Forum Schedule

2025 Agenda

The 2025 Sailing Leadership Forum agenda is now available for a first look! While this is a draft and subject to updates, it offers a fantastic preview of the exciting event we have planned for February 2025. Breakout sessions and speakers will be featured below as they become available - stay tuned for more! Click here to view the draft agenda.

2025 Keynotes

Dr. Greg Wells

Expert on Optimizing Health, Wellness, and Peak Performance | Bestselling Author

Dr. Greg Wells is a renowned health and high-performance expert. He has dedicated his career to studying the science of human limits and developing practical strategies to help individuals and organizations perform at their best, even under the most challenging circumstances. With over 25 years of experience working with Olympic and world champions as well as top performing organizations, Wells draws parallels between elite athletes and top executives to help audiences optimize their health and performance.

A veteran endurance athlete, Wells has participated in some of the most grueling physical challenges on the planet, including the Nanisivik Marathon, 600 miles north of the Arctic Circle; Ironman Canada; and the Tour D’Afrique, an 11,000km cycling race that is the longest in the world. He has also explored every imaginable terrain and condition in more than 50 countries, making him a true travel and expedition adventurer.

Wells is the author of five books, including the bestsellers Superbodies; The Ripple Effect; The Focus Effect; and Rest, Refocus, Recharge. His latest book, Powerhouse: Protect Your Energy, Optimize Your Health, and Supercharge Your Performance is an insightful guide to achieving optimal health and high performance in all areas of life.

With a PhD in Physiology and previous experience as an associate professor at the University of Toronto and senior scientist at Sick Kids Hospital, Wells brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his practical and actionable presentations. He has delivered keynote at such renowned events as TEDx and The Titan Summit and shared the stage with luminaries including Robin Sharma, Richard Branson, Steve Wozniak, and Deepak Chopra.

Wells is currently the CEO and founder of Wells Performance, a global consulting firm committed to helping teams, schools, and businesses become places where people get healthy, perform optimally, and reach their potential.

Stay tuned for more keynote announcements!

Featured Breakout Sessions

Focus Tracks:

  • Executive Leadership
  • Innovation, Sustainability, and Technology
  • Accessibility and Inclusion
  • Trends, Participation, and Growth
  • Safety On and Off the Water
  • Regatta Management
  • Program Development
  • Offshore - new for 2025!

 

Executive Leadership

Successful Fundraising Leadership: Building A Championship Quality Fundraising Program and Coaching a A High Performing Fundraising Team

This session focuses on the most abundant and productive source donors—individuals. The session will identify how an engaged team of high achieving individual fundraisers led by leaders who know how to manage a business and coach can achieve fundraising success. This session will illuminate the best fundraising techniques to fit the organization’s unique circumstances and marketplace individual donors.

Presented By: Steven Schwartz, CEO, Philanthropic Visions

Attracting, Training, and Retaining Legacy Instructors and Coaches

This session is designed for organizational leaders focused on building a sustainable legacy through a well-prepared, inspired coaching and instructional team. Attendees will learn best practices for structuring staff development programs that not only attract high-quality instructors but also retain them as influential leaders who contribute to the organization’s long-term success.
Presented By: Jodi Weinbecker, Owner/Consultant Sail Training Solutions, Adam Gee, Executive Director & Founder, US Sailing Center - Martin County

Navigating Turbulent Financial Waters:  Prudent Strategic Planning for Yacht Club Stability

In this session, Navigating Turbulent Financial Waters: Prudent Strategic Planning for Yacht Club Stability, we will explore effective financial strategies to ensure long-term stability for yacht clubs in unpredictable economic conditions. The session will cover investment planning and risk management, equipping club leaders with practical tools to navigate financial challenges while maintaining member satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Presented By: Katie Martz, Director of Institutional Business Development & Marketing, Stansberry Asset Management and Mario Valente, Portfolio Manager and Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Stansberry Asset Management

Innovation, Sustainability, and Technology

Unlocking the Toolbox: 8 Steps to Build your Sustainability Strategy

How to implement a sustainability program using The Toolbox, a free suite of guides, tools and templates created by 11th Hour Racing Team for the benefit of the wider community to make sustainability strategy accessible for any organization - no matter the size or industry sector. Join us to learn how The Toolbox can help guide your sustainability journey.

