Members of the Carolina Coastal Classrooms, Inc. Board of Directors were chosen for their diverse areas of expertise and their abilities to provide technical, advisory and financial support during various stages of program development. In accordance with our by-laws, approximately one third of the board members are rotated each year to provide for new ideas and capabilities. The remaining two thirds are allowed to serve for two and three year terms to maintain organizational continuity. The officers for the board were nominated and elected by the board members based on their experiences and abilities to serve. We also have an Advisory Council made up of former board members and community leaders whose advice and expertise we value and call upon periodically. A list of these members is also provided below.

Board of Directors:

Mike Askew is the Senior Program Director for Camp Sea Gull, a YMCA camp for youth in Arapahoe, NC.

Ben Bunn is the Executive Director of the Craven Regional Medical Center Foundation. He is also the Director, President and CEO of Carolina Coastal Classrooms. He is a retired naval officer, navy pilot, educator and relief captain for the Living Classrooms Foundation in Baltimore, MD.

Diane Carraway is the Secretary of the Board for Carolina Coastal Classrooms. She is also an active community leader whose family has been associated with commercial fishing in Cartaret county for many years. She is an avid promoter of North Carolina's maritime heritage.

John Dunn is the Treasurer of the Board for Carolina Coastal Classrooms and an experienced bank manager with First Flight Credit Union of North Carolina.

David Hale is Vice-Chairman of the Board for Carolina Coastal Classrooms. He is also a School Counselor in the Craven County School System. He is a retired airline pilot and retired Air Force pilot. He and his family have been actively involved in public education for a number of years.

Bob Hardy is a Managing Director with Galway Group L.P. an investment banking and energy consultancy firm in the oil and gas industry. He has served as a corporate attorney and counsel specializing in energy regulation. He is also an avid boater.

Chantal Huestis is a former educator in the Craven County School system. She is an active community leader and supporter of Carolina Coastal Classrooms and the Skipjack ADA MAE.

Lionel Kato is a high school Assistant Principal and former high school and middle school math and social studies teacher.

Dr. Harry MacDonald is a prominent physician and businessman, whose family has provided inspirational leadership in public education in New Bern, NC for many years.

Dr. Jessica Meiller is currently on staff with the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. She has also served as the Director of Academic Programs for the Living Classrooms Foundation in Washington, DC.

Lee Miller is Chairman of the Board for Carolina Coastal Classrooms. He is a high school assistant principal. He has experience working with youth at risk in the middle school system. He is also a retired marine officer.

Dr. Michael Orbach is Professor of Marine Affairs and Policy at the Duke University Marine Laboratory and Coastal Environmental Management Program in the School of the Environment at Duke University.

Dr. Rob Patterson is a sailor and boating enthusiast, an environmentalist and board member with Camp Don Lee, a youth camp in Arapahoe, NC. He is also a highly respected physician in New Bern, NC and Chief of Staff at Craven Regional Medical Center.

Tony Salem is a Certified Public Accountant with the firm of A.G. Salem & Associates PLLC. He is also one of the original founding board members of Carolina Coastal Classrooms and past Chairman of the Board.

Richard "Dick" Verrone currently teaches in the Economics and Finance Department of the Cameron School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He is a published author of both fiction and non-fiction, President of the Verrone Consulting Group, Inc. and a retired executive with over 30 years in the banking industry. He is also a retired marine officer.

Carolina Coastal Classrooms, Inc. Advisory Council Members:

Michael Alford is the retired Curator of Maritime Research at the North Carolina Maritime Museum and former board member with Carolina Coastal Classrooms.

Jack Anglin is an ordained minister, a fine artist, and sailing enthusiast. Jack is revising these web pages and creating new video segments that will be online for training people to sail the ADA MAE.

Mike Bagley is the Executive Director of Project U.S.E. (Urban, Suburban, Environments) and a former board member with Carolina Coastal Classrooms.

Tom Bayliss is the Mayor of New Bern, a successful businessman and former ex-officio board member with Carolina Coastal Classrooms.

Captain Peter Bolster is the Fleet Captain with the Living Classrooms Foundation in Baltimore, MD and an experienced shipwright and captain with worldwide experience.

Ken Crocker is a retired airline pilot and former naval officer. He is an exceptional woodworker and avid boating enthusiast.

John Dillow is the Director of the Living Classrooms Foundation in Washington, DC. He is an experienced program administrator and former Director of the Maritime Institute at the Living Classrooms Foundation in Baltimore, MD. He is one of the original crewmembers of the schooner Lady Maryland, the Living Classrooms flagship.

Ken McCotter is a maritime attorney and former North Carolina Federal Court Justice. He is an avid sportsman, fisherman and boater and former board member with Carolina Coastal Classrooms.

Eddie Smith is the owner of Grady-White Boats, Inc. in Greenville, NC. He is an experienced corporate executive and leader who developed a coastal North Carolina boat building company into a world-renowned corporation.

Linda Thomas is a member of the Craven County Board of Education. She is an advocate for quality education in our public schools and a former board member with Carolina Coastal Classrooms.

Dr. Gordon Watts is the President and CEO of Tidewater Atlantic Research and the Institute for International Maritime Research. His specialty is underwater archeology and marine research. He is a retired history professor from East Carolina University and was part of the recovery team that discovered and raised the USS Monitor off of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Steve White is an avid boater, sportsman, fisherman, environmentalist and successful businessman. He is President and CEO of White's Tractor and Truck and White's International Trucks, Idealease and DSW, Inc. of Wilson, NC.


The following are Officers of the Board:

	Ben Bunn - President and Chief Executive Officer
	Lee Miller - Chairman of the Board
	David Hale - Vice Chairman of the Board
	Diane Carraway - Secretary
	John Dunn - Treasurer