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Adriana was the first in her family to graduate from college and then law school, and has dedicated her career to public service and the nonprofit sector. After 11 years at the State Department managing foreign assistance for criminal justice programs, she founded her own small consulting company, Capacita, that provides capacity-building, strategy, and grants-focused technical assistance for nonprofits.

Jen Galvin works at the intersection of health, environment, media and innovation. She forged the discipline now known as "Ocean and Human Health" and founded reelblue, a production company specializing in stories that connect people with global health challenges. Jen also leads the Henry David Thoreau Foundation that deploys catalytic investments to the next generation of environmental leaders. She holds a ScD from the Harvard School of Public Health, a MPH from Yale University, and a BS from Brown University.

Demetris Giannoulias is CEO and Chairman of the Board of Spring Bank as well as President of the bank’s holding company, Checkspring Community Corporation. Demetris was a founding member of Spring Bank, a de novo bank created in 2007. Spring Bank is the only bank to open its doors and establish headquarters in the Bronx, New York in the last thirty years. The bank’s headquarters and main branch are located in the poorest congressional district in the country. Demetris has been a community banker for over 20 years. Demetris earned a BA in economics and sociology from Yale University and a master’s in philosophy of social science from the London School of Economics.

Phillip Grant is the Chief Executive Officer of the Hunts Point Produce Market. The Market is composed of 29 merchants with a deep history in supporting New York City’s essential food infrastructure and spanning multiple generations of expertise. Phillip, in collaboration with these merchants, was pivotal to keeping New York City fed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, Phillip held the role of Senior Vice President and Director of Construction for the Asset Management Operations division of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).

Phillip led the divisions over $1 billion capital project portfolio. Key projects included NYC Ferry, Brooklyn Army Terminal Phase V, the Made in New York Campus (MiNY), and various capital projects in the Hunts Point area of the Bronx.

Phillip is currently leading a historic public fundraising campaign in partnership with the NYCEDC and has raised nearly a third of a billion dollars to revitalize the Hunts Point Produce Market - with more funding to come. The funding will go towards a nearly $1 billion redevelopment project that will transform the Market into a state of the art facility of sustainable and complimentary businesses that will support New York City's food infrastructure for generations to come.

Phillip is a Licensed Professional Engineer in New York, a certified construction manager and a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University and holds an MBA from Mercy College.

Liz has been passionate about the ocean all of her life. Growing up in Newport, RI, she started sailing at an early age and began competing as a teenager. Sailing taught her discipline, strategy, teamwork, and community. She was excited to learn about Rocking the Boat and its important mission which intersects with another passion, supporting youth. Liz is most alive when adventure traveling and has explored over 60 countries. To support her travel habit, Liz works in Mergers & Acquisitions to help companies demystify and quantify the people-related risks in their transactions. She lives in Queens with her husband and twin boys.

Fabian grew up in Caracas, Venezuela where he started sailing and developed a passion for the outdoors, nature and the environment. He is a research scientist at the New York Botanical Garden where he has worked for over 20 years studying plant evolution and biodiversity, mostly on tropical plants. He also teaches in the graduate programs at Yale School of the Environment and Biology at the Graduate Center of City University of New York. Fabián studied biology at the Universidad Central de Venezuela and earned a PhD in Plant Sciences from Cornell University.

Carla Murphy started working for NYC Emergency Medical Service while she was in college studying computer science. Throughout her career, Carla has worked with agencies all over the world to use technology to improve public safety. She currently works for the New York Fire Department. Originally from Manhattan, she now calls Brooklyn home. Carla enjoys sailboat racing year round and looks forward to the days where she has to dig her dinghy out of the snow before racing.

Tony is an avid sailor, enjoying it all from local dinghy and small boat club racing to long distance offshore racing and boat deliveries. He joined Rocking the Boat’s Board after participating in the Rocking Manhattan fundraising row. Born in Portugal, Tony studied Computer Science at UC Berkeley and received his MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. After living for a number of years in Tokyo, he returned to the US to start his career as a quantitative finance professional with TIAA/Nuveen. Tony is currently on a break from the financial industry, spending his time among the art, music, and sailing worlds, and occasionally taking on software and finance consulting projects.

