Board
We are fortunate and blessed that a well formed board of individuals genuinely concerned in improving the education of our youth is at the helm of CCC. Each year as new board members rotate, we strive to reach a reflection on our community demographics. We are thankful for the leadership and participation of each of these very busy people.
Staff
Ben Bunn is the Executive Director of the Craven Regional Medical Center Foundation. He is also the President and CEO of Carolina Coastal Classrooms. He is a retired naval officer, navy pilot, and former educator and public school administrator.
Lee Miller is the Program Director for Carolina Coastal Classrooms. He is a retired public school administrator and has experience working with students in the high school and middle school systems. Lee is also a retired Marine Corps officer and former Chairman of the Board for Carolina Coastal Classrooms, Inc.
The Executive Board
Tony Salem is the Chairman of the Board for Carolina Coastal Classrooms. He 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.
Mike Askew is the Vice Chairman of the Board for Carolina Coastal Classrooms. He is the Senior Program Director for Camp Sea Gull, a YMCA camp for youth in Arapahoe, NC.
Lionel Kato is the Secretary of the Board for Carolina Coastal Classrooms. He is a public school administrator and former high school and middle school math and social studies teacher.
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.
Board Members
Diane Carraway is a former Secretary of the Board for Carolina Coastal Classrooms. She is also an active community leader whose family has been associated with commercial fishing in Carteret County for many years. She is an avid promoter of North Carolina's maritime heritage.
Jean Fuller is a self-employed investment trader and accountant. She is a world class sailor with a 100 ton US Coast Guard Masters License. She has a passion for the restoration of classic boats and historic structures.
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.
Mark Mangum is a prominent business man in New Bern with considerable experience in banking. A native of Fauquier County Va., he is a graduate of Atlantic Christian College. He is an avid historian of the Civil War and has been extensively involved in preservation programs for the New Bern Battlefield.
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.
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.
Chris Richey is a native of New Bern who after graduation from ECU with a degree in accounting started his business career working in finance and planning with IBM. Returning to New Bern he now has his personal financial planning business as an independent financial advisor. He began building boats with his father at the age of 8 and has been building or repairing them since that time, and even spent a year while in college in Wanchese, NC building custom NC sportfishers with Blackwell Boatworks.
Dr. Jim Tarver is a prominent New Bern physician and former naval flight surgeon. He is a strong advocate for environmental and experiential education. His twin sons have served as educational interns during program operations aboard the Skipjack ADA MAE.
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.
Amy Wang is a practicing attorney with the firm of Ward & Smith, P.A. in New Bern. She specializes in environmental litigation and compliance. She also has a keen interest in developing environmental awareness and involvement in our youth.
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.
Lisa Wrightson is the grand daughter of Ada Mae Hodges Cowen, namesake of the Skipjack ADA MAE built by her Great Uncle Ralph Hodges. She resides on Roberts Creek in Poquoson, VA. A graduate of the Newport News Shipbuilding Marine Design Training Program has worked for a number of civil engineering companies and marine design and survey firms. She brings a love of children and helping them find their path. She is a wonderful resource and connection to the Hodges family and maritime history around the Skipjack ADA MAE.
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 a talented and experienced web master and is constantly improving the Carolina Coastal Classrooms web site.
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.
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, and is a former board member with Carolina Coastal Classrooms.
