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Chair
Edward N. Comstock retired from full-time employment in January of 2015 following a distinguished thirty-two year civilian career with the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and nine years with Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems,. Prior to joining NAVSEA in 1974 he worked six years with General Dynamics Electric Boat Division and General Electric Marine Turbine and Gear Department. In advance of his full-time professional employment, Ed received his B.S.E. degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering in 1970 and subsequently a M.S.E. degree in Ship Hydrodynamics in 1974, both from the University of Michigan.
Most recently at Raytheon, Ed was a Senior Engineering Fellow where he served as the Ship Community of Practice Lead and as the Champion for Front Line Leader Development in the Mechanical Engineering Directorate. Prior to joining Raytheon in 2006, Ed was a member of the Senior Executive Service and the Department of the Navy Acquisition Professional Community serving in various positions including Director for Science and Technology and acting Executive Director of the Ship Design, Integration, and Engineering Directorate in NAVSEA, and Principal Assistant, Acquisition, Programming, and Budgeting and Principal Assistant Shipbuilding and Conversion Navy (SCN) Appropriations Sponsor in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV). Ed previously held positions in NAVSEA as Chief Naval Architect and Executive Director, Surface Ship Design and Systems Engineering Group; Director, Naval Architecture Group; Director, Hydrodynamics Division; Head, Surface Ship Hydrodynamics Branch; and as a seakeeping specialist.
Ed currently serves as past-President of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) and Alternate Functional Vice President for Education. He has received many professional awards including the Presidential Meritorious Rank Award, Superior and Meritorious Civilian Service Awards, SNAME David W. Taylor Medal, ASNE Harold E. Saunders Award, University of Michigan Alumni Merit and Rosenblatt Alumni Awards, and election as a Fellow of SNAME.
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Vice-Chair
Martha Grabowski is the Distinguished McDevitt Chair in Information Systems, and Professor and Director of the Information Systems program in the Madden School of Business at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. She is also a Research Professor in the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. A member of the American Bureau of Shipping, she is a Lifetime National Associate of the National Academies/National Research Council, and most recently chaired the National Academies’ policy study assessing the U.S.’ Arctic Oil Spill Response capabilities for 8 sponsoring agencies.
Dr. Grabowski’s research focuses on the impact of technology on individuals, groups and organizations in complex, safety-critical systems; risk analysis and risk mitigation in largescale systems; and the role of human and organizational error in high consequence settings.
Dr. Grabowski is a licensed former merchant officer and retired LCDR in the US Naval Reserve. She received a B.S. in Marine Transportation/Nautical Science from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and an M.B.A., an M.S., Industrial Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Management/Information Systems from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
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Shipbuilding/Shipyard Operations
James G Bennett has recently retired from full time employment after a distinguished twenty-five year career as a practicing naval architect, manager and director at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works Corporation and eleven year career in increasing responsibility at Raytheon Company. Prior to joining Bath Iron Works in 1981 he was employed by the University of Michigan as a research associate and as a naval architect supporting ship operations for Moore McCormack Lines. Jim received his B.S.E. degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering in 1980 and subsequently a M.S.E. degree in Ship Hydrodynamics in 1981, both from the University of Michigan. Jim also holds a current 50 GT master mariners certificate from the US Coast Guard and is an avid and accomplished competitive and offshore sailor.
During his twenty-five-year career as a naval architect Jim acquired extensive expertise ship production planning, production management, design, engineering, project management and leadership. Most recently, Jim served as Engineering Fellow and as Director Naval and Marine Business Development at Raytheon Corporation. Jim’s work has been instrumental to achieving reducing large aperture radar power consumption and shipboard power management. Prior to this, Jim served as the company director at Bath Iron Works Corporation responsible for naval ship design and advanced marine vehicle development. He has advised maritime administrations and defense ministries of Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Finland and Saudi Arabia on a broad variety of ship design and production programs. Mr. Bennett has received numerous awards for both technical and leadership achievement including the General Dynamics Corporation Technology Excellence Award (2000) and the Raytheon Company President’s award (2014) and CEO’s awards (sole recipient, 2015). Mr. Bennett has long standing affiliation with the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) Ship Design Committee and Ship Production Committee, American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE), International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). He has conducted marine vehicle research projects and published technical reports, papers and articles with the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), National Shipbuilding Research Program and Journal of Ship Production. He has service has been acknowledged with commendations from both SNAME and NAVSEA for his contributions to ship design and production research.
