Brett, a native of Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood, is a 1996 graduate of the Landing School’s program in traditional wooden boat construction. He began his career working aboard sail training vessels from Maine to the Caribbean. However, his experience as a volunteer with the Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory in 2001 inspired him to shift his focus from craftsmanship and maritime work to mentorship and youth development. Driven by this passion, he dedicated himself to becoming a leader in strengths-based youth development programming.

Brett went on to serve for five years as the Captain and Director of Maritime Education for Philadelphia City Sail aboard the 75’ Schooner North Wind. He later returned to the Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory as Executive Director, leading the organization through a period of transformative growth.

During his tenure, the organization significantly expanded its capacity to provide long-term, meaningful mentoring support for youth from the Kensington and Frankford neighborhoods of Philadelphia. Under his leadership, the organization grew to support a full-time staff of 10, including clinical social workers, craft mentors, and an administrative team of staff and consultants. The Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory became recognized as a best-practice organization in strengths-based youth development and was highlighted as a model for other agencies through the work of the Weikart Center for Youth Program Policy.

The organization served 90 year-round out-of-school-time students, engaging them in building wooden sailing vessels, fabricating sails, working on watershed restoration projects, and participating in a summer sailing program aboard student-built boats.

Brett is excited to return to Germantown, where he has established Swell near his childhood home and the neighborhood schools he attended.