Meet the new Administrative Board of AOS-USA!
Dear Friends,
At the recent Annual Conference of the AOS-USA, we held our regular elections.
We wish to take this time to say thank you to our former board for their hard work during a period of transition. Special thanks to our board members who are not returning this time around: Fr. Lito Capeding, Fr. Thomas W. Falkenthal, Fr. Henry Hernando, and Fr. Bob Sipe. AOS-USA wishes to thank you for your service to the People of the Sea and those who minister to them.
We are pleased to introduce you to the new Administrative Board Members.
You will note that there are new types of Board Members. This is in line with the new structure of the Board, and the new membership types which the membership voted on when they approved the new By Laws and Constitution. These new items can be found at the following links:
AOS-USA Constitution approved May 15, 2012 AOS-USA By Laws Approved May 15, 2012 And now...to introduce our new Board Members!
President: Fr. Sinclair K. Oubre, J.C.L. Fr. Sinclair is a priest of the Diocese of Beaumont. He currently serves as Pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Port Arthur. He is the Diocesan Director of the Apostleship of the Sea and serves as President of AOS-USA. He has participated in: - International Fishing Committee for the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant Peoples 2003
- International Committee for Ministry to the Cruise Ship Sector for the Pontifical Council for Migrants and itinerant Peoples
- North American Maritime Ministry Association - President 199?? - 2001??
- Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee to the United States Coast Guard (MERPAC) - Merchant Mariner Member appointed by Leon Panetta -
- National Catholic Conference of Seafarers - President
- Council of American Master Mariners - Chaplain
- Nautical Institute - Member
- Port Arthur Area Shrimpers' Association - Founder & Port Chaplain - 2002 - Present
- Port Arthur International Seafarers' Center - Port Chaplain since 1985; Executive Director 1990 - Present
Vice-President: CHRISTOPHER WM. FOGARTY Chris is a graduate of the State University of New York Maritime College, 1979. After serving as Third Mate onboard the Keystone Chancellorsville, a multi-grade chemical tanker, he has worked ashore in numerous aspects of liquid bulk marine transportation, including managing marine operations departments of multinational integrated energy companies, tanker brokerage firms, demurrage analysis, and marketing for a cargo inspection company. He is presently Senior Operations Coordinator of ship-to-ship crude oil transfer operations in the U.S. Gulf and U.S. West Coast spot crude deliveries for the newly-formed Phillips 66 Company. Chris is a parishioner at St. Angela Merici Parish in Missouri City, Texas. He is a Third Degree Knight and founding member of K of C Council No. 11873 in East Brunswick, New Jersey and continues his service at St. Angela Merici Council No. 14617. In response to his own experiences with port ministers and the support they provide to seafarers, he joined AOS-USA in 2010, desiring to serve with those who care for the People of the Sea.
Secretary: Fr. William E. Reynolds, JCL Father Bill Reynolds, JCL, is a priest of the Diocese of Davenport, and pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Newton, Iowa. He is a cruise ship priest member and has served as the national secretary of AOS-USA since 2006.
Treasurer: Cmd. R. Jon Furukawa R. Jon Furukawa is from Kailua, HI and is a 1986 graduate of the California Maritime Academy earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Nautical Industrial Technology, an Unlimited U.S. Coast Guard Third Mate License and a commission in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He has since earned a Master of Science in Maritime Affairs (Maritime Education and Training-Nautical) from the World Maritime University in Malm�, Sweden in 2001, upgraded to Unlimited U.S. Coast Guard Master License, and is a Captain in the U.S. Naval Reserve. 12-years sea service: 3-years active duty Navy qualifying as a Surface Warfare Officer onboard USS Carr, deploying to the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq Tanker War; and 9-years in the merchant marine sailing as a civil service mariner for Military Sealift Command Pacific on various Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force vessels participating in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Sortie. Ashore: served a second 3-year period of active duty as the Merchant Marine Program Manager in New Orleans, LA; was a civil service Marine Transportation Specialist for 6-years at the U.S. Coast Guard-National Maritime Center in Arlington, VA and Martinsburg, WV. He was mobilized for a third period of active service deploying as Chief, Navy Foreign Military Sales Office, Iraq Security Assistance Mission in Baghdad, Iraq; is currently employed as a Marine Accident Investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, DC. AOS-USA: volunteer Ship Visitor with Stella Maris Seafarers' Center in New Orleans, LA; served as East Coast Representative, Vice President, and Merchant Marine Committee Chairman.
Port Chaplain Board Member: Deacon Patrick LaPoint Deacon Patrick Lapoint has been a Deacon and Director of the Stella Maris Seafarers Center for 10 years. He has been married to his lovely wife Sandy for over 27 years. They have 5 children and 7 grandchildren. Deacon Patrick has served on the AOS-USA board of directors for 8 years, 2 years as Vice-President and the past 6 years as Treasurer.
