Team Members
John Coyne
President
John Coyne comes to Pink Boat Regatta not only as a sailor, but an accomplished technology professional. John’s 25+ year career has seen him developing solutions for technology titans such as Amazon and Microsoft, as well as other Fortune 500 organizations.
In addition to being our board President, John is our leader for all “on the water” activities related to Pink Boat Regatta, which includes coordination with the respective Yacht Clubs, Race Committees, scoring, and such.
John is passionate about finding a cure for breast cancer, as he’s seen it impact several friends and family members. John is a cancer survivor himself, and is here to help raise money and awareness to help science finally put an end to this horrible disease.
Stephanie Arnold
Vice President
Stephanie is an adventure seeker that loves the outdoors. She started sailing 20+ years ago while living in Southampton, England. Stephanie also loves hiking and running, with three marathons accomplished. Stephanie first got involved in Pink Boat Regatta by helping to create and launch the first Tacoma Pink Boat Regatta. She’s become a passionate supporter of Pink Boat Regatta as it is an effective way to help raise awareness and funds that help people fight and beat breast cancer with new treatments and hopefully leads to preventing breast cancer completely.
Celina Scott
Secretary
Celina is new to sailing thanks to her husband talking her into giving it a chance. Turns out that she loves everything about it and enjoys the peacefulness of sailing. This is her second year with Pink Boat Regatta and first year on the Board as Secretary. Past involvement with Relay for Life has provided her campaigning experience and a passion for the cause. She fights this fight for breast cancer survivors, fighters and ones who have earned their wings. While every single cancer is ugly, breast cancer hits close to home as she has experienced her own scare. Early detection and monitoring are a crucial part of stopping this cancer. It is imperative that fund raising for research doesn’t stop until we find the cure. Celina was born and raised in Tacoma, WA and enjoys spending time with her husband and son.
Kristi Coyne
Treasurer
Kristi Coyne has recently joined the Pink Boat Regatta crew as the Board Treasurer. Kristi has extensive experience working with non-profits, including her own animal rescue.
Kristi’s background is in mental health care, and she earned her Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. She is originally from Southern California, and is a happy transplant here in the Pacific Northwest!
Jake Firman
Board Member
Jake is a committed father of two beautiful kiddos, and husband to his beautiful wife, Angela. He is the
Director of Software Development for DSST Public Schools, a network of open enrollment public charter schools serving mostly low-income students in the Denver area. He grew up in Covington, WA, attended Gonzaga University to study marketing and economics, where he met his amazing wife, Angela. Jake is a former teacher, and long-time baseball coach, spanning every age range from tee-ball to high school. He’s a huge Mariners fan, want-to-be woodworker, and avid casual sailor.
Angela Firman
Board Member
Angela is an avid reader, a closet-cross-stitcher, and a fervent writer. She was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer at 33 and then Stage IV metastatic breast cancer at 37. She was a teacher and school leader for 11 years and is now devoted to amplifying voices that have been historically suppressed in the world of publishing. In addition to copyediting the beautiful WILDFIRE magazine, she is an associate editor for Yellow Arrow Publishing, and her creative nonfiction writing has been published in several literary publications. Angela lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband, Jake, and their two hilarious, sometimes demanding, roommates aged six and nine.
Tim Garchow
Board Member
Tim has been living in the Puget Sound area for the past 25+ years, sailing and racing on a number of boats in the PHRF fleet, most notably are Wildthing (Owner, Ed Jacobs), and Gardyloo (Owner, Eric Nelson). Prior to moving to Washington Tim lived in Southern California, sailing, racing, and instructing on Hobie Cats and other dinghies. Currently he lives in Gig Harbor aboard his Beneteau 46, Odin. In his professional life, Tim has spent time as a teacher, principal, superintendent, and now is the head of the State agency that supports all school board members in Washington. He also sits on the board of directors for several non-profits and is a member of Corinthian Yacht Club Tacoma.
Nicky Gevirtz
Board Member
Nicky serves as the social media manager for Pink Boat Regatta. Previously on the board from 2018 to 2020, she returned to the board of directors in 2023. Professionally, Nicky is a seasoned mammography technologist beaming with compassion and informative support. Her ultimate goal is to help eradicate breast cancer so that her profession becomes obsolete in the very near future.
When she’s not advocating for breast health, Nicky is an avid knitter and crocheter, traveler, and enjoys spending quality time with her spouse and fur babies in Everett, Washington.