The U.S. Department of Transportation has introduced the appointment of 13 inaugural members of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) Advisory Council, 5 of whom are Kings Point graduates, together with one member of the category of 2022. Appointees to the council are drawn from academia, the maritime trade and maritime labor, the senior ranks of the U.S. navy, and 5 federal companies—together with the Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, Naval War College, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command. They embrace consultants in administering establishments of upper studying; sexual assault and sexual harassment prevention and response; infrastructure and amenities administration; and variety, fairness, and inclusion (DEI).
Although some would possibly assume that that the institution of the council is one other ongoing tremor from the Midshipman X scandal, its institution was, in actual fact, a key advice from the National Academy of Public Administration’s (NAPA) November 2021 report entitled “Organizational Assessment of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy: A Path Forward.”
Specifically, NAPA’s report advisable that the U.S. Department of Transportation constitution an advisory council to advise the Secretary of Transportation on issues associated to bettering the academy. This advice was codified within the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
“For the past two years, we have been working to address urgent challenges at the USMMA, and to provide its cadets with the resources and support they need and deserve,” stated U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We are grateful to members of the Advisory Council for stepping up at this consequential moment and helping guide our continuing efforts to strengthen the academy and ensure the safety and success of its students.”
The USMMA Advisory Council will present recommendation concerning the prioritization of NAPA’s suggestions, in addition to suggest measures to make sure that the USMMA’s curriculum is retaining tempo with the technological advances within the maritime trade.
“The members of the USMMA Advisory Council are lending their expertise to help us consider how to position the academy for success for the next eight decades,” stated Maritime Administrator Ann C. Phillips. “We look forward to working closely with them and to receiving the benefit of their insights and recommendations.”
MARAD obtained greater than 130 functions from people excited about serving on the USMMA Advisory Council. The newly appointed members—who will every serve two-year phrases—are:
- Ally Cedeno, Founder & President of Women Offshore Foundation*
- Jonathan “JC” Christian, Capt. (USN, Retired), Fleet Port Captain, Crowley Government Services*
- Claudia Cimini, Executive Vice President, Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association*
- Shannon Collins, Director of Training and Technical Assistance Program, National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA)
- Dave Curfman, P.E., Chief Engineer and Assistant Commander for Design and Construction, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC)
- Wayne Gersie, Ph.D., Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Research Assistant Professor, Michigan Technological University
- Roshenda Josephs, Captain, Military Sealift Command*
- Margaret DeLuca Klein, RADM (USN, Retired), Ed.D., Professor within the College of Leadership and Ethics, U.S. Naval War College
- David Lewis, VADM (USN, Retired), Senior Vice President, Maritime Operations, Leidos Inc.
- Eric Page, Ph.D., Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor of Science, U.S. Coast Guard Academy
- Benjamin D. Reese Jr., Psy.D. CEO of Ben Reese LLC, Professor, Duke School of Medicine
- Lynn Rosenthal, Director of Sexual and gender-based Violence, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Madison Schmidt, Ensign, U.S. Coast Guard*
*USMMA graduates