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Marine Transportation Infrastructure/Civil Engineering
Lieutenant General (Retired) Thomas P. Bostick is a 1978 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and holds Master of Science Degrees in both Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, and a PhD in Systems Engineering from George Washington University. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer and President, Intrexon Bioengineering at Intrexon, a leader in the engineering and industrialization of biology to improve the quality of life and health of the planet. As Chief Operating Officer and President, Intrexon Bioengineering, Lt. Gen. (Ret) Bostick oversees operations across the Company's multiple technology divisions, driving efficiency and effectiveness in the application of the Company's assets toward its development projects. Lt. Gen. (Ret) Bostick served as the 53rd Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he was responsible for most the Nation’s civil works infrastructure and military construction. Lt. Gen. (Ret) Bostick also served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, responsible for total Army personnel and manpower; Commanding General, U.S. Army Recruiting Command; and as the Assistant Division Commander-Maneuver; and then Assistant Division Commander-Support of the 1st Cavalry Division. He deployed with the Division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom before commanding the Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division, where he was responsible for more than $18 Billion of reconstruction in Iraq. Lt. Gen. (Ret) Bostick also served as an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at West Point and was a White House Fellow, working as a special assistant to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Lt. Gen. (Ret) Bostick has been one of the leading advocates in the federal government on resilience and developing a systems approach to watersheds. He has appeared on CNN, FOX News, CBS Evening News, the Daily Show and more. He has spoken extensively on resilience including remarks at the United Nations, Risk Analysis World Congress in Singapore, and the National Academy of Sciences. He led the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the completion of the North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study: Resilient Adaptation to Increasing Risk report to Congress in 2015. Lt. Gen. Bostick was selected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Construction, and the George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science Hall of Fame for his many contributions to engineering. |
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Hydrographics
RADM Samuel P. De Bow, Jr., was the Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Corps and NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. RADM De Bow was Chief of the Hydrographic Services Division, where his primary responsibility was to provide overall guidance and leadership for NOAA’s national hydrographic survey program. RADM De Bow’s active duty career focused on NOAA’s mission to ensure safe navigation. He served aboard three NOAA hydrographic survey and mapping ships that acquired data to update the nation’s nautical charts. During his career, RADM De Bow conducted hydrographic surveys throughout the coastal waters of the United States and in Norway as an exchange hydrographer. RADM De Bow is a former member of the Mississippi River Commission.
RADM De Bow retired from active duty in 2007 after close to 30 years of service and in 2008 became the Director of the Center of Excellence for Research on Offshore Renewable Energy at the University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography. There he was the Co-Principal Investigator for a comprehensive state funded $10 M Marine Spatial Planning effort to site offshore renewable energy in Rhode Island waters (Ocean SAMP) while also managing the National Science Foundation owned oceanographic Research Vessel Endeavor until August 2011. He is presently Vice President of Lynker Technologies, a technical service provided to the government.
RADM De Bow was a member of a group awarded the Department of Commerce Gold Medal (the Department’s highest award), and received two individual Department of Commerce Silver Medals, a Bronze Medal (NOAA’s highest award) and the NOAA Administrators Award for his achievements. He has also received a U.S. Coast Guard and three NOAA Corps Commendation Medals in addition to numerous other medals and ribbons.
RADM De Bow holds a B.S. degree in Commerce and Engineering from Drexel University and a M.S. in Hydrographic Sciences from the Naval Postgraduate School. He was a Senior Executive Fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and attended the Leadership for a Democratic Society curriculum at the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, VA.
