Meet the Staff

Fred Sitkins became our organization’s second executive director in 2013, but he was involved with ISEA during its infancy in the ‘90s. Before we had a ship of our own, we chartered the tall ship Malabar, which Fred helped crew! After receiving his Bachelor of Elementary Education and Masters of Educational Administration, Fred went on to become a teacher and later the principal at Boyne City Elementary. It isn’t often that someone has the opportunity to see his or her life come full circle, and Fred is excited to be at the helm of ISEA after it inspired him so early in life.

Outside of running the organization, Fred enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons playing hockey, fishing, sailing, and mountain biking.

Ben was one of our early interns in 1997. After receiving his Bachelor of Zoology, he helped crew and sail tall ships not only in our Great Lakes but in the oceans as well. Ultimately, Ben came back to join our staff in 2012 because he believes in our mission of protecting the Great Lakes through education.

After a long day of captaining our schooner Inland Seas, Ben goes home to his wife and son (a practical carbon copy of Ben, we’re sure!) and daughter to relax and play the fiddle.

Lily embarked on her sailing career in 2009, starting out as a deckhand aboard a Windjammer in Maine. During her early years, she sailed as far as Greenland and Puerto Rico. In 2013, seeking new adventures, she made her way to Traverse City to explore sailing on the Great Lakes, discovering a love for freshwater sailing.

Introduced to Inland Seas during the Spring Schoolship season of 2013 while working for schooner Manitou, Lily found it to be the highlight of the Manitou schedule. In 2018, Lily joined ISEA as a relief captain for their programs aboard schooner Inland Seas. With the growth of ISEA programming and the acquisition of schooner Alliance, Lily officially became the second full-time captain in early 2023.

When ashore, you can find Lily on walks around her property with her dog and cat, baking, and gardening.

Kate moved to Traverse City in the fall of 2021 and is excited by ISEA’s mission. She has lived in a variety of places but has deep connections to Michigan, including many years of visiting grandparents in the Upper Peninsula. Curious by nature and with a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan Technological University (1988), she looks forward to learning more about the Great Lakes from ISEA staff, volunteers and students.

Outside of the office, Kate loves hiking, exploring parks with friends and family, and making and appreciating art.

Julie joined the ISEA team in May 2024. Growing up in Michigan, she has always loved all things water, whether that be swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, or beach rock hunting. She attended Michigan State University for her Bachelor of Science in Zoology and her Master of Science in Community Sustainability. Prior to joining ISEA, she has held a variety of positions, including working as a research assistant in a limnology lab, a park ranger at Sleeping Bear Dunes with their piping plover crew, and as the coordinator for an ecology-based afterschool program for high school students in Benzie County.

In her free time, Julie can be found watching birds, gardening, cooking, laying on the beach, or cozying up at home with her husband, cat, and dog.

Juliana joined ISEA in 2019. Growing up in Leland, MI, she spent many hours in, on, or around the Great Lakes and is excited to return to her northern Michigan roots. Juliana received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from Denison University and her Master of Science degree in Environmental Behavior, Education, and Communication from the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. She brings her past experience in the non-profit sector, environmental education, and coastal communities research to her job at ISEA.

Outside of work you can find Juliana exploring the outdoors through hiking, canoeing, and growing vegetables.

Jess grew up in Suttons Bay, and one of his first jobs was as a cook aboard schooner Inland Seas, where he was responsible for burning popcorn in the galley and forcing an evacuation to the deck. Twice.

After a stint on the Maintenance crew at Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore and graduating from the University of Michigan with a journalism focus, he worked around the world as a cheesemonger until moving home in 2009 to start a vegetable farm and farm dinner business, Bare Knuckle Farm. His farming also led him to education, where he worked at the Career Tech Center for the non-profit SEEDS, teaching a biweekly all-day experiential agriculture class.

When not thinking out loud, Jess enjoys parenting, woodcarving, and relaxing with long, fat fantasy and sci-fi novels. Sometimes when the passion strikes, he writes about science and history. Currently, he is obsessed with the history of Passenger Pigeons and Beech trees in our region.

Rachel earned a degree in natural resources management with a biology minor from Grand Valley State University in 2017. A year later she worked with Inland Seas as a Schoolship Education Intern. ISEA offers a unique opportunity to marry her knowledge of science and love of theater; the best sails come with a bit of dramatic flair! She is passionate about protecting the Great Lakes and inspiring the community to love our grand freshwater feature.

During her free time, you can find Rachel flipping her fins as a mermaid in the bay. She also enjoys chilling shore side cozied up with a book and her black cat.

Skyler joined ISEA in 2025. She hails from the heart of Appalachia in Western North Carolina and has a degree in Political Science from UNC-Chapel Hill. Before ISEA, Skyler worked as a Park Ranger with the National Park Service. As a ranger, she focused on encouraging people to be passionate and excited about public lands and waters. Working in ISEA’s backyard at Sleeping Bear Dunes, she fell in love with everything about the Great Lakes. As a creative storyteller dedicated to community and stewardship, she is thrilled to work for ISEA to help promote Great Lakes resiliency.

In her free time, you can find Skyler telling anyone who will listen about quagga mussels (and why they are horrible), participating in all kinds of outdoor recreation, baking treats for friends and family, and spending as much time as possible on a body of water.

Chris started with ISEA in 2024, and is thrilled to be back in his home state of Michigan. He attended Michigan State University studying Education and Environmental Science, before leaving the state for seven years to work as a Park Ranger for the National Park Service. He is deeply passionate about creating memorable experiences in non-traditional classrooms, from the Grand Canyon backcountry to sailing up the California coast on a 16th century Spanish galleon, and now at ISEA helping people find new ways to appreciate just how special our Great Lakes are.

Outside of work, Chris loves to enjoy everything the turning of the seasons has to offer, playing team sports, and doing his absolute best to appease his cat, Piccolo.

Christina hails from southwestern Pennsylvania. She is currently pursuing a career in tall ships. This is her third full season, after working two full seasons on S/V Manitou. Her first season was spent as a deckhand, and then she was promoted to Chief Mate. Additionally, she has two full seasons of winter maintenance under her belt. She has decided to try her hand as the Galley Cook for the vessel Inland Seas. She hopes to expand her understanding of the different roles on the boats. She continues to gain knowledge through her work and has become one of the most well-rounded individuals on board.

When she’s not cooking or hauling on heavy lines with her super-big-impressive muscles, you can find her listening to music, reading books, and disappearing into nature.

Grayson grew up on a farm in central Ohio and went on to study horticulture at Miami University (also in Ohio), graduating with a Bachelor of Science in botany. Her background is agriculture, and she spent two and a half years growing organic culinary herbs in the Shenandoah Valley. She came to Inland Seas as a deckhand to follow a long-time passion for the history and culture of sailing. It helps that Grayson also has an interest in natural resources outreach and education, fitting in perfectly with the ISEA mission.

When she isn’t sailing, scrubbing, or otherwise occupied with work, Grayson enjoys knitting and is attempting to learn how to play the fiddle.

Seth Mathews was raised in Three Rivers, MI, spending countless hours on and in the water. From irrigation ponds to Lake Michigan, you can always find Seth near the water. A graduate of Cornerstone University, Seth’s first experience aboard a tall ship was on the Friends Good Will with the Michigan Maritime Museum. More recently, Seth has sailed the eastern seaboard with the Liberty Fleet, the AJ Meerwald, helping to run educational programs, and the Manitou right here in Grand Traverse Bay.

When not sailing, Seth enjoys cooking new dishes and watching weird shows and movies.