Program Staff

Charlie Arms

Executive Director/Lead Instructor

Charlie Arms joined Brendan Sailing in January 2017. She is a US Sailing Small Boat Sailing Instructor Trainer and has served on the National Faculty for Small Boat, Keelboat and Powerboat. She started teaching sailing just after learning to sail as part of the Navy Sailing Program in San Diego at the age of 10 years old. While getting a degree in Recreation from Cal State Long Beach, she was the Director of the Leeway Sailing Center. In 1999 she joined the faculty of the California Maritime Academy as the Director of Sailing. In addition to coaching the collegiate sailing team and overseeing the recreational sailing program, she received her master's degree in Recreation, Parks and Tourism from San Francisco State University. Charlie retired from California State University after 16 years and moved to Annapolis. When not teaching sailing and running educational programs, Charlie is an International Umpire and National Judge. She currently serves on the US Sailing's Board of Directors.

Penny Alison

Sailing Director

Meet Penny Alison, our Sailing Program Director! A native South African who grew up in a sailing family, Penny could sail before she could walk. So, it was natural that Penny was helming an Opti when she was six years old! Her family may have had an inkling of what was to come when very quickly after picking up the tiller, Penny started beating her older sister around the buoys! A natural competitive athlete, she played a multitude of sports growing up: volleyball, water polo, hockey, and squash, to name a few. However, she really loved sailing! Penny quickly graduated from Optis into Lasers. Her competitive spirit took off and Penny was competing in regattas throughout South Africa. However, she really loved sailing. In 2005, Her sport was taken to a higher level when another sailing friend – future fellow Olympian Dominic Provoyeur--suggested they “Do the Rolex” – the Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship-- hosted right here in Annapolis. So, the South African team came to Annapolis! Returning in 2007 they finished mid-fleet. Most importantly, she realized they were competing against Olympians and did well. “So, I said to our team, why can’t we be in the Olympics?” The 2008 Olympics were right around the corner, and she started training in earnest. Her hard work paid off as Penny achieved a spot representing South Africa for the 2008 Beijing Games, sailing in the Yngling class. It was an amazing experience – sailing against fourteen other women’s teams from around the world. The pageantry and level of competition was incredible, and it is an experience she will cherish for the rest of her life. After the Olympics, what is next? Penny really wanted to keep sailing as an avocation, not a vocation, and so decided to pursue a degree in Fine Arts with a desire to work in the Art Restoration Industry. But jobs in that field were not materializing, so when a friend was starting a sailing school, he asked Penny to come teach. She took the job, “just for the season.” Soon she was the owner and ran the organization, coaching high school students in team racing and sponsored development programs with under privileged high schools. It was a fun and successful experience. She saw the Sailing Director position on a friend’s social media post and was intrigued, as it was a summer position abroad in the States and would be an opportunity to have a job where she could truly make a difference. Penny connected with Charlie, and accepted the position of Sailing Director in 2023!

Will Avis

Sailing Instructor

Will is new to Brendan Sailing but has been sailing vessels in all shapes and sizes since he was little. He has 10 years of dinghy racing experience and has loved sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic. Will is also involved in many efforts to save the Bay and the environment in an attempt to preserve the waters that so many of us have come to know as a second home. He attends the University of Maryland in College Park studying Engineering with a minor in Sustainability.

Jodi Weinbecker

Sailing Instructor
Brendan Approach Navigator

Lynn Fitzpatrick

Sailing Instructor

Declan Kim

Sailing Instructor

Dianne Sullivan

Assistant Instructor

Gary Hague

Volunteer

An Army veteran and retired physical therapist, Gary lives in Rhode Island where he grew up in a family who got him sailing as a young boy in Narragansett Bay. . As a youth, Gary spent plenty of time messing around in sailboats. He fondly recalls weekend sails out to Block Island, and evening sails rounding the buoys up to East Greenwich nightlife! His career took him into the Army, where he lived and sailed in San Francisco and eventually settled in Macon, GA where he settled into a physical therapy practice. Once retired, he decided to move back to Rhode Island. What to do with all this time on his hands? Enter Brendan Sailing. Gary had known Brendan Sailing Board President Joanne Dorval since college and had been following her work with interest. He was soon following Brendan Sailing on social media, became extremely impressed with the program and wanted to learn more. He soon became a donor, and asked if he could provide any assistance with camp. Could he teach sailing? He was not an instructor, but he jumped into it. He attended a Brendan Approach training in Newport, RI to learn more about methods to instruct youth with Learning Differences and did his Level 1 US Sailing Instructor work. Then he came to camp to help.

Nicholas Miller

Volunteer

Gabriel Evans

Junior Instructor

Bartley Newkirk

Junior Instructor

Kay Zilonis

Junior Instructor

Beth Berry

Marketing Consultant

Beth Berry joined Brendan Sailing in the fall of 2020 and currently handles all the marketing, and communication responsibilities. Prior to her current role, she spent 29 years with Marriott International, where she held a variety of leadership roles in Sales, Marketing, and Operations. As a lifelong sailor, Brendan Sailing’s mission of getting kids on the water and helping them thrive particularly resonates with her. Beth is a longtime member of the Annapolis Sailing Community, she has raced and cruised from Maine to Bermuda and the Caribbean as well as many places in between. She has a USCG 100-ton Masters License and is a US Sailing Basic Keelboat Instructor. She also does deliveries, and started and managed a charter business in Key West. She currently owns and ocean races KYRIE, a Tartan 4100. She enjoys giving back through her work with the community and as a member of Eastport Yacht Club, chaired the Annapolis Bermuda Ocean Race Committee for six years. She is Past President of Saefern Saddle and Yacht Club Homeowner’s Association and a Past President of the Penn State Metro Washington Chapter.

Davis Connors

Technical Adminstrator

Davis helps Brendan Sailing with technical tasks such as maintaining this website, video editing, and more. He resides in Chicago, Illinois where he works remotely for Brendan Sailing and METCOR/LSI, although will occasionally make appearances at Brendan Sailing events as a helping hand.

Joanna Wilson

Administrative Assistant

Joanna is so excited to be a part of the administration of Brendan Sailing! While not currently a sailor, Brendan Sailing's mission of making a difference in the lives of differently abled kids, resonates with her. Joanna believes we should make a positive difference, in any way we can in the world, when we have the chance. Joanna lives in South Jersey. She is involved in animal rescue/advocacy and shares her life with her Rescue Golden Retriever, Hank and her cats. She also enjoys getting out in nature and has greatly enjoyed mountain biking when she is able to get out and ride.