Taji Riley is a Bronx native whose curiosity for adventure led her to Rocking the Boat as a junior in high school. Participating in the Boatbuilding Program as a student and apprentice filled her with excitement for construction and woodworking. Taji began studies in the healthcare field at Bronx Community College but lost the passion needed for a nursing career. During her time as a Boatbuilding Program Assistant, she also started an eight-week intensive pre-apprenticeship training program at Non Traditional Employment for Women. After completing N.E.W, she began a four-year apprenticeship program at the Carpenter’s Training Center. Now, Taji is a journey level carpenter with Local Union 157 and sits on the Women's Steering Committee as the recording secretary in her union. She has become an advocate for women's equality and leadership opportunities on and off the jobsite. Taji’s enthusiasm for making creative education, woodworking and environmental justice accessible for kids, earned her the opportunity to become the Lead Educator for Islesford Boatworks located on Little Cranberry Island in Maine. Taji spent a summer teaching the art of traditional wooden boatbuilding to children on the island and through doing so helped create a future for Maine’s working waterfront. Outside of boatbuilding, Taji enjoys growing food for her family at her local community garden and has begun a partnership with the New York Restoration Project to bring awareness of food equity issues surrounding the South Bronx.

John Ryan lives in Westchester County with his wife Allison and his two teenage sons. He currently serves as President of US Banks at Morgan Stanley, where he has worked since 2004. John grew up in Staten Island, NY as the youngest of eight children. He graduated from Hobart College in 1994, where he studied Economics and Art History. He currently serves as a Trustee of the New Canaan Country School. Previously, he has served on the boards of the Nativity Mission Center and St. Ignatius School in Hunts Point—organizations with a focus on providing high quality education and development opportunities to children in underserved communities. He also served as a trustee and Treasurer for the Westmoreland Sanctuary, an education-focused nature preserve in Westchester.

Recipient of a Big Apple Brownfield Award for Economic Development in 2019, Waterfront Alliance Hero of the Harbor in 2018, NYC Small Business Association’s Bronx Small Business of the Year​ Award in 2012, SoBro's Developer of the Year​ Award in 2011, and Brick Township NJ Hometown Hero Award in 2011, Steve Smith is a developer of domestic and international infrastructure projects. He has an engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology and has held key management positions with several international infrastructure development companies. He is the owner of Oak Point Property on the South Bronx waterfront. Steve and his wife, Ana Lavdas, are avid water sports enthusiasts and snowboarders.

A participant in multiple Goldman Sachs Community TeamWorks (CTW) programs at Rocking the Boat, Sinead joins the Board with a passion for investing in diversity and people. She is a sponsor of Goldman Sachs Women in Engineering affinity network which partners with organizations that increase the number of young women in STEM through development and mentoring programs. After graduating from Dublin City University and working for 10 years at JPMorgan, Sinead joined Goldman Sachs rising to become Partner in 2018.

Thom graduated from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington and began his career as a high school history teacher. After leaving teaching, he worked for two decades in museums, first as a Deputy Director at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens and, more recently, in the lower Hudson Valley, as Site Director at Philipsburg Manor, Union Church, and Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate. He became involved with Rocking the Boat in the early 2000s, when Philipsburg Manor and Rocking the Boat entered into an eight-year collaboration that involved groups of Rocking the Boat students coming to the property in the summer and building wooden boats on the historic site. Since retiring, Thom has been volunteering every week at Rocking the Boat, providing assistance in the student boat building program and carrying out various projects at the Rocking the Boat facility.

Peter Wright owns and manages Wright Asset Management, an investment advisory. Peter is a graduate of the Lawrenceville School and the University of Virginia, an active sailor, and a leader in the Barnegat Bay, New Jersey sailing community. Peter serves on the boards of the Shelter, Inc, a humane animal foundation, and Harrogate, a continuing care retirement community. Peter is treasurer of All Saints Episcopal Church, Bay Head.