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Vessel Operations and Pilotage
Captain Thomas A. Jacobsen has more than 30 years of experience in the maritime industry and brings his vast expertise in vessel operations and pilotage to the Marine Board. As the third-generation President of Jacobsen Pilot Service, Inc., his company exclusively serves the Port of Long Beach, as well as all of the San Pedro Bay area and the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Base. Under Captain Jacobsen’s leadership, Jacobsen Pilot Service (JPS) became the first and only ISO 9001 certified piloting service in the United States -a quality management system and customer service distinction. JPS has been instrumental in developing and implementing state-of-the-art technology routinely used in daily piloting operations, such as: shore based radars, highly accurate sector range lights, and high precision carry aboard Differential Global Positioning System. Captain Jacobsen was instrumental in starting NOAA’s P.O.R.T.S. weather system in LA/LB, enabling real time access to wind, tidal, and air-gap data for commercial waterway users. Captain Jacobsen graduated the California Maritime Academy in 1988 with USCG Unlimited Third Mates License and a Bachelor of Science in Nautical Industrial Technology.
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Military Transportation and Sealift
Mr. Jonathan D. Kaskin was a member of the Senior Executive Service for over 25 years. Mr. Kaskin retired with 37 years of government service as the duties of Director, Strategic Mobility and Combat Logistics Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (N-42), in June 2012. He was rehired as a Senior Advisor, Maritime, to support the Navy Secretariat’s investigation of the business case for Dual Use Vessels on America’s Marine Highway which he completed June of 2014. He is now a part-time Senior Fellow at the Center for Naval Analyses. Following four years on active duty with the Navy and four years of graduate education, Mr. Kaskin began his civil service career as an Operations Research Analyst at the Military Sealift Command Headquarters in the Office of the Assistant for Special Programs in September 1979. From July 1982 to March 1987 he served as the Executive Assistant to the Vice Commander, Military Sealift Command. From May 1987 to June 2012 he served as the OPNAV Program sponsor for strategic sealift and combat logistics ships (OPNAV N42). Mr. Kaskin has a BSEE from the University of Pennsylvania (1971), a Master of Science degree in Engineering from Harvard University (1977) and second Master of Science degree in Shipping and Shipbuilding Management as well as a professional degree of Ocean Engineer from MIT (1979). Mr. Kaskin is a Member of the National Defense Transportation Association, Propeller Club of the United States, Fellow of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, Life Member of American Society of Naval Engineers (Gold Medal Recipient), Naval Reserve Association, U.S. Naval Institute and the Navy League at which he currently serves as National Vice President for Legislative Affairs. He was awarded the SES Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive in 1999 and 2009 and Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Medal in 2012.
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Liner Operations
Lee Kindberg is Head of Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability for Maersk Line in North America. She served for six years on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act Advisory Committee and the Mobile Source Technical Review Subcommittee, and co-chaired the EPA Ports Workgroup in 2014-2016. She chaired a Transportation Research Board NCFRP panel on Sustainable Approaches to Supply Chain Air Emissions Regulation and was recently named to the TRB Marine Board. She is also active in Business for Social Responsibility’s Clean Cargo Working Group, a global group dedicated to assessing and improving the environmental impact of shipping.
Dr. Kindberg received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Alabama and a Doctorate in Chemistry from the University of South Carolina. She has an extensive background in the chemical industry, where she was Director of Government Relations & Environmental Science for the Hoechst Celanese Fibers & Specialty Chemicals Groups. She managed environmental, health and safety for a major chemical manufacturing facility, was active in national and state industry groups and served on the Boards of several state chemical and industry associations.
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Marine Transportation System Resilience
Dr. Sandra K. Knight currently splits her time as the President of WaterWonks LLC, District of Columbia and as a Senior Research Engineer at the Center for Disaster Resilience, University of Maryland, College Park, MD. Capitalizing on her extensive experience as a senior leader at the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), she now works with her academic partners and clients providing expertise in national policy, strategic planning, and technical matters in the areas of disaster resilience, flood risk management, hydraulic engineering and marine transportation. As a former Deputy Associate Administrator for Mitigation at FEMA, Sandra was responsible for the nation’s floodplain mapping, management and mitigation grants supporting the National Flood Insurance Program, environmental compliance for the agency, oversight of mitigation disaster cadres and the National Dam Safety Program. AT NOAA, she was responsible for corporate policies and planning strategies for research. At USACE, she conducted hydraulic research, directed navigation research programs, stood up the USACE asset management program and was chair of an international inland navigation committee. She is a science communicator and speaker appearing on NBC Nightly, CNBC, HBO Vice News and CBS This Morning, and contributing to various news media including the New York Times, ProPublica, Bloomberg and E&E News. She speaks at conferences and forums around the world on disaster resilience. Sandra has a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Memphis, TN; is a registered professional engineer in Tennessee, a Diplomate Water Resource Engineer and a Diplomate Navigation Engineering. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Meteorological Society, the Society of Women Engineers, the Women's Aquatic Network, Sigma Xi and a Fellow for PIANC.
