Nina Marie Altman, President

Nina’s first exposure of the VIRGINIA V came as a guest on a public cruise in 2009. She took somewhat regular trips as a guest (which she spent most of the time in front of the engine) for three years before starting as an engineering volunteer.

Nina has an extensive background in the medical field. She was a practicing physical therapist for 38 years before transitioning working largely in the occupational therapy space. She has a degree in Human Centered Design and Engineering along with degrees in Physical Therapy and Higher Education & Curriculum Development.

Nina grew up in New York and Ireland “never too far from boats or water.” She met her husband (Doug Weeks) volunteering on board the VIRGINIA V. They own a 1938 wooden bridgedeck cruiser ASTELLE. In addition the Virginia V Foundation, Nina has been deeply involved with CWB, and multiple arts and music organizations in Tacoma. She also completed a course in marine survey and passed her Chief Engineering Licensing Exam.

Garret Holt, Vice President

Garret, and his twin brother Kyle, first stepped aboard the VIRGINIA V in 2009, looking for something to do over the summer while awaiting their sophomore year as pre-engineers at the University of Washington. They immediately fell in love with her timeless class! However, it was only during their volunteer orientation that they realized that the ship was, in fact, operational. Over a decade later, the Holt twins continue to be found down in the engine room as Designated Engineers.

Garret continued at UW and got a bachelor’s degree in material science and engineering. Post college, he first worked at genetic sequencer biotech startup called NorthShore Bio, Inc. However, in 2019, he began working at Snow & Company Boatbuilding as a marine designer, machinist, and sign maker.

Garret joined the Board in 2017 and is a member of the Board Development and Operations Committees. Old boats got into his blood enough that, in 2017, he and his brother became the proud caretakers of CATOCTIN, a vintage member of the Classic Yacht Association.
For more about Garret, visit his Linkedin page.

David Allais, Treasurer

David’s first exposure to VIRGINIA V was as a charter client in the mid-1980s. When looking for a boat to entertain his company’s distributors, he learned about VIRGINIA V and thought the unique history and character of the vessel would be perfect. A major selling point  was the opportunity to see the historic 1904 steam engine operate while underway.

David is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of bar coding and automatic identification, creating five bar code symbologies. He helped build Intermec Corporation from a start-up to the leading manufacturer of bar code printing and reading equipment, rising to the position of President and CEO before he left in 1987. He went on to found PathGuide Technologies, Inc. in 1989, which develops and implements warehouse management systems for wholesale distributors and regional retailers.

An avid world traveler, David enjoys visiting “out-of-the way” destinations including Easter Island. He also is a supporter of numerous arts and theater organizations and he serves as the board treasurer of the Seattle Shakespeare Company. David also owns a 30’ powerboat he calls “unremarkable, but fun.”

Douglas Weeks, Secretary

Doug was born and raised in upstate New York where he earned an engineering degree from Clarkson College.  He relocated to Washington State in 1981 after a visit inspired him to make the Pacific Northwest his home.  Doug first became involved with Virginia V in 1993 as a boiler fireman. He joined the Foundation's Board shortly thereafter and authored several of the grants that funded early stages of the vessel's restoration. In addition to his long-standing interest in historic preservation, he is an avid photographer and enjoys cruising and maintaining his family's 1938 classic yacht. He is currently employed as a safety, environmental and engineering consultant.

Grant Johnson, Director

Grant’s first encounter with VIRGINIA V occurred in 2017 when he and his family relocated from Texas and he came across the ship while exploring the shoreline of Lake Union.  The vessel's storied history, along with its wooden hull and steam power, appealed to him and he agreed to join the Foundation’s board later that year.  Grant previously sailed as an engineer on U.S. flag steam-powered merchant vessels and he enjoys woodworking  so VIRGINIA V particularly appealed to him.  He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to support the ship as a National Historic Landmark with a mission of sharing its maritime heritage with the next generation.

Grant currently serves as the Vice President of Health, Safety, Quality and Environment at Foss Maritime. Grant previously chaired the U.S Coast Guard’s National Offshore Safety Committee.  He and his family reside in the Indianola, Washington.

Peter Proctor, Director

The Steamer Virginia V Foundation welcomes Peter Proctor to the  Board in the fall of 2020 where his many decades of experience as a shipwright specializing in wooden vessels will be a huge asset to our efforts to restore and preserve VIRGINIA V.

When Peter took a college job washing sailboats in 1973, boats became all he thought and cared about. A self-taught carpenter became a master shipwright under the mentorship of a local legend, master shipwright Joe Dunato. Six years studying under Joe at Dunato’s Marine led his transformation from a carpenter to a master shipwright.

Peter founded Proctor Boat Co. out of the back of his truck in 1985. A few years later he joined Seattle Shipwrights Co-op, then running big projects and large crews. He was eventually recruited to be the general manager of Jensen Motor Boat Company and held that position until the company shut down in July of 2019.

After leaving Jensen, Peter restarted his own shipwright business. One of his projects has been a major contribution to the restoration of the lightship SWIFTSURE (a vessel in the fleet of NW Seaport), one of VIRGINIA V's neighbors along the Historic Ships Wharf in Lake Union Park.

Kyle Holt, Director

Kyle Holt and his brother Garret Holt (another volunteer of the foundation) were enthralled by the VIRGINIA V in 2009 as they were starting their engineering studies at the University of Washington.  Since then, Kyle can still be found down in the engine room oiling things, turning valves, basking in steam, and otherwise having a splendid time as a designated engineer.