Schooner Adventure and Pillar Search & HR Consulting are proud to announce the appointment of Stuart B. Siegel to the position of Executive Director. Stuart joined Schooner Adventure on April 4, 2022.  

As Executive Director, Stuart will be responsible for the overall management of Schooner Adventure, working together with the Board of Directors to further their mission. He is charged with leading efforts to position Adventure as a focal point for education focused on themes of fisheries, maritime history, and the ocean environment. Building off of Schooner Adventure’s successes, he will drive program development and growth, enhance community awareness of Adventure’s programs, and activities, and develop diversified revenue streams.  

Stuart remarks, “When my wife and I decided to settle our family in Gloucester, I was determined to find work that connected me deeply to the city, in which I could promote Gloucester’s unique history and appeal. In my wildest dreams I couldn’t imagine a more exciting and compelling opportunity than with Schooner Adventure. Like the city she represents, she stands tall, resilient and beautiful. I am eager to see how we can work with local organizations and individuals to tell the story of Gloucester and ensure a bright future for our harbor.”

A new resident of Gloucester, MA, Stuart brings significant experience to the Executive Director role. Most recently, Stuart and his wife Emily wereirectors of the Sonoran Desert Inn & Conference Center in Ajo, Arizona. There, Stuart managed all aspects of this education-focused non-profit inn and event space including marketing, staff development, event/educational program planning and implementation, fiscal oversight, community partnerships and daily operations. Stuart was instrumental in the development and implementation of high-quality education programs, retreats, and cultural experiences.

Prior, Stuart was the Director of New Initiatives with the Brandeis University Office of High School Programs, where he designed and directed nine residential summer education programs serving hundreds of teens from across the U.S. and around the world. Stuart guided university professors and experiential educators in the development and implementation of program curriculum and service learning.

Stuart earned his Master of Hebrew Letters from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion and bachelor’s degree in Film and Television from Boston University’s School of Communications. He lives in Gloucester with his wife Emily, the E.D. of the Gloucester Education Foundation, and their children Jonah and Bayla.

About Schooner Adventure: Schooner Adventure (d.b.a. The Gloucester Adventure) is a 501(c)(3) maritime historic preservation and educational organization. They are the proud stewards of the 1926 Schooner Adventure, one of the last surviving Grand Banks dory-fishing schooners. When Adventure was built in 1926 in the salt marshes of Essex, MA, no one thought that she would survive into the next century. Indeed, only a handful of the more than 4,000 wooden schooners built in Essex exist today.

Adventure is a national treasure that has, following an extensive, two decade-long, nearly $6 million restoration to ensure her preservation, resumed active sailing as an icon of the American fisheries and as a floating classroom for maritime history and environmental education programs. Adventure is operated at sea, primarily along the New England coast, as a living monument to Massachusetts’ fishing heritage. As such, Adventure is important not only to Gloucester, but also to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and all of America. In 1994 Adventure was awarded National Historic Landmark status in recognition of the significant role of the vessel in the nation’s history.

The mission of Schooner Adventure/The Gloucester Adventure, Inc. is to:

• Restore and preserve the Schooner Adventure for the enrichment of future generations and their love of the sea
• Enable the Schooner Adventure to serve as a community resource for educational programming focusing on maritime, cultural, and environmental issues
• Operate the Schooner Adventure at sea as a living symbol of America’s maritime heritage

This is an exciting new chapter for Schooner Adventure. With an extensive historic restoration of the vessel now complete, the organization is poised to launch its next chapter, focused on a robust offering of programs and educational opportunities.

Learn and see more about Schooner Adventure here.  

About Pillar Search & HR Consulting: A woman-owned business based in Boston, Pillar Search & HR Consulting provides executive search/recruiting and human resources consulting expertise to nonprofit and mission-driven organizations, working with senior leaders and the boards of directors to hire and develop the very best talent across all functional areas of the organization. For more information, please visit www.pillarsearch.com.