At the Annual Meeting on February 10, 2026, the following individuals were elected to the Board of Directors:

Alex Howland – Elected to first term
Alex Howland, PhD is an entrepreneur, organizational psychologist, and lifelong mariner with a deep commitment to experiential education and youth development on the water. He previously served as Program Manager at the Community Boating Center in New Bedford and Youth Program Director at Duxbury Bay Maritime School, where he helped lead programs centered on seamanship, confidence-building, and leadership through hands-on learning.
Alex previously served as a U.S. Sailing Level 1 instructor trainer. His family’s maritime roots run deep in New Bedford, MA, with generations connected to the region’s whaling and seafaring history, long before his grandfather, Waldo Howland, carried that legacy forward through his leadership at the Concordia Company and his role in preserving classic New England sailing traditions.
In addition to his maritime background, Alex is the founder and CEO of Virbela, where he focuses on leadership development and experiential learning through immersive simulation and collaboration environments.

Captain Chris Nolan- Elected to second term
Captain Christopher D. Nolan is a Coast Guard veteran and former commanding officer of two cutters, with over 8 years of military sea service in Alaska, California, Maine, and Connecticut. He first interacted with Tall Ships America in 2008 as Operations Officer (Navigator) of USCG Barque Eagle. After getting the tall ships bug and transitioning to the civilian world, he worked as a captain/faculty member and Interim Dean of Academics at Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Ma. His time at SEA has included voyages as captain aboard CORWITH CRAMER and ROBERT C. SEAMANS in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Chris is also the owner and founder of Practical Navigator Training, a Coast Guard approved maritime training provider and a leader in online maritime license training. Chris graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (Marine/Environmental Science), and Oregon State University (Fisheries/Wildlife Management). He holds STCW (3000GT) and domestic (1600GRT) maritime master licenses and is the co-author of the latest edition of “Eagle Seamanship: A Manual for Square Rigger Sailing,” as well as several navigation training reference manuals. Chris is based in Washington D.C., married to CDR Kellee Nolan (USCG), and his hobbies include celestial navigation, hiking, and cycling.

Bruce Heyman – Elected to second term
Bruce’s passion for the sea was ignited when his Dad and he built a 17’ Windmill sailboat in their garage in Orange, Texas while he was in the first and second grade. Today he is Executive Director of the Los Angeles Maritime Institute and is passionate about using his experiences and the sea to help today’s youth understand the importance of STEM knowledge and encouraging them to have happy and productive lives. He spent twenty-seven years with Motorola before joining the non-profit world. As a Vice President at Motorola he worked in Engineering, Manufacturing, Sales and Marketing, Strategic Planning, and Business Development and was based in both the US and Europe.
With Bachelors and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering and an MBA he is well versed in both the technical and business challenges of running an organization. After retiring from Motorola in 2006 he joined the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, California where he learned many of the ropes of the tall ship world, first as volunteer coordinator and then as First Mate of Pilgrim and shipwright for both Spirit of Dana Point and Pilgrim. Before joining LAMI on 12/1/2013 he spent two years at the San Diego Maritime Museum as Project Manager in charge of building the tall ship San Salvador, a replica of a 1542 Spanish Galleon. Bruce is a licensed 200-ton captain, he and his wife own a Catalina 320 sailboat, and is a Coxswain in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. He serves on the Economic Development and Policy board and is a Board Member of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce. He also is an International Trade Academy Advisory Board Member for International Trade Education Programs.

James Kerr – Elected to second term
Jim is now fully retired from New York law firm Davis Polk Wardwell. He is a member of the New York, Essex and Castine Yacht Clubs and a member of The Army and Navy Club of Washington and The Century Association. He is President Emeritus of the Morris-Jumel Mansion museum and is an active member and supporter of several historical societies and museums. Jim represented ASTA on a pro bono basis in a successful trademark defense in advance of the tall ship events scheduled for the Millennium. Jim offers a long-standing perspective of sailing, maritime history, Tall Ships America and a legal expertise to support the Board and organizational development efforts.


Captain Sarah Armour- Elected to second term

Captain Sarah Armour serves as the captain of Schooner Brilliant, the flagship sail training vessel of Mystic Seaport Museum. She sits on the board of directors for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, where she also sails as relief captain. Sarah has spent the last decade working in youth sail training, traditional sail, and experiential education. In addition to Brilliant and Clearwater, Sarah has sailed aboard SSV Geronimo, Pride of Baltimore II, and Lady Maryland, and Schooner Rebecca. She has a degree in Earth Systems Science from Cornell University, where she focused on applied ecology, sustainable agriculture, and environmental education.

Travis Yates- Elected to second term
Travis joined the ActionQuest staff in 1995 after his graduation from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, where he earned a degree in Marine Engineering Systems. Throughout his youth and college years, Travis competed at both national and international levels of sailing, culminating in a bid for the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team in 1996.

The strong desire to be an effective teacher in the highly experiential environment ActionQuest creates aboard is what has motivated Travis to continually further his own training and education. Travis currently holds an International Yachtmaster Ocean rating, is an Instructor Evaluator for US Sailing in addition to being an advanced sailing instructor for US Sailing/American Sailing Association/International Yachtmaster. Along with his nautical certifications, Travis is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, has a IYT Ship’s Captain’s Medical certificate, is a Red Cross First Aid & CPR Instructor and holds a Private Pilot’s License.

In 1998, Travis started to work full-time with ActionQuest and Sea|mester as an Operational Program Director and Captain for both ActionQuest summer programs and Sea|mester college-level programs. Beginning in 1999 with the company’s purchase of the 88ft sail training schooner S/Y Ocean Star, Travis began to once again apply his background in marine engineering and naval architecture as he took on the role of Marine Superintendent. In June of 2006, a company milestone was reached with the launch of the new 112ft sail training schooner STV Argo for which Travis responsible for all aspects of design, systems development, construction, and launch. In July 2020 STV Vela, Argo’s sistership was launched and joined the Sea|mester fleet of sailing school ships. Travis currently lives in Sarasota Florida with his wife Laura, daughter Hannah, and son Luke. When not at work or with family, Travis tries to find time to continue to actively compete in high performance sailboat racing and volunteers his time to sit on the boards of two local sailing organizations, in addition to organizing local and national level sailing events.