Alumni Association News

Angela Chao, chair and CEO of the Foremost Group, has died in a car accident, the New York-headquartered dry bulk shipping company announced on Monday.Angela Chao was an experienced and well-respected shipping executive, having worked her way up through several leadership positions at the company founder by her father, Dr. James S.C. Chao, with her mother, the late Ruth Mulan Chu Chao, in 1964.Before joining Foremost Group in 1996, Angela Chao worked in the mergers and acquisitions department of Smith Barney…

RADM Michael Alfultis announced he will retire in 2024 after nearly a decade as president of SUNY Maritime College and more than 30 years in higher education.When RADM Alfultis was appointed Maritime College president in 2014, he immediately focused on two priorities for the college: the replacement of the training ship Empire State and the formal reconciliation with the Fort Schuyler Maritime Alumni Association. Within three years, a formal SUNY-approved Memorandum of Agreement was signed between Maritime College and the Maritime College Alumni Association.

NETSCo, a naval architecture and marine engineering firm located in Columbia Station, Ohio, has promoted two of its senior employees to new leadership roles. David Hossenlopp, P.E, has been promoted to the position of Chief Naval Architect, and Nick Hunter, P.E. to Senior Naval Architect / Marine Engineer.“David has been with NETSCo since 2013,” said Richard Mueller, CEO/President, “and throughout this time he has very successfully been involved with a large variety of projects…

Superintendent of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Vice Adm. Jack Buono announced his retirement after a maritime career that has spanned more than 45 years.Vice Adm. Buono, a 1978 Kings Point graduate, has spent the past three and a half years at the Academy helm, and will relinquish command at a ceremony in June 2022. His successor has not been announced.“For Ginger and I, serving as the Superintendent and First Lady of the Academy has been the honor of a lifetime,” Buono said. “The young women and men who come here are truly the best and brightest America has to offer.

U.S. President Joe Biden intends to nominate Carlos del Toro for secretary of the Navy, the White House announced on Friday.Del Toro is a retired U.S. Navy commander with nearly 40 years’ experience in national security and naval operations, budgeting and acquisition.Over the course of a 22-year career in the U.S. Navy, Del Toro held a series of critical appointments, including Senior Executive Assistant to the Director for Program Analysis and Evaluation in the Office of the Secretary of Defense…

The Navy is a step closer to achieving the vision of being able to fabricate parts on demand. Xerox and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) have announced a strategic research collaboration to advance 3D printing and additive manufacturing.As part of a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between NPS and Xerox, a Xerox ElemX Liquid Metal Printer has been installed at the school’s Large Experiment Annex on campus. NPS is the first site anywhere in the world to install this new technology.“From the age of sail to the nuclear era…

The Navy is a step closer to achieving the vision of being able to fabricate parts on demand. Xerox and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) have announced a strategic research collaboration to advance 3D printing and additive manufacturing.As part of a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between NPS and Xerox, a Xerox ElemX Liquid Metal Printer has been installed at the school’s Large Experiment Annex on campus. NPS is the first site anywhere in the world to install this new technology.“From the age of sail to the nuclear era…

Furuno USA has hired a new commercial business development manager. Based in Houston, Texas, Mr. George Toma will play a key role in establishing and developing business relationships with commercial ship owners, operators, and builders around the country to promote the Furuno product line.Toma comes to Furuno with forty years of experience in the maritime industry. He has served on the Board of Directors for RTCM (Radio Technical Commission for Maritimes), and received the Outstanding Professional Achievement Award in 2013 from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association.

Video marks Academy's 75th year and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.Alumni of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) released an inspiring video to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the institution and memorialize midshipmen who have died in service to the nation. Over the summer, the USMMA Alumni Association and Foundation (USMMA-AAF) has been executing a multi-faceted campaign to mark the federal academy's decades of service and the foundational role it plays…

On December 21, Rear Admiral Michael Alfultis, president of SUNY Maritime, signed two agreements setting SUNY Maritime College on a new course for success. The College and the Fort Schuyler Maritime Alumni Association are now partners for the benefit of the College, its students and its alumni. On the same day, the SUNY Maritime Foundation was launched publicly to support the College’s strategic initiatives, to expand its reach and to support its goal of developing additional resources.

The port of Antwerp is taking steps to further boost its name recognition in India, by expanding its network of local representatives and setting up the Port of Antwerp Alumni Association. On the occasion of the recent state visit to India by HM King Philippe of Belgium, three honorary representatives for North, South and West India were appointed by Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Antwerp Port Authority, to support the port’s representative office in Mumbai. Further, the setting up of the Port of Antwerp Alumni Association (PA3), will give an additional boost to Antwerp’s reputation in India. The port of Antwerp has long had an active presence in India. Already in 2006 the Port Authority appointed a first full-time representative in the port city of Mumbai.

On the waterfront, it all depends. It is well established that workplace safety and productivity can be compromised, not just by the use of illicit substances and alcohol, but also by the use of prescription drugs. Federal law, however, imposes limits on employer inquiries in this area both with respect to the affected job classifications and the scope of the inquiry. Generally, an employer may not ask all employees what prescription medications they are taking because such an inquiry is not job-related and consistent with business necessity, according to Enforcement Guidance from the U.S.

