Mara Lowry is a life-long sailor who has had the privilege of teaching and racing on Little Traverse Bay since 1995. As a child Mara’s interest in boating was driven by a desire for a great tan, but she quickly learned to love dinghy racing after meeting her skipper (now husband) on the Stanford Sailing Team. Mara currently sails on NM 6 and any other boat that will have her. She brings her professional background in marketing and entrepreneurship, as well as experience on the boards of the Bay Area Discovery Museum and local PTA. Mara, her husband, Adam, and their two daughters are summer residents of Harbor Springs and live in Mill Valley, California the rest of the year. Her girls, Kenning & Ryan, are LTS students. Recently Mara and her family completed their first Trans Atlantic crossing via sailboat.  They are on a year long sailing adventure aboard a catamaran and are due to return just in time for the start of LTS!

Jennifer Romano is a Michigan native who grew up in the Kalamazoo area.  The Romano family has been coming to Harbor Springs for 5 years and enjoy year round activities on the water and on the slopes.  She is new to the world of sailing as she indulges her husband Matthew’s passion for competitively sailing his J70, Narwhal.  She also has two small children, Maximilian 8 and Allegra 6.  Max spent his first summer with LTS last year and had a blast!  Hoping to get Allegra involved soon. They love hanging out on the boat and learning to drive.  When she is not in Harbor Springs, she is busy as a Pediatric Heart Surgeon who is also trying to keep up with the fast paced lives of young kids.

Jack Deegan grew up in Northern Michigan in Leelanau County and moved to Harbor Springs in 1999 and works as the managing partner of the Plunkett Cooney law firm’s Petoskey office. He is married to Judge Jennifer Deegan and has 3 kids- Ella (21); Jackson (18) and Teddy (14) who all have spent many years in the LTS program. Jack and Jenny Deegan moved to the Harbor Springs community as they wanted their kids to grow up in an area that is close to the water and skiing. The area has more than exceeded their expectations in not only outdoor recreation aspects, but also by way of the great community that is Harbor Springs. Jack Deegan is an enthusiastic skier, sailer (sailing on NM 8 with the Tom and Nick Post), triathlete, runner and lover of all things outdoors. Mr. Deegan is an avid supporter of the Harbor Springs Public School system and athletics and is proud to serve on the board of directors of LTS. 

Tom Post is a lifelong sailor who grew up sailing on Barnegat Bay in New Jersey. He moved to Michigan in 1986 and immediately fell in love with Little Traverse Bay and the indigenous NM Fleet.  He has been a member of the Little Traverse Yacht Club since 1987 and served as the NM Fleet Captain for 11 years and was Commodore of the LTYC in 2002.   Both of Tom’s now adult children went through the LTS program when they were younger.  When he is not sailing his NM, or cruising on his powerboat, or skiing at Nubs Nob, he works as a financial planner in Bloomfield Hills helping guide people through their retirement years and stay financially secure.  He also serves on the board of a non-profit in Detroit called Racquet Up Detroit which helps underprivileged kids achieve their full potential through a long term, demanding, and inspiring mentoring program of squash, academics, and community service.   Lastly, Tom has two grandsons who will soon be enrolling in the Little Traverse Sailor program.

 Liz Doornbos had her first sailing experience after graduating from Northern Michigan University aboard the 50’ gaff-rigged schooner Hjordis.  For five summers she helped crew Hjordis for day sails and week-long Lake Superior adventures to the Apostle Islands and Isle Royale.  Liz also lived aboard a Beneteau 411 in the Virgin Islands with her Husband, Ben, running a charter operation in the winter. In the spring of 2020 Liz and Ben purchased a small cruising sailboat, Chickadee.  Each season since, Liz and Ben and their two boys, Noah and Jacob, have taken extended sailing trips exploring Lake Michigan. During a recent home renovation Liz and family spent an entire summer living aboard Chickadee. Liz’s experience with Little Traverse Sailors began when her oldest son, Noah, enrolled for his first week of sailing at 8 years old in 2019.  Since then, LTS has become a huge part of the Doornbos family summer with both boys now enrolled in many weeks of sailing camp and participating in weekly regattas. Noah and Jacob’s skill, knowledge and love of sailing are growing exponentially, thanks to the amazing LTS coaching staff.  As the Lead Coach for both Nub’s Nob XC Ski Academy and the Norte Mountain Bike Club, Liz has come to appreciate and be inspired by the model set forth by LTS for offering a safe, fun and valuable experience for young athletes as they engage with the beautiful outdoor recreation that Northern Michigan has to offer.