Laurence G. Pathy
President and CEO
Fednav Limited

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Laurence G. Pathy is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Fednav Limited. Incorporated in 1944, the privately held company has grown to be Canada’s largest oceangoing dry bulk shipping company.

In addition to his role as Chief Executive Officer of Fednav, he represents the international shipping industry in Canada as Council Member of the National Marine and Industrial Council and as a Member of the Leadership Council of the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes Trade Gateway project. He is also Co-chair of the Green Marine Program and a Member of the Board of Governors and the Executive Committee of the Chamber of Marine Commerce.

In 2007, Mr. Pathy was awarded a Medal of Merit by the Association of Canadian Port Authorities for his outstanding contribution to the Canadian shipping industry. Laurence Pathy has been active in supporting community projects in Montreal and in the Eastern Townships. He received the 2006 Outstanding Philanthropist Award from the Quebec chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Mr. Pathy was appointed as a member of the Order of Canada in 2005. He is a graduate of Princeton University where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in Middle East Studies and of New York University where he earned a J.D.

Ray LaHood
Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation

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Ray LaHood became the 16th Secretary of Transportation on January 23, 2009. In nominating him, President-elect Obama said, “Few understand our infrastructure challenge better than the outstanding public servant that I’m asking to lead the Department of Transportation.”

Secretary LaHood’s primary goals in implementing President Obama’s priorities for transportation include safety across all modes, restoring economic health and creating jobs, sustainability—shaping the economy of the coming decades by building new transportation infrastructure—and assuring that transportation policies focus on people who use the transportation system and their communities.

As Secretary of Transportation, he leads an agency with more than 55,000 employees and a $70 billion budget that oversees air, maritime and surface transportation missions.

Before becoming Secretary of Transportation, Secretary LaHood served for 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives from the 18th District of Illinois (from 1995-2009). During that time, he served on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and, after that, on the House Appropriations Committee. Prior to his election to the House, he served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Congressman Robert Michel, whom he succeeded in representing the 18th District, and as District Administrative Assistant to Congressman Thomas Railsback. He also served in the Illinois State Legislature.

Before his career in government, Secretary LaHood was a junior high school teacher, having received his degree from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. He was also director of the Rock Island County Youth Services Bureau and Chief Planner for the Bi-States Metropolitan Planning Commission in Illinois.

Collister Terry Johnson, Jr.
Administrator, Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

Collister Terry Johnson, Jr. was sworn in by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters on October 7, 2006 as the ninth Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC). He was nominated by President George W. Bush on August 29 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 29, 2006. Mr. Johnson brings to the position three decades of experience in the transportation industry working diverse marine, rail, and air jobs that focused on capital investment, research and development, and strategic planning.

As Administrator, Mr. Johnson leads the federal government corporation responsible for maintaining and operating the two U.S. Seaway locks located in Massena, New York and vessel traffic control in areas of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, in collaboration with its Canadian partner, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. The SLSDC is responsible for providing safe, efficient, reliable marine services on this critical binational waterway and marketing the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System.

Most recently a senior consultant at Mercer Management Consulting, Inc. in Washington, D.C., he helped craft innovative solutions to financial, planning and corporate structure challenges for railroad, port, airline and shipping projects throughout the last decade. During that period President Bush appointed him to serve on the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) where his economic development background proved useful in mobilizing private capital for investment in developing countries.

He served as Chief Executive Officer of FastShip Atlantic, Inc., a company licensed to operate container ships designed to reduce cross-Atlantic delivery times. His maritime credentials also include service as Chairman of the Virginia Port Authority, the Commonwealth’s largest economic development agency. During his eight-year tenure, the Port of Hampton Roads cargo tonnage more than tripled, vaulting it to the East Coast’s number two ranking by volume and generating thousands of new jobs for area residents. This achievement led to his selection in 1993 as Hampton Roads Maritime Association’s “Man of the Year.”

Mr. Johnson began his career as an attorney, serving as an Assistant County Attorney in Fairfax County, Virginia, a Deputy Public Counsel of the U.S. Rail Services Planning Office in Washington and as a partner at the Washington law firm of Lockie & Johnson.

He earned a B.A. in American Studies from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia.