Presented By: Damian Foxall, Managing Director, Foxall Munro Ltd.

Accessibility and Inclusion

Innovative Inclusion: Building A Strong Institutional Foundation to Enhance Diversity and Inclusion in Maritime Training

This exciting and interactive presentation will highlight the two-year trajectory of building the Seafarers Summer Seamanship School in Annapolis, MD. Based at the Seafarers Yacht Club, one of the oldest historically Black yacht clubs in the country, the Seafarers Summer Seamanship School built upon an historic 18-year Summer Youth Program to develop an inclusive one-week boating training program that included two days of powerboat instruction, two days of keelboat sailing instruction, and one day of cruising, and two-days of dinghy sailing, all following the US Sailing, Powerboating curriculum, and REACH modules.

Presented By: Dr. Derek Cogburn, Commodore, Seafarers Yacht Club, Inc. and Sean Manuel Cogburn-Enchautegui, High School sailor at Indian Creek School in Annapolis and Quarterdeck member of Sea Scout Ship 1959

Adaptive Sailing Sampler: A Tasting Menu of Inclusive Program Essentials

Primarily hands-on tasting of what is offered in the adaptive workshop and how it can benefit all organization. The sailing population is aging, and if clubs can offer adaptive programming, they have the opportunity to keep their members engaged longer. The session will act as a teaser to get leaders of sailing clubs and programs interested in adaptive sailing. We will: dispel myths about liability, difficulty of including in their programming, and discuss skill development opportunities for coaches/instructors/program directors

Presented By: Besty Alison, Adult Director, US Sailing and friends!

Can You Make a Sailor in a Day? The Case for Short-Duration Sailing Programs

This session explores the role of short-duration sailing programs in creating accessible, impactful pathways for new and diverse boating enthusiasts. Drawing from youth sports participation trends and techniques adapted from the "Surf Therapy" field, this session will present a compelling case for the value of brief, engaging sailing experiences. Attendees will gain insights into how short-duration programs introduce skills and foster a sense of belonging in ways that are approachable for new participants.

Presented By: Scott Herman, Executive Director & Founder, Spectrum Sailing, and Chris Childers

Trends, Participation, and Growth

Rethink Your Approach to Green Fleet

Green Fleet Optis are treated at many clubs as another year of Learn to Sail, which disadvantages your program and does not provide the sailors the tools needed when they do transition to Championship Fleet. Rethink your approach to Green Fleet, they are capable of way more than you know!

Presented By: Max Plarr, Director of Sailing, Hampton Yacht Club, and Erik Hallback, Junior Sailing Director, San Diego Yacht Club

From the Base to the Top- US Sailing's Youth Performance and ODP Programs

Led by US Sailing's Rosie Chapman, Phil Muller, and John Pearce this presentation will walk through US Sailing's Performance Pathway, including ODP and US Youth Team. Join us to learn about the details of the program's structure at each level and how at each level and how sailors, coaches, programs, and clubs can get involved.

Presented By: Rosie Chapman, Olympic Development Program Director, Phil Muller, Youth Performance Manager, and John Pearce, Youth Racing Director

Offshore - New for 2025!

Scoring 101: Scoring Methods for Offshore Racing and How to Implement Them

Panel discussion on offshore racing scoring methods including: PHRF, 5-band, triple number, custom scoring, PCS, F-TCF. This session will cover how to implement these methods and best practices.

 

Regatta Management

You've Been Asked to Volunteer: Race Committee Fundamentals

Tips to create a grow a future pipeline of Race Officials. US Sailing's Race Committee Fundamentals class is a fun way to engage volunteers with little to no experience with racing. Understand the audience this class is created for and learn how to offer this course at your club to enhance your race committee volunteers.

Presented By: Mary Ellen DeFrias and Cynthia Parthemos

New Rules Seminar

Dave Perry explains the significant changes in the 2025-2028 Racing Rules of Sailing that racers, officials and OAs need to know. Review the overview document [we will link to the overview document when it’s available] in advance and bring your questions to this interactive session.

Dave will be available during SLF to sign his books!

Presented By: Dave Perry, Author, Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing through 2028, Dave Perry’s 100 Best Racing Rules Quizzes and Winning in One-Designs