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Maritime Economics and International Trade
Hilde Meersman studied Quantitative Economics at the University of Antwerp receiving a PhD from the University of Antwerp in 1987. Now a full professor at the University of Antwerp, Dr. Meersman instructs in the fields of Econometrics, Transport Modelling, and Economics. She also teaches at the Technical University of Delft, delivers guest lectures at a number of European universities, and was co-founder of the Centre for Maritime & Air Transport Management (C-MAT) in Antwerp.
Dr. Meersman was the coordinator of the policy research centre of the Flemish Government on Freight Transport. She is also involved in TransportNET, a network of leading university groups in transport research and high-level education. She is a member of the Belgian Economic Council which gives advice on the national economic policy. She has also been chairing the International Scientific Committee of the World Conference on Transport Research Society.
Her research activities are focused at the intersection of transportation economics, policy, international trade, and transport modelling and forecasting, enabling her to link the evolution in the world economy to specific freight transportation problems, and to understand the interaction between the modes with respect to international trade.
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Coastal, Dredging, and Environmental Engineering
Dr. Ram Mohan is an internationally recognized expert in Coastal, Dredging and Environmental Engineering, and for over 30 years has applied his expertise to develop solutions to complex coastal issues including coastal erosion, flooding, navigation, and environmental dynamics. He is a past member of the National Research Council’s (NRC) Ocean Studies Board and is involved in several national boards and committees related to ocean and coastal systems. He was part of the NRC panel mandated by the U.S. Congress to review the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Planning and Policy Manual. In 2005, the Western Dredging Association (WEDA) named him its “Dredger of the Year”. From 2013-2016, he served as the Chairman of the World Organization of Dredging Associations (WODA) and is now Chairman Emeritus. In 2014, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) elected him as a Fellow.
Dr. Mohan is a Principal at Anchor QEA, LLC and directs the firms’ Coastal Engineering practice to evaluate port and harbor maintenance needs, beneficial uses of dredge material, wetland restoration and coastal resiliency projects, and a wide range of modeling efforts to support coastal protection and infrastructure designs. His experience includes planning and design studies, technical reviews, technical evaluations, and project management for a variety of clients, including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Port authorities, municipalities, Fortune 50 industries, and private parties.
Dr. Mohan also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Coastal and Ocean Engineering at Texas A&M University and has previously taught coastal and marine engineering courses at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. He is the founding editor for WEDA’s Journal of Dredging Engineering (2000-2016) and is now the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Marine Environmental Engineering (JMEE). He also served as a past member of the Board of Directors of the American Shore & Beach Association (ASBPA) and the Association of Coastal Engineers (ACE). As the author of more than 200 publications, he brings strong technical/team leadership and motivational abilities to projects. A resident of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Dr. Mohan continues to be active in the coastal and marine engineering fields, mostly focusing his work on practical solutions to complex challenges that exist along America’s coastlines. |
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Risk and Safety Assessment/ Inland Waterway Operations
Dr. Craig Philip is Research Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Vanderbilt University, and Director of Vanderbilt’s Center for Transportation and Operational Resilience (VECTOR). Dr. Philip’s research focus includes institutional resilience and the application of risk management tools to public policymaking, management and sustainability of transportation networks and operations, carrier safety management and regulations and balancing multi-stakeholder interests. Dr. Philip spent more than 35 years with companies in the rail, intermodal and maritime industries, including Conrail and Southern Pacific Railroads. He joined Ingram in 1982 and from 1999 until 2014, he served as President/CEO of Ingram Barge Company as it grew to become the largest American marine transportation carrier. As an industry leader he served as Chairman of the American Waterway Operators, the National Waterways Conference and the National Waterways Foundation, and Chaired the US Chamber of Commerce’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Dr. Philip has been actively engaged in public policy development with regulatory agencies such as the Coast Guard and the US Dept. of Transportation and with infrastructure providers such as the US Army Corps of Engineers. Philip currently serves as: US Representative to PIANC’s InCom Commission (multinational water transport Congress); on the Boards of the ArcBest Corporation (publicly traded trucking firm); the Seamen’s Church Institute, the Red Cross of Tenn, and the Nashville Civic Design Center. Dr. Philip earned masters and doctorate degrees from MIT and his bachelor’s degree from Princeton, all in Civil Engineering. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board and as a member of the Marine Board. In 2010 he was designated a Distinguished Diplomate in the Academy of Coastal, Ocean, Port and Navigation Engineers, and in 2014 he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
