AMO officers in first Women on the Water conference

AMO officers in first Women on the Water conference

AMO members participating in the WOW conference, here with Joan Divens and Tiffany Brockman of Military Sealift Command , included Tina Vanderploeg and Rosemary Mackay-Camp.

By Rosemary Mackay-Camp

The first annual Women on the Water (WOW) conference kicked off this October in Traverse City, Mich. Two Great Lakes Maritime Academy cadets, Amanda Bodle and Lindsey Krogel, proposed the idea for the conference last year. They took their idea to the Maritime Administration and found great support.

The stated objective of WOW is "to promote a sense of professionalism, friendship and pride in our choice of occupation. With organization and effective communication, WOW is designed to unite women of the maritime industry forming an industry network and a sense of camaraderie."

The conference consisted of five different panels of women who work in all sectors of the maritime industry, including:

Sailing Women -- consisting of women still going to sea
Seafaring Women "The Next Chapter" -- women who have taken their sea career and applied it ashore
Women in Maritime Organizations and Industry I
Women in Maritime Organizations and Industry II -- women from ABS, Passenger Vessel Association, maritime law, port authorities and maritime research
Maritime Policy -- women in government consulting, Senate Commerce Committee, MARAD and Federal Maritime Commission

Our keynote speaker was Clorinda Nothstein, who is the Shell Oil U.S. distribution area manager for Carson Terminal/Southern California pipelines.

Over 24 female cadets representing all the maritime academies attended, and 47 women from all over the maritime industry either sat on the panels or were part of the audience.

Among the panelists were AMO officers Capt. Tina Vanderploeg, First Class Pilot Lori M. Reinhart and myself. American Maritime Officers was a co-sponsor of the conference.

During the conference, the academy cadets and the attendees had access to women from all walks of the maritime industry, from people who had gone to sea, gone ashore and also those in very influential positions within the government. This provided us with the start of an incredibly useful networking opportunity. We talked to people who had led the way for women and also to women who have part control over the future of the American maritime industry. This was a great time to ask the hard questions, explain the difficulties facing the working mariner and compare success stories.

The next Women on the Water conference will be held in Galveston, Texas, Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, 2008.

AMO member Rosemary Mackay-Camp is a licensed first assistant engineer and instructor and course developer at RTM STAR Center.

Front Page

Return To Section-Front