Women on the Water Conference at Massachusetts Maritime Academy Attended by Alumni, Cadets from Maritime Academies Across the Country

BUZZARDS BAY, MA, ISSUED MARCH 7, 2024… The 12^th  annual Women on the Water (WOW) Conference, this year hosted by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) in partnership with U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD), provided an opportunity for undergraduates from maritime academies from across the country to learn from female industry leaders and experts in the maritime industry, meet peers on the same career path, and facilitate networking.

With more than 50 panelists and moderators, the three-day event held February 29 through March 2 at the Academy featured panel discussions on topics including work-life balance, clean energy, deep sea, and shore-side opportunities.

Keynote addresses were delivered by Rear Admiral Ann C. Phillips, U.S. Navy (Ret.) Administrator

Maritime Administration/MARAD, Vice Admiral Joanna M. Nunan, Superintendent of The United States Merchant Marine Academy, Jennifer Downing, Executive Director of New Bedford Ocean Cluster, and Mary Regina Thomann, Vice Chair Massachusetts Maritime Academy Board of Trustees.

Other highlights of the well-attended conference included an interactive panel session discussing allyship and mentoring, networking events designed to prepare students for the ever-evolving maritime industry, a guided ferry harbor tour of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and New Bedford Commerce Terminal sponsored by Vineyard Offshore, and a performance by the New Bedford Harbor Sea Chantey Chorus.

“This inspiring conference not only served to showcase the remarkable achievements of women in the maritime industry and highlight their essential contributions to the nation’s maritime workforce, but it also provided an intergenerational platform for seasoned, novice and promising mariners to share experiences, knowledge, viewpoints, and aspirations,” said Rear Admiral Francis X. McDonald, USMS, president of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. “The entire MMA community thanks all who participated, making the 12^th annual Women on the Water conference one to remember for years to come.”

About Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA): MMA is a fully accredited, co-educational, state university offering Bachelor and Master of Science degrees that are highly regarded in the worldwide maritime industry and beyond. For more than 100 years, MMA has prepared students for exciting and rewarding careers on land and sea. As the nation’s finest maritime university, MMA challenges students to succeed by balancing a unique regimented lifestyle with a typical four-year college environment. Follow MMA on FB:  @massmaritime, @MassMaritime.Advancement; IG: @massmaritime, @mmacademyalumni; Twitter: @MMAadmissions, @MMAcademyAlumni; YouTube: Massachusetts Maritime Academy.