Richard Corfe
President and CEO, St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation

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Richard Corfe was named President and Chief Executive Officer of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation April 1, 2003. He has held various executive positions with the Seaway over a period of some 20 years, making a substantial contribution to the waterway’s safety and reliability, and modernizing its infrastructure management. At one time or another, he has been involved in all aspects of waterway operations, including traffic control, ship inspection and customer liaison, as well as safety and environmental matters and the negotiation of collective agreements. Since 1995, Mr. Corfe has been a member of the Corporate Management Committee, where he plays a significant role in determining and implementing the strategies necessary to meet the objectives of the Corporation.

Mr. Corfe joined what was then The St. Lawrence Seaway Authority in 1983 and implemented the organization’s first computerized maintenance management system. Later, as Director of Engineering and Maintenance for Niagara Region, he streamlined maintenance of the Welland Canal, achieving a 30 percent reduction in costs. He introduced cross-training in the region, upgraded the skilled trades groups and implemented safety programs that reduced lost time injuries from 11 to less than 4 per 100 person years.

In 1993, as Assistant Vice-President, Niagara Region, Mr. Corfe successfully integrated operations and maintenance personnel into the Authority’s new service team structure. He was also responsible for the design and implementation of an integrated corporate results measurement system based on the Balanced Scorecard model.

In 1998, when The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation took over operation of the waterway, Mr. Corfe became Vice-President of Engineering Services with corporate responsibility for all engineering activities and line responsibility for engineering staff in both regions. In 2000, Mr. Corfe became Vice-President of Maisonneuve Region and Corporate Process Leader for Infrastructure Maintenance. He has reduced costs, encouraged two-way communication and improved core processes and efficiency, achieving better customer satisfaction and infrastructure reliability and directly contributing to the success of the corporation. As Corporate leader for Infrastructure Maintenance, he was responsible for all engineering standards, systems and planning and represented the Corporation with Transport Canada and Board members on all asset renewal, engineering and environmental issues. In September 2002, Mr. Corfe became Executive Vice-President of The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.

Mr. Corfe is a member of the Board of Directors for the St. Lawrence Economic Development Council (SODES) in the province of Quebec. He obtained a degree in Mechanical Engineering from City University in London, United Kingdom and a Diploma in Industrial Administration from Aston University in Birmingham, United Kingdom. He became a U.K. Chartered Engineer (CEng) and member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (MIMech Eng) in 1972. He received his Professional Engineer (PEng) designation in Ontario in 1979 and became a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) in Ontario in 1986. Before joining the Seaway, Mr. Corfe held management positions in the rubber and tire industry in Britain, France and Canada.

Rear Admiral Peter Neffenger
Commander, Ninth Coast Guard District

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Rear Admiral Peter Neffenger is the operational commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District, which spans the five Great Lakes, Saint Lawrence Seaway and parts of the surrounding states, including 1,500 miles of international border. He leads more than 6,900 Coast Guard active duty, reserve, civilian and auxiliary men and women serving at 77 subordinate units and on the District staff.

He is a marine safety professional with a diverse career of operational and staff assignments, including: engineer onboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin (WHEC721); five Marine Safety field assignments; Sector Commander/Captain of the Port, Los Angeles - Long Beach; Coast Guard Liaison Officer to the Territory of American Samoa; Coast Guard Fellow on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee; and most recently, as Chief of the Office of Budget and Programs at Coast Guard Headquarters.

Rear Admiral Neffenger has earned three master’s degrees: in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, in Public Administration from Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, and in Business Management from Central Michigan University. He is a native of Elyria, Ohio and was commissioned through Officer Candidate School in Yorktown, Virginia.

David T. Matsuda
Acting Maritime Administrator, U.S. Maritime Administration

David T. Matsuda was appointed Deputy (Acting) Maritime Administrator by President Obama on July 28, 2009 and was officially sworn into office on July 30, 2009.

He served as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy from March 2009 until his appointment as Deputy. Prior to that, he spent seven years on Capitol Hill. While working in the U.S. Senate, he was engaged in the formulation and debate of most major federal transportation legislation as senior counsel and primary transportation advisor to U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey.

In 2002, David Matsuda became a Georgetown University Government Affairs Institute Fellow serving on the staff of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. From 1998 to 2002, he worked as an attorney with the safety law division of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration.

He earned his bachelor’s of science in engineering from Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, and his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law in San Diego, California.

