Our Team  

Alex DeFronzo (he/him)
Executive Director
adefronzo@piersparksailing.org

Alex first became involved with Piers Park Sailing Center in 2001 as a child in the Inclusive Youth Development Program.  He learned to sail at PPSC and the program inspired him to become more involved in community building and outreach.  Alex went on to manage a number of group homes and worked in development for the Northeastern Family Institute of Massachusetts, a nonprofit human services agency.  He returned to PPSC in the spring of 2017 as Executive Director.

Alex is dedicated to fulfilling the mission, vision, and values of Piers Park Sailing Center because of the profound impact that the program had on him as a child.  Alex is a resident of East Boston and strives to create community value by partnering with other local organizations and agencies.  He draws inspiration from his great-grandmother, Anna DeFronzo, who was a prominent East Boston community activist.  Alex holds a BA from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and a Masters in Public Administration from Suffolk University.

Daniel Moreno (he/him)
Associate Executive Director
dmoreno@piersparksailing.org

Daniel holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management & Human Service from Suffolk University. He has been a resident of East Boston since emigrating from Colombia in 1994.

Daniel is a USCG licensed 50-Ton Captain who has crewed for several Boston Harbor vessels, honing skills in marine maintenance to big-boat racing. As a former Sailing Instructor and Ops Director at PPSC, he skippered sails for patients from the Spaulding Rehabilitation Center in Charlestown and youth groups from a number of local adaptive schools and organizations.

“Sailing provides a sort of freedom that can’t be found elsewhere.  Regardless of where someone is from, what they do for work, or how old they are, they can escape to the open air and water to find comfort.”

Manuela Villa Gomez (she/her)
Director Partnerships & Inclusion
mvillagomez@piersparksailing.org

Mela grew up sailing in the youth program during her summers. Sailing instilled a love for the environment and youth engagement. Mela graduated from Boston College where she majored in Environmental Studies and had a concentration on Climate Change and Societal Adaptation. During her college years she served as director of Harbor Explorers where she developed the inaugural curriculum for students in the program, some of which is still taught today.

After college, Mela went on to teach high school Biology for three years at Excel Academy Charter High School. She then went on to work as the East Boston Liaison for the Mayor’s Office in Boston. Her time teaching and working in public service allowed her to develop a commitment to East Boston and the youth of the neighborhood.

In her free time Mela is learning to surf and enjoys learning new healthy recipes. She loves spending time on the water and at the beach.

Catherine Domina (she/her)
Director of Youth Programs
cdomina@piersparksailing.org

Catherine has been part of Piers Park since 2007. She started as a student in the youth program and worked her way up from Future Leader to Instructor to Assistant Youth Coordinator; since 2013, she has steered the helm of our youth program as Youth Program Director.

Working in the youth, adult, and adaptive programs throughout her time here, this life-long Eastie resident has been part of all the great things Piers Park has to offer. Catherine graduated Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, studying the humanities on their New Hampshire and Rome campuses. In the off-season, she teaches high school math in Winthrop, and enjoys coaching their sailing team during the spring.

Omar Sahrour (he/him)
Education Director 
osahrour@piersparksailing.org

Omar first joined Piers Park Sailing Center at 8 years old through a program partnership with the East Boston YMCA. He hasn’t missed a summer yet and has fallen in love with the sport of sailing. Omar has transitioned from being a student to a future leader to an instructor.  Omar was previously the director of sailing at Camp Harbor View and  Asst. Director of Youth Programs.  In 2023, Omar became Education Director at Piers Park Sailing, overseeing out-of-school time programs and teen development programs.

Omar majored in Biology at Suffolk University.

Sophia Gomez (she/her)
Science of Sailing Program Director  ydp@piersparksailing.org

Sophia joined Piers Park Sailing Center at 7 years old, and has not missed a summer since. She started as a harbor explorer, then became a student in the sailing program where she developed her sailing skills, then became a Future Leader and soon after an instructor for Science of Sailing. She now is the director of the Science of Sailing program.

In the offseason, Sophia attends Husson University where she is majoring in Psychology and is also apart of the Husson women’s lacrosse team.

Erick Morales (he/him)
Harbor Explorers Program Director  ydp@piersparksailing.org

Erick first joined piers park in 2017 and has been learning the ropes ever since. He first began as a staff member and worked his way up to becoming HE sailing coordinator and now the HE program director.

When he’s not at Piers Park, he attends University of Massachusetts Boston, majoring in Economics.

Nick Drevos (he/him)
Community Kayaking Director  
ndrevos@piersparksailing.org

Nick spent his first summer at PPSC when he was 10 years old and hasn’t spent it anywhere else since. Beginning as a future leader, then moving into the Harbor Explorer, Science of Sailing, and Adult Learn-to-Sail programs, Nick is now overseeing the new community kayaking operations and also the Boston Public School Partnership Sailing.

Nick spends his off-season studying Adventure & Outdoor Education at Humak University of Applied Sciences, a small university located in Nurmijärvi, Finland.