Chairman & Founder

Randy has degrees in Fine Arts and Mechanical Engineering. He spent most of his career focusing on Information Security at The Vanguard Group. While at Vanguard he built the International Information Security and Privacy program as well as the Third Party Risk Management program, Randy retired from Vanguard in 2019.

My wife and I have owned sailboats for over th tty-two years, our first a Catalina 27, followed by a Tartan 34 for seventeen years, and then an Offshore 40 for thirteen years. We have covered many thousands miles of voyaging, ranging from Massachusetts to Florida. Randy has been teaching skiing and snowboarding for eighteen years, he has his PSIA Level 1, Childrens Specialist Level 1 Alpine skiing certifications.

We have been visiting northern Vermont for 20 years enjoying both the summers and winters and fell in love with the region and the people that live here. During our trip down the ICW to Florida in 2021, we made the decision to sell our boat and move to northern Vermont. We made the move to Newport in the summer of 2022, and could not be happier. Shortly after we arrived we realized that Lake Memphremagog was under-utilized and that there was a tremendous opportunity to create a sailing center. We realize thst sharihg our passion for sailing we can serve local residents and visitors on the lake in this beautiful area that we cal home.

Founding Board Member

Andi Fanelli McGunnigle is a Director with Your Part‐Time Controller, LLC. (YPTC). After earning her Bachelor’s degree at Villanova University and her Master’s degree at St. Joseph’s University, she went on to pursue a career in Accounting and Finance at various healthcare organizations. Andi is also a Founder of the Renaissance Academy Charter School and has served as a Founding Board Member, Interim CEO and Strategic Projects Coordinator for the school. Andi knew that she was interested in helping nonprofits achieve their goals and joined YPTC in 2015. Andi has used her accounting expertise to assist nonprofit clients with their financial management, as well as her business development knowledge and experience to help YPTC open multiple offices across the nation.

Andi was born in Philadelphia and she and her husband Randy were drawn to Lake Memphremagog and the Northeast Kingdom after spending many years in the Northeast Kingdom skiing, mountain biking, hiking and kayaking. They decided to make Newport their part-time home. Andi & Randy bought their first sailboat in 1990 and spent 32 years sailing on the Chesapeake Bay, New England, the Caribbean and the Intracoastal Waterway, logging over 10,000 miles.

Andi is a certified Level 2 PSIA Ski Instructor, Level 1 Children’s Specialist, USSA Level 100 Alpine Race Coach (lapsed) and USASA Level 100 Ski Cross Coach (lapsed). Andi has been teaching & coaching for over 20 years at several mountains in the Poconos as an Instructor, Race Coach, and as a Development Coordinator, designing and overseeing the season long program for younger racers.

I am thrilled to share my love of sailing, teaching and my nonprofit expertise with the Newport Community Sailing center!

Founding Board Member

Scott was born in Germany and raised in Texas but is happy to call Newport Vermont home! He has a Bachelor’s degree in Politics & Economics (Texas A&M University) and Masters degrees in Mathematics (University of Texas) and Psychology (Harvard). By day he works as a Software Engineering Manager for a proprietary trading firm. He is the treasurer of Newport City Downtown Development and the Memphremagog Yacht Club. In his free-time you’ll find him sailing on the lake, skiing in the mountains, hiking through the forests surrounding our beautiful town, or brewing beer!

A former teacher, Scott is thrilled to teach others and help share the wonderful experience of sailing with his local community. He owns and sails “Waterbug”, a Catalina 25.

Secretary

Rick is the Director of Newport City Downtown Development. Rick lived on the U.S/Mexico border for twenty years and then in the Lower Hudson Valley for twelve years before claiming his roots in the Northeast Kingdom in 2021.

Rick’s vocation has been to create and nurture thriving non-profit organizations that respond to clear community needs and that endure over time. Rick and his wife Kitty live in Newport and sail a first generation 18” O’Day called the “Knotta Yacht” on Lake Memphremagog. Rick has been a certified whitewater rafting guide in the Hudson Valley Gorge in New York and he is a (not very fast) runner and mountain biker and enjoys snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter.

Rick has a passion for helping Newport to become the hub for four-season, outdoor recreation in the northern part of the North East Kingdom.

Executive Director of Adaptive Sports Partners, Board Member

Kelly is a highly experienced professional with a passion for adaptive sports and inclusion. With over ten years of experience in the field and holding a Master’s degree in Recreational Therapy, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role as the Executive Director of Adaptive Sports Partners. Her certifications as a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, Level 1 Adaptive SUP Instructor, and PSIA Level 1 Adaptive Ski Instructor demonstrate her commitment to serving individuals with disabilities and promoting their empowerment through sports, recreation, and adventure. Beyond her professional achievements, Kelly is deeply involved in various outdoor activities, including skiing, ultrarunning, and participating in Ironman events, showcasing her personal dedication to an active lifestyle.

Her enthusiasm for outdoor pursuits aligns perfectly with her involvement at the Newport Community Sailing Center, where she aims to ensure that all programs are accessible and inclusive to individuals of all abilities. Kelly’s dedication to her work, combined with her personal interests and commitment to inclusivity, make her a valuable asset to both Adaptive Sports Partners and the Newport Community Sailing Center.

Bill grew up in Derby Line, graduated from North Country HS and UVM, and then took his Computer Science degree and spent 32 years working in the technology industry as a consultant for Accenture.  Now retired, Bill lives in Newport in the summer and in Sandy, Utah  the rest of the year where he is a firearms instructor and dedicated skier.  

Bill's sailing experience began at a summer camp in Maine in the 1970's.  First a camper and then a counselor at the camp, Bill spent a lot of time at the sailing dock and rifle range.  The camp offered sailing using a fleet of FJ's and Mercury sailboats, and it was during this time as a camper that Bill learned how to sail and race dinghies.  As a counselor Bill was hired to work as a sailing counselor and he spent three summers teaching children aged 7-15 how to sail and race.  The camp had a racing team that competed against other nearby camps and Bill was responsible for teaching the kids to race as well as organizing and running the weekly Sunday series hosted at the camp

On Memphremagog in the 70's and 80's Bill sailed on a Laser and a Catalina 22.  In the 90's he acquired a Hobie 16 which he still sails on the lake today.  While living in the San Francisco Bay area in the late 90's into 2000's, he was a member of the OCSC Sailing Club where he earned US Sailing certifications in Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising, Bareboat Cruising, and Coastal Navigation, and participated in races in the SF Bay.

Living on the lake in the summer, Bill has long lamented the lack of a sailing culture with such a beautiful lake being relatively unused.  The formation of the Sailing Center fills a void in our community and Bill is excited to play a part in bringing this to fruition.