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Maritime Law
Sean T. Pribyl has over 20-years of experience working in and around the marine industry. Currently, Pribyl is Lawyer and Senior Claims Executive (Charterers and Traders) with Gard AS P&I Club in Arendal, Norway. In that role, he advises shipowners and charterers on legal and other costs incurred in establishing and defending claims. Most recently, he was an attorney with Blank Rome LLP in Washington, D.C. as a member of their Maritime and International Trade Practice Group. His focus areas within the practice included maritime law and regulatory issues, international law, unmanned systems and autonomous shipping, environmental and regulatory compliance, and white collar criminal law. He was the co-leader of Blank Rome’s Unmanned Systems-Drones Industry Group and advised clients in the use of unmanned systems in several maritime industry sectors, including vessels operating under advanced levels of autonomy in the United States and use of drones aboard ships.
Pribyl served for six years as a U.S. Coast Guard officer and judge advocate (“JAG”), where he gained experience as an attorney-advisor in legal and policy matters related to international and maritime law, national security, major marine casualties, regulatory compliance, internal government investigations, cybersecurity, marine environmental protection and environmental crimes, maritime law enforcement, piracy, rulemaking, maritime and critical infrastructure security, the Arctic and Antarctic, mariner credential Suspension and Revocations, and unmanned aircraft and autonomous vessels. Prior to transferring Pribyl's commission to the Coast Guard, he served for twelve years as a Naval Reserve Officer in the Strategic Sealift Command (Merchant Marine Ready Reserve Group) with an expertise in sealift, logistics, and port security. He also served for close to eight years as a merchant mariner deck officer aboard oceangoing cargo and fiber-optic cable ships before commissioning as a JAG.
Pribyl holds a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, a Juris Doctorate from Washburn University School of Law, and a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
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Tug/Tow/Inland Waterway Operations
Dale Sause is President and CEO of Sause Bros., Inc., which is headquartered in Coos Bay, Oregon. He is the third generation of his family to own and operate Sause Bros., which was launched in 1936 to tow log rafts along the Oregon and Washington Coasts. Today, Sause Bros.’ fleet of tugs and barges serves customers along the Columbia River system and throughout the Pacific Rim. Sause began his business career in 1974 when he joined the management of Crescent City Marine Ways & Drydock Company, which provided contract union stevedoring services in Oregon, Washington and California. Sause later returned to the family company serving as Executive Vice President of Sause Bros. from 1980 – 1983 until he was named President in 1984. In addition to serving customers in the petroleum and timber industries, Sause also oversees a shipyard and stevedoring company, as well as an aviation company, all of which are based in Oregon. Sause has served as a maritime consultant for Georgia-Pacific Corp. in Indonesia and The Milburn Lime and Cement Company Ltd. in New Zealand. He has been a member of the American Bureau of Shipping since 2005. From 2006-2007 he served as Chairman of the American Waterways Operators, and has held a number of other leadership roles within that organization. In addition, to his roles in the maritime industry, Sause serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for Willamette University in Salem, Oregon Sause was born in Tillamook, Oregon and received his B.S. in Economics/English from Willamette University. He attended Tokyo International University in Japan with studies in the statistical methods of Dr. W. Edwards Deming and their application to product quality. Sause received his M.B.A. from the University of Washington in Financial Accounting. |
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Port Planning and Operations