Fishers Board Member: Capt. Pietro Parravano Pietro Parravano is the past President of the San Mateo County Harbor District. He is the President of the Institute for Fisheries Resources. Since Mr. Parravano's tenure with the Pew National Ocean Commission, he has been active in promoting its recommendations of reforming ocean policy. He is a member of the California Sea Grant Advisory Board. He is co-chair of the Roots of Change Council. The Roots of Change is a collaborative of diverse leaders and institutions unified in common pursuit of achieving a sustainable food system in California by 2030. He is a founding member of the San Mateo County Food System Alliance. This alliance is comprised of 25 individuals committed to creating a sustainable food system in San Mateo County. In 2005, he initiated the process to form a national organization of commercial fishermen. Now the group is established with a national membership. He has received numerous awards from all levels of government and community organizations for his advocacy of sustainable fishing. He received his master's degree in biology from Eastern Michigan University. After completing graduate school, he taught science and mathematics at Woodside Priory School in Portola Valley. He resides in Half Moon Bay with his wife Joan. She is a nursing supervisor and emergency room nurse at Seton Coastside Hospital in Moss Beach.
Recreational Boaters/Yachtsman Board Member William H. Watson MARITIME SECURITY LIAISON WASHINGTON, DC/RESTON
Will Watson joined IRI in May 2009 following an extensive career in journalism and communications. Prior to joining IRI, Will was Deputy Editor - Americas for Fairplay magazine and also wrote for Dredging & Port Construction, Safety at Sea International and Ports & Harbors. He has been a guest columnist and writer for Sidelights - the quarterly journal of the Council of American Master Mariners and Seaports - the quarterly journal of the American Association of Port Authorities. Prior to his time at Fairplay, Will held senior editing positions at three East Coast daily newspapers and was a correspondent for both the Associated Press and United Press International. Will is active in the National Press Club, the Public Relations Society of America, the Inter American Press Association, the Council of American Master Mariners and the Maritime Security Council - where he serves on the board of governors. He is a past president of the Connecticut Circuit of the Associated Press. Will has lectured in journalism, communications and maritime issues at the International Maritime Law Institute on Malta and at American University in Washington, DC. A native of South Carolina, Will is a veteran of the US Air Force Reserve and the South Carolina Air National Guard and an alumnus of the University of South Carolina, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in English Education with a minor in Journalism.
Merchant Mariner Board Member Capt. George McShea, Jr. Retired Maritime professional now working as a consultant Experience self employed at Maritime Industry professional September 2011 - Present (9 months) Experienced Maritime professional at all levels of the Maritime industry. Strong background in Oil tanker and LNG ship operations and issues; Safety & Quality Management issues. Last 22 years in senior Industry Leadership and Management positions. Marine Manager at ConocoPhillips 2000 - September 2011 (11 years) Managed corporation's three tanker fleets (6 tankers operating between Caribbean and US Gulf, 6 US Flag Jones Act Tankers operating as Polar Tankers between Alaska and US west Coast,and a 7 tug, 14 barge inland tank barge fleet). Served three years as corporation's Marine LNG fleet operations expertise. President of ConocoPhillips subsidiary, Polar Tankers, from 2006 to 2011 Manager, Operations at ARCO Marine 1996 - 2000 (4 years) Director, Portland Shipyard at Port of Portland, OR - Portland Shipyard August 1993 - January 1996 (2 years 6 months) Managed the port-owned ship repair yard with two ship repair companies using facilities and equipment. Directed the shipyard through a privatization effort to being run, and eventually owned, by a private ship repair company. Vice president at American Ultramar 1989 - 1993 (4 years) Various at Keystone Shipping Co. 1982 - 1993 (11 years) Skills & Expertise Maritime (Expert, 20+ years experience) Shipping (Expert, 20+ years experience) Oil LNG (Advanced, 10 years experience) Maritime Operations (Expert, 20+ years experience) ISM Ports (Advanced, 18 years experience) Petroleum Supervisory Skills (Expert, 20+ years experience) Operations Management (Expert, 20+ years experience) Ocean Incident Management (Advanced, 20+ years experience) Emergency Management (Advanced, 20+ years experience) Safety Management Navigation International Shipping Education United States Merchant Marine Academy BS, Marine Transportation, 1964 - 1968
Cruise Ship Priest Board Member: Fr. Arthur B. Schute Fr. Art Schute, lives in Port Charlotte, FL. He is a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, having served for 44 years. He is now retired. He is a Certified Chaplain through the National Association of Catholic Chaplains, having served in the ministry for over 25 years. He has been a Cruise Ship Priest since 2006, and has served as the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Board Rep since 2010. |