(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Ocean County College Foundation’s Blauvelt Speaker Series is presenting an incredible opportunity to hear from Captain Sandy, the renowned superyacht captain and series lead from Bravo’s Emmy Award-winning Below Deck, as she speaks to Ocean County College students on overcoming obstacles, addiction recovery, and her extensive maritime career.  Join Captain Sandra Yawn (“Captain Sandy”) on April 11 at 11:00am as she shares her remarkable story of overcoming addiction and cancer to become a powerful female role model and trailblazer at the top of a male-dominated field. 

Captain Sandy is a leader, hero and businesswoman whose exceptional leadership style has helped her break through every obstacle in her path – including glass ceilings, near-fatal accidents, pirates, and fires at sea!  Her experiences provide invaluable leadership lessons about perseverance in the face of adversity, believing in your people, and not being afraid to fail —all with a wildly entertaining twist from her ‘Below Deck’ escapades. 

The event will take place on the main stage of the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts, located on the OCC main campus in Toms River. A livestream will also be available. Visit grunincenter.org to register for this free event. 

The Blauvelt Speaker Series is funded in part by the generosity of the late Bradford Thomas & Eleanor G. Blauvelt and The Wintrode Family Foundation. This year's 2021-2022 additional sponsors include DRG Architects, Arlene and Frank Dupignac, Jr., the late Helen M. Earles, Ph.D., Judi and Stephan Leone, New Jersey Natural Gas, and Novins, York, Jacobus and Dooley. 

For more than 50 years, Ocean County College, a public two-year community college sponsored by Ocean County and the State of New Jersey, has provided area residents with the opportunity to benefit from higher education. OCC is an innovative academic leader offering affordable, student-centered, high-quality educational experiences that prepare and empower diverse learners to contribute to and succeed in global societies. OCC invests in and fosters academic, economic, and cultural excellence, and ensures financial strength by generating new revenue streams, engaging in national and international university and corporate partnerships, and cultivating a technologically progressive and entrepreneurial spirit.