Michael B. White
Director, Programs Directorate, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Great Lakes & Ohio River Division

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Michael B. White, Senior Executive Service, serves as Director of Programs in the Great Lakes & Ohio River Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Cleveland, Ohio. In this position, he provides overall direction of the civil works, planning and policy, and operation and maintenance of civil works projects within the division. He exercises program leadership and direction for navigation, hydropower, natural resource management, recreation management and flood damage reduction activities.

Mr. White was selected to the Senior Executive Service in June 1998. In August 2005, he came to the division from the Corps’ headquarters where he was the Chief, Operations Division, Directorate of Civil Works. Prior to that, he served as Director of Civil Works Management for the Corps Northwestern Division in Portland, Oregon.

Previous assignments included serving as Acting Director of Programs Management for the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Chief of the Civil Works Program Management Division, Senior Program Manager for Civil Works and Chief of the Military Programs Division in the Ohio River Division.

He earned his bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1968 and his master’s in Civil Engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1973. He received his Professional Engineer certificate in 1978.

Mr. White received the Presidential Rank Award in 2008, three Meritorious Civilian Service Awards, a Superior Civilian Service Award and a Commander’s Award. He is a member of the Society of American Military Engineers and the Association U.S. Army.

Captain Lorne W. Thomas
Chief, Prevention Division, Ninth Coast Guard District

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Captain Lorne W. Thomas reported aboard in Cleveland in July of 2007 as the Prevention Division Chief position for the Ninth Coast Guard District. He is responsible for supporting the Coast Guard field units on the Great Lakes in the execution of Coast Guard missions and developing regional policy with respect marine safety, waterways management, environmental protection, aids to navigation, bridge administration, ice breaking and the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

He is a 1981 graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and holds a post graduate degree in Natural Resource Policy from The George Washington University. He has 27 years in the service with assignments afloat and at marine safety units in New York, San Francisco, Wilmington, North Carolina and as the Commanding Officer at the Marine Safety Office in Cleveland.

He has completed two staff assignments at Coast Guard Headquarters where he developed pollution response policy and was responsible for developing international and domestic standards and regulations for the maritime industry.

Commander Kevin Dunn
Chief, Waterways Management Branch, Ninth Coast Guard District

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Commander Kevin Dunn reported aboard in Cleveland in August of 2008 as the Chief, Waterways Management Branch within the Prevention Division for the Ninth Coast Guard District. He is primarily responsible for managing the Ninth District’s fleet of nine cutters and the Aids to Navigation and Icebreaking missions.

He is a 1989 graduate of Bryant University and holds a post graduate degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College and post graduate degree in Finance and Accounting from Regis University. He has served five tours at sea, including Commanding Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Adak in Sandy Hook, New Jersey and Sycamore in Cordova, Alaska. Additional staff tours include, Assistant Chief of Search and Rescue for the Seventeenth District in Juneau, Alaska and U.S. Coast Guard Counterdrug Liaison to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Commander Timothy M. Cummins
Deputy, Prevention Division, Ninth Coast Guard District

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Commander Timothy M. Cummins reported aboard in Cleveland in July of 2007 as the Prevention Division Deputy for the Ninth Coast Guard District. He is primarily responsible for managing Coast Guard equities in regional environmental issues—specifically aquatic invasive species through ballast water discharges. Additionally, he addresses issues involving Asian carp and vessel dry cargo discharges.

He is a 1991 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and holds a post graduate degree in Chemistry from the University of Connecticut. In addition to tours afloat and teaching chemistry at the Coast Guard Academy, he has served in marine safety assignments at units in New York, New York, Miami, Florida and Corpus Christi, Texas.

Byron Bunker
Center Director, Heavy-Duty Onroad Center, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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Byron Bunker received his BSME degree from Texas A&M University and the MSME degree from Purdue University. His graduate research topic was the application of robust control techniques to engines and engine test cells. He has worked at Southwest Research Institute in the Automotive Products Division, at Cummins Engine Company in Advanced Engineering and at the European Engine Alliance, a Cummins joint venture with IVECO and Case New Holland located in the United Kingdom. He has authored papers for the ASME and IEEE on robust controls techniques applied to engine test cells, as well as numerous technical reports covering advanced control systems for diesel engines and diesel exhaust aftertreatment systems. He holds three patents for design and control aspects of diesel engine systems.

