Meet the Crew
Administrative Staff
Niki Alden
Director of Education & Outreach, Coach
education@olympiacommunitysailing.org
Niki first learned to sail at Western Washington University and immediately fell in love with the sport. In her four years dedicated to the team she travelled across the country for competition, attend College Sailing Women’s Nationals, and spent her final year on the team as Captain. After graduation she moved to Olympia for a job working as a scientist with DNR, but quickly found herself assisting Sarah part time after work. A year later she became a full-time employee and has worked since to help OCS grow into the wonderful program you see today. She has strived to develop STEAM programs for summer camps and help the Opti program blossom, and is equally likely to get excited over seeing a seal eat a salmon as a sailor do a great roll tack. Outside of her work with OCS, Niki enjoys racing sailboats, skiing with the White Pass Ski Patrol, volunteering for Thurston County Washington Explorer Search and Rescue, backpacking, hiking, rafting, and all manner of outdoor adventures!
Sarah Hanavan
Executive Director & Head Coach
executivedirector@olympiacommunitysailing.org
Sarah Hanavan grew up in the northwest, on Bainbridge Island where she learned to sail in the Parks and Recreation Summer Camps, and raced briefly in High School. Sarah attended Western Washington University where she was the Captain of the Sailing Team for 2 years, and an All-NW Crew her Senior year. Graduating with a degree in English and Writing she also coached sailing professionally in San Francisco during her summers. After College, Sarah has worked for a number of sailing programs, traveled extensively, and recently graduated from an International Coaching Enrichment Program with the University of Delaware and the United States Olympic Committee. Her thesis has resulted in a Women's Coaching Clinic event run 5x in the NW. She has coached the Olympia High School Team to 9 State Championships and 10 National Appearances. When they can, Sarah and her Husband Casey (an Alumni of the Olympia Sailing Program) like to get out and race sailboats, hike, camp, surf, ski, raft, bike and go on adventures with their pup Kaze!
Board of Directors
Coaches
Janet Hubbard
Board President
president@olympiacommunitysailing.org
Janet Hubbard brings experience in education and non-profit management to her OCS Board role, as well as a history of working in experiential, outdoor, and adventure education. Her daughters started participating in the Olympia Yacht Club's Sailing Education Program in 2011, and she has been part of the collaborative effort to establish Olympia Community Sailing as both a partner with OYC and other organizations, as well as a resource for community access to sailing in the South Sound. She is inspired by sailing's impact on young people's confidence and their growth as teammates and communicators as well as athletes.
Erin Timms
Vice President
info@olympiacommunitysailing.org
Erin Timms first became involved with youth sailing when her eight-year-old son (now a college graduate) began sailing the Optimist. Both of her sons sailed the Optimist and the Laser and competed with OCS on the Olympia High School team. In addition to being on the board of OCS, she is the Vice President for the Sailing Foundation where she chairs the Youth Committee. Erin was also the Chair of the 2022 USODA Optimist Nationals, which became the largest Opti event to come to the PNW with over 180 competitors in attendance. Erin hopes that through her work with OCS and the Sailing Foundation she can help grow not only opportunities for youth sailors in the region, but the skills and abilities of all that participate.
Katie Hurley
Past President
info@olympiacommunitysailing.org
Katie is an Olympian through and through - her family has been in Olympia for six generations, and she has spent the majority of her life in the Olympia area. She first became involved with the Olympia youth sailing program when her daughter joined the team as an 8th grader in 2015. By later that year she was volunteering to help raise money to buy more boats, and has since been heavily involved in fundraising. She is one of OCS’s first Board members, and has remained on the Board despite her daughter’s graduation from the program in 2020 in order to continue pursuing her dream of establishing a community small boat center where anyone in our community can get out on the water!
Dan Solie
Treasurer
treasurer@olympiacommunitysailing.org
Dan was born and raised in Olympia on the waters of Budd Inlet. He first became involved with OCS when his son took an interest in sailing and joined the OCS High School Team (go Cougs!). As a Board member, Dan strives to help grow and strengthen OCS’s financial foundation so it can achieve its long term goals and continue to support youth sailors in the region. As Design and Project Manager at Capital Development Company Dan works to design commercial and multi-family structures when not volunteering for OCS or as the President of the Evergreen Sportsmen’s Club. Outside of his work, Dan enjoys playing the guitar and travelling with his family (for vacation or for an OCS regatta!). He also loves to volunteer and work with other NPOs, and likes teaching and promoting the safe use of recreational firearms.
Lester Power
Secretary
secretary@olympiacommunitysailing.org
Lester moved to the Olympia area six years ago. In 2018, his son dipped his toe in the water with a summer Optimist sailing camp at OCS, has been afloat ever since, and is now on the Olympia High School sailing team. Lester joined the OCS Board to support youth sailing in Olympia and help OCS's vision for more community sailing opportunities. Lester loves to learn new skills, and being involved in the sailing community has provided many opportunities to fine-tune his gelcoat and fiberglass repair skills. Lester enjoys tinkering and playing with 3D printers and laser engraving machines and works as an IT manager during the day. His goal is to see OCS thrive and grow, and ultimately for Olympia to have a community sailing center, so we can get more of our neighbors out on the water.
Brad Hubbard
Chair: Maintenance
maintenance@olympiacommunitysailing.org
Wendy Taylor
Chair: Regatta Coordination
regattacoordinator@
olympiacommunitysailing.org
Wendy Taylor grew up in Hawaii, paddling outrigger canoes and kayaks. She moved to Olympia after attending college in Illinois and thoroughly enjoys all the opportunities for outdoor adventures that Washington provides. She began her involvement with OYC/Olympia Community Sailing in 2017, when her children participated in summer sailing camps. Her son was immediately hooked, and they've been part of the sailing community ever since. Wendy loves rock climbing, mountain biking, music, paddleboarding, hiking, literature, backpacking, skiing, snowshoeing, and basically any other outdoor pursuit she forgot mention here. She is an educator in a local public school and is passionate about helping students flourish in their individuality & helping them develop their unique talents and interests. Her goal for OCS is to help build community and to help sailors discover the joy of adventure & the confidence that comes with being unapologetically themselves.
Avian de Keizer Mendoza
Coach: Sea Team, JV
OCS Alumni (2023) - Capital HS
Orion Bird
Coach: Green Team
OCS Alumni (2018) - Capital HS
Mike Visser
Coach: Keelboats
OCS Alumni - Olympia HS
The Visser family has quite a legacy with youth sailing and The Sailing Foundation. Mike's mother Jan was a long time board member, US Sailing rep, and promoter of the sport. Together Mike, Jan and Wright (Sailing Foundation Members) organized, created and ran the first WIND Clinic in the Gorge. Mike had an impressive junior sailing career in the Laser before graduating to the Finn, rising to be one of the top US Finn sailors. Mike resides in the Olympia area and is now the parent of a junior sailor himself. It's common to see Mike out in the Olympia Community Sailing RIB coaching Lasers and keelboats on Budd Inlet where he learned to sail.