New Faces Welcomed Aboard

Arundel, Maine (Jan. 11, 2022)— Under the direction of Sean Fawcett, President, the Landing School in Arundel, Maine is pleased to announce the addition of two new team members Juliet Karam as Marketing Manager and Jon Landers as Director of Development to the staff.

“We are excited to have these talented professionals join the school to help us achieve our goals to build awareness in the marketplace and expand financial support for the school” noted Fawcett.

Juliet Karam

Marketing Manager

Juliet will be responsible for all of The Landing School’s marketing activities including print and digital advertising; social media, copywriting, marketing collateral, communications and public relations.

Juliet grew up in Scarborough Maine and recently graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. in Communication. After graduating, Juliet worked as an SEO Specialist, Copywriter and Social Media Manager at a local marketing agency in Portsmouth, NH.

“I’m so lucky to be able to live, work and play on the coast of Maine year-round. In my new position I’m really looking forward to connecting students of all ages to their passions in yacht design, composite and wooden boat building or marine systems, and promoting one of my favorite hobbies! Not many people can say they’re able to market for something they’re truly passionate about.” says Juliet.

Jon Landers

Director of Development

Jon joins the Landing School to oversee all development and fundraising activities with a focus on growing and broadening the School’s base of financial support in order to continue its important educational mission. Jon brings over thirty years of marketing and business development experience having worked for Fortune 500 companies; non-profits; tech start-ups and in the academic sector as a Major Gift Officer and Executive Director of Museum Outreach at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and as an adjunct professor of Marketing and Development at George Washington University’s School of Museum Studies. After graduating from Bowdoin College, he went on to receive his MBA from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business before starting his career.

Landers states, “ “I am thrilled to be part of the Landing School family. As a sailor and nautical history enthusiast with family roots firmly planted in Maine, I understand and appreciate what an asset the school is to the State of Maine, and beyond, by providing positive, life-changing skills for its students to contribute to the future of the marine industry”.

Landers, who divides his time between Kennebunkport, ME and Tampa, FL grew up sailing, fishing, and working on family boats in Massachusetts and crewing in offshore races during his time working in New York City and Chicago. While working for a start-up in Seattle, he continued to pursue his love of wooden boats as a shipwright volunteer at the Center for Wooden Boats. If you would like to contact Jon, you can reach him at jlanders@landingschool.edu.

The Landing School Appoints New President

ARUNDEL, MAINE – The Landing School has appointed Richard Downs-Honey of Little Compton, Rhode Island as its President. In announcing the appointment, The Landing School Board Chairman Haven Ladd said, “We are honored to welcome Richard to the School community. Richard’s passion, vision, energy and technical expertise will advance the mission of The Landing School and will make a tremendous impact on our students and on the marine industry that we serve. A highly respected luminary, Richard has spent over 40 years growing the industry through the innovative use of advanced composite engineering and through his personal leadership, humor and humility. We are excited to have Richard lead The Landing School to build on our own 40-year history of educating skilled craftspeople and leaders.”

Richard Downs-Honey, a native of New Zealand, is a graduate of the University of Auckland, holding both Bachelor and Master’s Degrees in Mechanical Engineering, with special concentration in Fiber Reinforced Plastics in Boatbuilding. He is a former partner and CEO of High Modulus, a Kiwi firm specializing in engineering consulting services and a supplier of composite materials to the marine industry and other industrial clients. During his tenure at High Modulus, Downs-Honey was responsible for business development, engineering services and sales, and was heavily involved in the development of New Zealand’s first Americas Cup contenders. He built High Modulus to over 100 people with offices in Australia, China, France, the UK and the US.

Following the sale of High Modulus to Gurit (NZ), LTD in 2009, Downs-Honey moved to the United States to help guide and build the firm’s developing US market. In 2016, he started RDH Composites, LLC to pursue independent consulting on the cutting-edge application of composites. In 2017, he accepted a position as Director of Engineering at Daedalus Yachts, a new start-up boatbuilding operation in North Carolina, where he has been leading the firm’s development and implementation of tooling and production for zero-emissions composite custom yachts up to 100 feet.

Regarding his appointment as President of The Landing School, Downs-Honey says, “This is a fantastic opportunity to be contributing to the development of the marine workforce at a critical time for the industry. Recent efforts by the industry resulting in the “10 + 1 Strategy” for workforce development highlight the continuing need for The Landing School. I am excited to work with the great team here, insuring we stay relevant in a changing environment, and are a key contributor to the strength of the marine industry.”

Upon learning of Downs-Honey’s appointment, Michael Peters, one of the pre-eminent designers of motor yachts, military patrol vessels and race boats, and someone who has hired a number of recent graduates of The Landing School Yacht Design program, said, “Of all the people I know in the marine industry, I cannot think of a person or personality that is a better fit, or has a better aptitude for leading The Landing School into the future.”

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December 2015 Launch

On Friday, December 15th 2015, students, faculty, staff, friends and family gathered at the South Congregational Church in Kennebunkport, Maine to celebrate the finished boats. Students from Composite Boat Building and Wooden Boat Building together launched twelve vessels. 

Students began working on their boats in September and finished these projects just in time for the annual launch. The energy of the day was great and everyone celebrated the beautiful results of just over three months of hard work. 

Scholarship Announcement: Hagerty Education Program at Americas Car Museum

The Landing School is pleased to announce our receipt of scholarship funds for Wooden Boat Building Program students from Hagerty Education Program at Americas Car Museum. Four scholarships will be awarded to incoming students for the 2016/17 academic year. 

Hagerty Education Program at America’s Car Museum (HEP) is an educational grant-making program of LeMay-America’s Car Museum (ACM). HEP is funded by collector vehicle and classic boat enthusiasts to serve youth and young adults on their pathways to careers in automotive/marine restoration & preservation along with the long-term interests of the collector vehicle and classic boat communities. Visit: www.hagertyeducationprogram.org or www.americasmuseum.org for more information.

The Landing School thanks HEP and ACM for their generous support! 

Distinguished Speaker Series: Garth Jensen

Tuesday, October 20

7 PM at The Colony Hotel, Grand Ballroom

As part of the Landing School of Boatbuilding and Design’s Distinguished Speaker series, Garth Jensen, Director for Innovation at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock, will discuss: "Citizen Science, Government Crowdsourcing, and a "Massive Multiplayer Online Wargame Leveraging the Internet" (MMOWGLI)“

The event is open to the public and free to attend.