Since 1999, Byron has worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan, working on regulatory programs related to diesel engines. He is the Center Director of EPA’s Heavy Duty Engine Center and is responsible for developing EPA regulations for a range of heavy-duty engine categories ranging from commercial trucks to the largest marine diesel engines. He has been recognized for his work to develop new regulatory programs for diesel engines with four Gold Medals for Exceptional Service at EPA.

Jean Marie Revelt has worked on marine diesel engine issues for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since 1994. She was a team leader on all of EPA’s marine diesel engine rules, the most recent of which will significantly reduce NOx and PM emissions and yield important air quality and human health and welfare benefits. She was a member of the U.S. delegation to IMO for the negotiations leading to the new Annex VI to MARPOL setting international standards for air pollution as well as the 2008 amendments. She also assisted in the development of the U.S. proposal for an amendment to Annex VI to designate the areas off U.S. coasts as Emission Control Areas.

In addition to her work on marine issues, she performed analysis of the economic impacts of proposed rules on various industries to support several of EPA’s non-road engine and vehicle rulemakings.

Jean Marie Revelt has received a bachelor’s degree in Economics from University of Michigan in 1989; a master’s degree in Public Policy at the University of Michigan in 1991; and a Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Michigan in 1998.

Michael OíBryan
Chief, Engineering and Technical Services Division, Detroit District

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A native of the Detroit area, Michael O’Bryan graduated from Wayne State University in 1973 with a bachelor of science degree in Civil Engineering. He began working for the Detroit District, U.S. Army corps of Engineers as a summer hire in 1971 with the Civil Defense Program. Upon graduation, he became a full time Corps employee as an Engineer Intern and has remained with the Detroit District in a variety of roles throughout his career.

His first permanent positions were in the construction arena, which included assignments as Project/Resident engineer at three major construction projects in Toledo, Ohio and Monroe and Flint, Michigan. He also served as the Chief of the Emergency Management Branch in the mid 1980s. In 1990, he went back to construction as the District’s Chief of the Construction Branch and in 1994 was selected as Assistant Chief of the Construction Operations Division, which later became the Engineering and Technical Services Division. In 2001, he was selected for his current position as the Chief of Engineering and Technical Services Division.

In 2006, he was also assigned as the Great Lakes Navigation Business Line Manager for the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, which is responsible for budgeting, maintaining and operating the Corps’ Great Lakes navigation infrastructure as a system.

Dr. David J. Singer
Assistant Research Scientist and Lecturer, University of Michigan

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Dr. David J. Singer is an Assistant Research Scientist and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering department at University of Michigan College of Engineering. He is also the Director of the NAVSEA Ship Production Science Program.

He earned BSE, M.Eng and Ph.D. degrees in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and a MSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan. He conducts research in the areas of design theory, design optimization and ship production.

Dr. Singer won an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program (ONR YIP) award in 2007 for his work in Set-Based Design implementation using fuzzy logic.

Dr. David Doorn
Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Minnesota Duluth

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Dr. David Doorn is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He has been on the UMD Economics faculty since 2004, having joined the university after working for two years at the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Kansas City.

He received his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his Ph.D. from North Carolina State in December 2003, with a specialization in econometrics. His teaching interests are in the area of macroeconomics and econometrics.

Dr. Doorn's research activities focus on macroeconomics, applied time series econometrics, wavelet analysis of time series and business cycle behavior.

Dr. J. Scott Hawker
Assistant Professor of Software Engineering and Co-Director of the Laboratory for Environmental Computing and Decision Making, Rochester Institute of Technology

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Dr. J. Scott Hawker is an Assistant Professor of Software Engineering and Co-Director of the Laboratory for Environmental Computing and Decision Making at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). He has more than 15 years of industry experience developing large-scale, multi-agent information and control systems for diverse applications including manufacturing, combat pilot decision support and mission management, robotics and surveillance. In these areas, he developed and applied technologies including distributed, component-based software architectures, software and systems engineering process models, intelligent control, the semantic web, and real-time artificial intelligence.

Since 1999, Dr. Hawker has been in academia, first at the University of Alabama then at RIT, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Software Engineering. His research is on computational cyberinfrastructure for environmental modeling and decision-making, learning and knowledge management systems, model-driven software development and software process engineering. Dr. Hawker received a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University (Lubbock, Texas) and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Lehigh University (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania). He is a member of the ASEE, IEEE, IEEE Computer Society, and the International Environmental Modeling and Software Society.