Richard D. Steinke serves as Moffatt & Nichol’s Ports Practice Leader. In this role, he supports and implements the firm’s global strategy related to marine facilities worldwide. Mr.Steinke also chairs the firm’s Port Practice Leadership team, which is responsible for driving companywide port practice strategy and growth initiatives. He leads a global team of planners, designers, port operations specialists, financial analysts and economists, located in the firm’s 28 offices worldwide. From 1990 – 2012, Mr. Steinke was employed by the Port of Long Beach where he served a 22-year tenure, including 14 as the port’s Executive Director. Under Mr. Steinke's leadership, the Port of Long Beach nearly doubled cargo volume and in 2010 launched a $4-billion capital improvement program to strengthen the regional economy and create jobs, while cementing the Port's competitive position among the world's leading ports. During his tenure, the Port responded to post 9/11 security issues and emerged a leader in security facilities, procedures and technology benefiting the entire region. Working with a top-notch professional team, Mr.Steinke transitioned the Port, making it both a builder of modern cargo terminals and a leading environmental steward. He implemented a pioneering Green Port Policy in 2005 that included the extremely successful Clean Trucks Program, which set in motion a sweeping modernization of the truck fleet by reducing pollution from short-haul trucks. Before being named Executive Director, Mr. Steinke was Deputy Executive Director of the Port for two years. In that capacity, he oversaw the Port's functions of transportation, environmental and long-range planning; construction, design and traffic engineering; marketing and customer development; real estate management and community, media and public relations. Mr. Steinke’s leadership extends throughout the port industry. He has been the chief spokesman for the U.S. West Coast Collaboration, a partnership of West Coast ports and the major western railroads. He has been chairman of the American Association of Port Authorities, an alliance of more than 150 port authorities in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America, and the California Association of Port Authorities. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority, the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility Joint Powers Authority, the Harbor Association of Industry and Commerce, and the Intermodal Transportation Institute. Before joining the Port, Mr. Steinke served five years as Airport Property Officer at Stapleton International Airport in his native Denver, Colorado.
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Offshore Energy Operations and Safety
Sylvie Tran has been working in the Oil & Gas industry for over 20-years. She is the Vice-President, Engineering, for Suncor’s Exploration and Production global offshore business unit. Sylvie is also passionate about the budding digital transformation in the energy industry and is an active leader in this realm.
Prior to her current role, Sylvie worked in various leadership roles with Shell Oil Co in New Orleans LA, Pittsburgh, PA and Calgary, Canada covering Deepwater Gulf of Mexico safety & environment and joint venture management, shale developments, sour gas developments and coal-bed methane exploration. Finally, before joining Shell in Canada (2004), Sylvie worked as a drilling engineer and rig supervisor with various oil and gas companies worldwide in Canada, Australia, France and Algeria.
Sylvie holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University. |
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Port and Maritime Security
Thomas Wakeman is currently the Associate Departmental Director, Civil, Environmental, and Ocean Engineering for Graduate Studies, Deputy Director of Davidson Laboratory, and Research Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. Previously he worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New York, for 13 years (including Dredging Manager, General Manager, Waterways Development, and Strategic Planning Manager) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco and Sacramento Districts, California for 24 years (including Civil Engineer, Research Hydraulic Engineer, Technical Director, Bay Delta Model, Project and Program Manager). In 2004, he was the Principal Maritime Advisor, Coalition Provisional Authority, working in Iraq and responsible for reopening the country’s ports. His educational degrees include Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, Master of Arts, Marine Biology, San Francisco State University, California, and doctorate of engineering-science, Columbia University, New York. His publications include more than one hundred technical articles, three book chapters, and co-author/editor for three books.
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Maritime Safety
James Watson is currently serving as President and COO for the Americas Division of ABS. He is responsible for all operations of the American Bureau of Shipping in the Western Hemisphere.
Prior to joining ABS, Watson served as Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement at the US Department of Interior. In this role he provided regulatory oversight for energy exploration and production on the US Outer Continental Shelf. Before becoming BSEE Director, Watson served as the US Coast Guard’s Director of Prevention Policy for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship, where his responsibilities included commercial vessel safety and security, ports and cargo safety and security and maritime investigations. He was also designated as the Federal On-Scene Coordinator for the government-wide response to the Macondo incident in the Gulf of Mexico.
