Following a nationwide search, the Sultana Education Foundation announced today that Michael Fiorentino will take command as the new captain of the schooner SULTANA this February.
Fiorentino comes to SULTANA from the Living Classrooms Foundation in Baltimore where he served as the captain of the 107-foot schooner LADY MARYLAND for the last four years. Prior to working at Living Classrooms, Fiorentino was Chief Mate and Carpenter on the PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II.
Fiorentino is the most experienced person ever hired to take the helm of SULTANA. He holds a 500-ton Master of Oceans license, has over 500 days of on-the-water experience as captain, and has spent much of the past eight years sailing on the Chesapeake Bay.
In addition to being an experienced mariner, Michael is also a highly regarded educator. “The fact that Michael has four years of experience with the Living Classrooms Foundation meant a great deal to us,” commented Sultana President Drew McMullen who led Sultana’s search committee. “Living Classrooms is a national leader in the field of experiential education, and we consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to draw upon his wealth of experience”.
Fiorentino also has an extensive background in carpentry, boatbuilding, and boat maintenance. After graduating from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in Theatrical Design and Production, Fiorentino spent five years in New York designing and building complex, multi-million dollar theatrical and television sets. When Fiorentino’s professional interests turned to sailing and traditional boats, he attended the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, Rhode Island (one of the nation’s finest traditional boat building programs), and worked as a boatbuilder and marine carpenter at a variety of organizations including the South Street Seaport Museum and Rocking the Boat, both in New York City
Bill Anderson says
Anchors aweigh!