ROCKLAND — Diane Sternberg has been hired by the Sail, Power, and Steam Museum to run the museum’s Midcoast Sailing Center.

“Our waterfront operations have been growing significantly over the past few years. It was time to find someone to manage and grow the programs, and Diane was certainly the right person at the right time!” said Board Chair and co-founder, Jim Sharp, in a SPSM news release.

An educator, a Wilderness First Responder, and a sailor, Sternberg has taught diverse age groups in local schools and served as Semester Associate Program Director at Hurricane Island Outward Bound School. She holds a US Coast Guard License: 100 Ton Near Coastal Master/200 Ton Near Coastal Mate with sail endorsement. She attended Cornell University, receiving a BA degree in Anthropology, received a Master of Arts in English at the Bread Loaf School of English in Middlebury, VT, and studied Creative non-fiction at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland.

Sharp added, “Diane helped us out last year as we started SKFF (Sail Kids for Free), our free youth sailing program, and the kids loved her. We started talking between classes, and it became clear that she would be a great fit to join our staff and help us further develop our waterfront programs.”

Midcoast Sailing Center, a program of the Sail, Power, and Steam Museum, is home to some unique vessels that range in size from the 40’ Black Jack, the oldest Wilbur Morse built Friendship Sloop still afloat, to the 10’ Opti fleet that is used for the Free Youth Sailing Program. The museum’s Rockland waterfront location on Mechanic Street provides an excellent spot for hosting programs such as SKFF, lighthouse day sails, vessel charters, sailing lessons for youth and adults, and an expanded year-round educational program.

“I look forward to creatively expanding these programs,” said Sternberg. “I’ve always had a love of the sea and of teaching, and I’m excited to pursue this opportunity with the museum. I’m especially looking forward to getting back out on the water with the kids of SKFF again this summer.”

For more information on the museum, the Midcoast Sailing Center or SKFF, go to either www.SailPowerSteamMuseum.org or www. MidCoastSailingCenter.org.