Watson earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Marine Engineering from USCGA in 1978. He received his Master of Science in Naval Architecture and his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1985. Watson earned an additional Master of Science in Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in 2001.
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Marine Environmental Policy
Rear Admiral Richard "Dick" D. West (USN, Ret) served as President and CEO of the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE)/Ocean Leadership from 2002-2008. As President of this DC-based non-profit organization, he led efforts to promote ocean research and education within the U.S. federal government on behalf of the academic and private ocean research community. He has testified before the U.S. Congress on marine related policy issues and has addressed the United Nations on Safety of Life at Sea. Admiral West was also actively involved in three congressionally-mandated Federal Advisory Committees. He was a founding member of the Hydrographic Services Review Panel for two terms from 2003-11, a member of a federal investment in research review team and a member and past Chairman of the National Sea Grant College Program Advisory Board. He co-Chaired a U.S. Navy navigation accident review panel in 2012, Chaired a review of a NSF program and co-Chaired an independent review of NOAA’s fleet. He is a Board member of the Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, Massachusetts, serves on the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography Dean’s Advisory Council, on the U of Connecticut Sea Grant Program and a founding Board member of a charter high school. He helped establish the Sampson Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in upstate New York and serves on the committee to bring the Viet Nam Traveling Memorial Wall to upstate New York in 2017.
Admiral West retired from the US Navy in 2002. He served as Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy providing oceanographic, meteorological, geospatial and navigation support to the U.S. Navy, from 1999 to 2002. As the first Navigator of the Navy, he led the Navy’s transition to electronic navigation. As Oceanographer of the Navy, he was the Department of Defense representative to the U.S. Ocean Commission. Admiral West was a career Surface Warfare Officer serving on several ships and senior staffs in Washington DC and overseas. Admiral West served in Vietnam with the riverine forces and was Commanding Officer of three ships, two during hostilities in the Persian Gulf. He also served as Commanding Officer of the US Navy’s Surface Warfare Officers School, Newport, RI, where all US Navy officers going to sea, from Division Officer to Commanding Officer, are trained. |
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Offshore Energy Development, Operations, and Safety
C.R. (Charlie) Williams II as been the Executive Director for the Center for Offshore Safety (COS) since March 2012. Beginning in late 2011, Charlie led the creation of COS and received the Offshore Technology Conference Special Citation plus the Society of Petroleum Engineers HSSE Award for this work. Most recently he received the Offshore Energy Center Pioneer Award for lifetime achievement. Mr. Williams retired from Shell in 2012 as Chief Scientist - Well Engineering and Production Technology after a 40 year career in which he achieved numerous other senior positions including VP Global R&D. He is a mechanical engineering graduate of the University of Tennessee and Professional Engineer. Mr. Williams served on the Department of Interior Ocean Energy Safety Advisory Committee, a Federal Advisory Committee and the Deepwater Horizon Science Advisory Committee. He has testified and presented extensively on Safety Management, drilling, drilling safety, and technology to various groups including Congressional Committees, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Chemical Safety Board, Presidential Commission on Deepwater Horizon, International Regulators Forum, 11th National Conference on Science, Policy, and Environment, and the Marine Board and other NAS Groups. He previously chaired the Joint Industry Task Force - Subsea Well Control & Containment and the BSEE/Argonne Labs Workshop - Effects of Water Depth on Offshore Equipment & Operations. As a result of this work he played a key role in the creation of the Marine Well Containment Company and served on the Board. Additionally, he serves on the Harte Research Institute Board, the Offshore Energy Safety Institute Advisory Committee and has served on the Petroleum Engineering curriculum advisory committee at University of Texas, and as a guest lecturer at two Chinese Universities. Mr. Williams is a 35 year member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and has served in the U.S. Army National Guard where he was an honor graduate of the Reserve Component NCO Academy. His recognitions also include receiving the U.S. Department of Interior - Corporate Citizenship Award and his offshore work has been awarded the National Ocean Industries Association "Safety in the Seas Award", the UK Energy Institute Award for Technology, and Offshore Engineering Project of the Year.
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