At its 2016 Fall Meeting at the The National Academies Building in Washington, D.C., the Marine Board chaired by Dr. Mary Brooks and vice-chair Mr. Edward Comstock held two focus sessions on topics of Emergency Planning, Preparedness, Response, and Mitigation in Maritime, as well as, Challenges in Maritime Risk Assessment. The Board also welcomed six (6) new members.
Marine Environment and Coastal Resilience
Dr. Holly Bamford is the National Fish and Wildlife’s (NFWF) Chief Conservation Office and is responsible for advancing the Foundation’s mission through a comprehensive conservation vision, strategy and a metrics-based evaluation system for NFWF’s conservation programs. In her previous roles within the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bamford drove administration policy, programming, and investments for NOAA’s ocean, coastal and fisheries management. Her responsibilities spanned coastal resilience, marine transportation, marine protected areas, protected species, sustainable fisheries and coastal services. As assistant administrator for NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS), Bamford directed the federal agency that provides coastal and ocean science-based solutions to address evolving economic, environmental, and social pressures on our oceans and coasts. Bamford earned a Ph.D. in the field of organic environmental chemistry at the University of Maryland, quantifying the physical and chemical processes that control the transport and fate of organic contaminants.
Coastal, Dredging, and Environmental Engineering
Dr. Ram Mohan is an internationally recognized expert in Coastal, Dredging and Environmental Engineering, and for over 27 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. Dr. Mohan is a Senior Partner at Anchor QEA, LLC (www.anchorqea.com) 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. Dr. Mohan serves as a visiting faculty at Texas A&M University’s (TAMU) Center for Dredging Studies, and has taught coastal and marine engineering courses at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering.
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. 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. Dr. Philip earned masters and doctorate degrees from MIT and his bachelor’s degree from Princeton, all in Civil Engineering.
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 and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco and Sacramento Districts, California for 24 years. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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. 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.