To say that Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry is passionate about all matters surrounding maritime and seafarers is a bit of an understatement. Prior to taking the helm as president of the World Maritime University (WMU) two years ago, she served as the Director of the International Labor Standards Department of the International Labor Office (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland, responsible for developing the Maritime Labor Convention, 2006. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News was at WMU…

Webb Institute’s Campaign Cabinet, led by President Keith Michel ’73 and Campaign Chair Joseph Cuneo ’57 announced that $28 million (70 percent) of the $40 million goal has been raised to date in the Campaign for Webb. The Campaign for Webb: America’s Most Unique College is the most ambitious fundraising effort in the institution’s history. Through this effort, Webb plans to raise $40 million to enhance the college’s programs, infrastructure, and financial resources to meet the growing challenges of an expanding marine industry. “William H.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced that Ken Muskat, executive vice president of sales, public relations, and guest services for MSC Cruises USA, has been named chairman of the CLIA Trade Relations Committee. In this role, Muskat will lead a committee of his peers and work in partnership with CLIA Vice President of Membership Charles Sylvia to provide counsel on CLIA’s travel agency and agent relations, training, professional development programs, partnerships, research and membership initiatives.

The Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) announces the recipients of awards it will confer at its 37th Annual Silver Bell Awards Dinner in New York City on Thursday, June 5, 2014. SCI presents the Silver Bell Award, in recognition of outstanding leadership in the maritime community, to Orrin H. Ingram, President and CEO of Ingram Industries and Chairman of Ingram Barge Company and honors Captain James (Jim) McNamara, former President of the National Cargo Bureau, with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Silver Bell Award recipient Orrin H.

State University of New York Maritime College (SUNY Maritime) announced several scholarship availabilities. The Fort Schuyler Maritime Alumni Association, Inc. (FSMAA) is offering $3,000 scholarships to First Class Cadets making both cruises and $1,500 scholarships for Second Class Cadets making one cruise during 2014 Summer Sea Term (SST). Two additional scholarships will be awarded for the full amount of the Summer Sea Term (approximately $8,200 each) to one engine and one deck cadet making First Class Summer Sea Term. The two full 1/c scholarships are given in the name of Prof. Edward F.

In 1912, following several financially difficult years for the New York Nautical School, America’s first Maritime Academy, founded 1874, the New York City Board of Education, the school's steward since its inception, had had enough and decided to throw in the towel. The Board of Education moved to petition the New York State Government for permission to abandon its unusual school and return the training ship, the auxiliary sailing gunboat, USS Newport, to the Navy. Consequently, at the beginning of 1913, the school’s Alumni Association, which had been in existence for ten years, stepped in. A coalition of interests supporting the school was assembled by the Alumni Association.

Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D., has been honored by the University of Southern California Alumni Association with the prestigious Alumni Merit Award. Knatz earned a Master of Science degree in environmental engineering and a doctorate in biological science from USC. “The Alumni Merit Awards are given to individuals whose remarkable accomplishments speak well for the range and quality of a USC education,” said Patrick E. Auerbach, the interim associate vice president for alumni relations. “Dr.

Academy demands that Alumni Association immediately vacate premises; court orders parties to work out details by end of business of Friday, May 10th. The eviction of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association has been affirmed by a Long Island federal court. Jim Forde ‘88, Esq., AAF Board of Directors, said in a prepared statement today, “We regret to inform everyone that the court denied our motion for an injunction.” He also said that, after the ruling, the Academy demanded that the Alumni Association immediately vacate the grounds. Academy officials say the case is simple. They need the property to adapt it to use as classrooms. The court however, has ordered that the parties have until Friday, May 10th to work out some sort of reasonable time frame to move out.

The Navy League of the United States mourns the death of its past national president, Capt. Daniel B. Branch Jr., USN retired. He died on Oct. 21, 2013, of complications from mesothelioma cancer at the age of 75. Memorial services will be held Thursday Oct. 24, at 2 p.m. at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, 7520 South Boulder Road, Boulder, Colo. Burial services will be held at a future date at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. Dan was born in Greenbelt, Md., in 1937, and graduated in 1959 from the U.S. Naval Academy.

Retired Chairman of the Board of the Herbert Engineering Group of Companies and Webb Institute alumnus, R. Keith Michel (Webb ’73) was inaugurated as the 15th president of Webb Institutein a private ceremony set on campus. Mr. Michel's inuauguration followed the retirement of RADM Robert C. Olsen, Jr. USCG (Ret.), who filled the role for eight years. “Keith is highly regarded throughout the marine industry and will be an asset to Webb Institute,” said outgoing President Olsen. Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. George Campbell Jr., conducted the presidential inauguration.

The United States Coast Guard Museum in New London, Conn. is currently hosting an exhibit of vintage movie posters pertaining to the Coast Guard in films from the 1920s-1980s. The title of the exhibit is "Coast Guard goes to the Movies: The CDR Ralph W. Judd Collection." The show will run from Nov. 8, 2013 to May 26, 2014. A graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Class of 1954, Ralph W. Judd served on Coast Guard Cutter Northwind. He returned to the Academy in 1962 to become the chief of the physics section. In 1972 he retired at the rank of commander and became a writer.