All Ahead Flank! 

I’m very honored and excited to join MTS as your Chief Operating Officer (COO). Many have asked about my role, so I’d like to use this opportunity to share a little about my role and where I’ll be focusing my time. I’m responsible for overseeing MTS staff and our core business functions, including membership, events, HR, payroll, and day-to-day operations. The team has grown quite a bit over the last few years to meet the ever-increasing demands of MTS.  

Our number one goal is to ensure our membership is receiving meaningful value from the Society. We are almost ready to release our new website and member portal, long overdue improvements to your online MTS experience. We are also modernizing the Marine Technology Society Journal, a publication that has been around for almost 60 years. Our goals are to improve the quality of the Journal through rigorous editorial processes, heightened engagement with potential authors, and modernization of the format.  

MTS events are key to providing our members with opportunities for exposure to new technologies, fresh ideas, and expanded networks. Our events team has helped support incredible meetings, workshops, and webinars this year, and we plan for 2027 to be even bigger. In addition to the quality programs you are used to, we will be adding a few more, including the first ever Ocean Business USA in Newport, Rhode Island next September. This conference is shaping up to be both high quality and very well attended. We hope to see you there as an attendee, speaker, or exhibitor—more details are available at oceanbusiness.us. 

One of my primary roles is to support MATE, Ocean Enterprise Initiative, and Ocean Exchange as they carry out their individual missions under the umbrella of MTS. We are stronger together as an enterprise platform, and we are hard at work identifying areas where MTS staff can support these programs through a common, standardized support structure. 

I also help our CEO develop and execute the long-term strategy of MTS. I’ll be engaging with government, academia, industry and other organizations to continue growing and strengthening MTS and the value we provide to our members. But we can’t do it alone—we need all of you to get involved. Whether you are active in your Section, leading a Committee, mentoring early career professionals, or participating in the MATE ROV Competition, you can make a difference!  

I will be attending many of our MTS events over the next few months, and I hope you'll take a moment to introduce yourself. I want to hear from you—complaints, compliments, ideas, or just a chat! I look forward to meeting many of you and hearing your perspectives.