997 as an Internet-search and Internet-TV pioneer with the well-known search-optimization company searchbuilder.com and the Internet-TV startup Sivoo. Mr. Myers has been active in venture capital since 2002 and is now the Managing Director of the Philadelphia Development Group Limited, where he directs the firm’s venture capital investment and fund advisory businesses. Mr. Myers also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship with the LeBow College of Business, and is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with the Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship in Technology. He is an MSc candidate from the Centre for Financial & Management Studies at the University of London, and holds a BA from the New School for Social Research in New York. He is also a sailing enthusiast.