Staff

Stephanie Geosits - Executive Director

Stephanie has wealth of experience working with charities and youth programming. She has previously served as Executive Director for the Burlington Youth Soccer Club and the Carnegie Initiative.

Stephanie has a background in Sports Journalism and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University which focused on diversifying hockey for the NHL. Through her consulting practice, All About Sports, she has worked with the Oakville Aquatic Club and Dive Ontario in areas of grants, strategic planning, Safe Sport training, education and reporting.

Stephanie is an Independent Director of Canada Soccer and as Head of Delegation, acted as the Women’s National Team’s Safeguarding and Integrity Officer at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Bryce Thompson - Office Manager

Bryce is a hardworking individual who enjoys seeing things grow from the backend. He is in the process of completeting his Bachelor of Computer Science at McMaster University, while having experience working for startup companies focusing on the development of youth through sports. He possesses a strong eye for detail, and great organizational and communication skills. Bryce has always wanted to be in a position to help change youths' lives for the better, and he believes this position will do just that.

Caedon Kingdon - Fleet and Training Manager

Caedon sailed with Brigs from 2012 to 2018, including 3 years as First Mate. As the Chair of Brigs' Operations Committee, she continues to work to ensure the program benefits young people in the future. Having recently started the illustration and graphic design company @beyondboundscreative with fellow creators, Caedon works as a lead illustrator creating images for scientific interventions and designing logos. Caedon's current role with Brigs as Fleet and Training Manager entails running our Winter Program and managing the maintenance of the fleet.

Roger Nugent, Embark Maritime - Project Manager for Playfair 5 year inspection

Roger has worked extensively with traditional vessels and sail training in Canada and the United States. He is currently project managing Playfair's 5-year Hull and Machinery inspection through his company, Embark Maritime.

K. Bolden - Winter Training Officer

Bolden first sailed as a trainee in 2019 and returned in 2021 with every friend they could muster. Since then they have volunteered extensively in winter and summer programming. Bolden joined the crew in 2022 and Playfair's wardroom in 2023. They graduated from high school in 2023 and currently supervise the winter program weekends while undertaking training towards their Master Limited, <60GT license.

Christine Chesterman - Captain

Christine joined Brigs as Captain of TS Playfair in 2021. In addition to sail training, she has a background as a youth worker focusing on outdoor education, volunteering, and mental health. Christine's passion for youth work is driven by the idea that all young people deserve opportunities, community support, and positive role models to reduce the impact of systemic barriers and give them the best chance at developing a meaningful life of their choosing.

Christine got her start sailing at 17 as a trainee with Bytown Brigantine out of Ottawa. She volunteered and worked there for 6 years, sailing as a watch officer on STV Fair Jeanne and later Captain of STV Black Jack, running winter programs and working on many winter refits. In 2014 she joined Brigs as First Mate of STV Pathfinder under Cpt Andrew Fryer. She has also volunteered with the crews of the Norwegian training ship Sorlandet, the whale research yacht Balaena, and with Ocean Youth Trust Scotland. She is a past Canadian Youth Council Representative to Sail Training International.

In Scotland, Christine ran Duke of Edinburgh's Award youth work projects with the charity Friends of the Award. Through partnerships with local high schools and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, she supported at-risk young people who were experiencing mental health difficulties, or struggling to stay in mainstream education, to try volunteering and outdoor programs as a way to support recovery and re-engage with their communities.

Christine has earned a B.Sc.Hons. in Geography from Queen's University, a Pg. Cert. in Outdoor Education from the University of Edinburgh, and a Master 150GT CoC from Transport Canada.

Nina Nissim-Stem - Winter Training Officer

Marnie Stretch - Bookkeeper

Marnie is a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor and an Advanced Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor in Canada and the US. She has her Payroll Compliance Professional (PCP) Designation from the National Payroll Institute and is a member of the Intui Trainer/Writer network. She specializes in taming QuickBooks gone wild, untangling GST messes, all things payroll, plus training and troubleshooting. She loves teaching, answering questions, and helping people with QuickBooks challenges. Marnie supports Brigs with its bookkeeping through her company, Accounting Loft.

Captains and Mates

Captains and Mates work seasonally to run the summer program. Our Captains are usually alumni of Brigs or a similar sail training program, such as Tall Ship Expeditions Canada or Tall Ships Adventure.

Captains are required to hold a Master 150GT Certificate and to lead with respect and patience.

Chief Mates are required to hold a Master, Limited <60GT restricted to the brigantines.