Propeller Club elects Maria Conatser as its first female President

On September 28th, the International Propeller Club elected its first female president, Maria Conatser during its annual convention that took place at Charleston, South Carolina.

In her acceptance speech, Conatser recalled being recruited to work in the maritime industry twenty-eight years ago: “I joined the maritime industry when a recruiter that I knew called me up and said, ‘Hey Maria, I have an interesting opportunity I'd like you to take a look at.’ Little did I know that 28 years later, I would not only continue to be working in that industry but I would be connected … to an industry that is so important and is so far-reaching.”

She added that she is committed to growing the Propeller Club’s membership and furthering collaboration: “As I embark on this new role, my commitment to you is to continue the work to grow and strengthen the organization, to provide value to our members and to support and promote this maritime industry … We will work to both grow and diversify our revenue stream and … strengthen our financial position so that we're better able to invest in more opportunities and important initiatives. And as a global organization, we'll build on those elements that bring us together. But success is going to require our collective input, our collective involvement, and our collective engagement. And I am very confident that together we are going be successful.”

Career

Conatser has served in various financial, analytical, and business intelligence roles with the Ingram Barge Company, based in Nashville, Tennessee. Before her election as President, Conatser served as the Propeller Club’s First Vice President and Treasurer. Conatser has also been active in and held leadership positions in the Propeller Club Port of Nashville for over 17 years and serves on the Finance Committee for the YWCA in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a graduate of Western Kentucky University and has an MBA from Belmont University.

Convention Covers a Wide Range of Issues

The International Propeller Club convention heard from a wide-ranging group of speakers that addressed issues that included:

• Shipping lithium batteries by sea
• Alternative fuels for the maritime industry
• Progress report on offshore wind installations
• Navigating the waters of maritime cybersecurity
  
• Challenges facing women in transportation
  

There were also a number of keynote and prominent presentations that included the following:

• Micheal Melore, Senior Cybersecurity Advisor, IBM said that the expectation is that the United States will not produce functional quantum computers for another 15 years. If China produces quantum computers faster (and is therefore leading the United States) this would allow Chinese quantum computers to potentially break and read all current encryption codes utilized by companies, organizations, and governments around the world with grave national security implications.
• Claire Richer, Director, Offshore Wind, American Clean Power Association said that offshore wind installations on the U.S. Atlantic Coast are making slow but steady progress. She said floating offshore wind installations on the West Coast may face more challenges because the floating technology is still new and insufficiently tested.
  
• Jennifer Hedrick, President and CEO, Women in Trucking, described continued challenges that women are facing within the trucking industry but also the gains that have been achieved.
  
• Vice Admiral Joanna Nunan, 14th Superintendent of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy described outstanding career opportunities achieved by academy graduates.
  
• Byron Miller, Chief Commercial Officer, South Carolina Port Authority, provided a progress report on South Carolina port operations. He said the states between Texas and South Carolina are the new industrial drivers of the United States.
  
• Vice Admiral Peter Gautier, Deputy Commandant for Operations, U.S. Coast Guard, provided a progress report on U.S. Coast Guard activities.
  
• Dorothea Ioannou, Chief Executive Officer at Shipowner’s Claims Bureau Inc. discussed the Bureau’s work as Managers of the American PNI Club.
  
• Costis Frangoulis, President of the Port of Piraeus Club and First Vice President of the International Propeller Club, reported that the Piraeus club is nearing 1,000 members. He noted that Europe is a fast-growing region for the Propeller Club with a new club recently established in Bulgaria and others in Europe on the way
  
• Joel Whitehead, Executive Vice President, International Propeller Club, discussed the Club’s strategic plan to increase memberships and promote more support for local port clubs.
  
• Cheryl Rothbart, Associate Executive Director, International Propeller Club reported on continued progress in memberships.
  
• James Patti, Retiring International Propeller Club President, described the challenges that he and his predecessor Niels Aalund, both faced leading the organization through the years of the COVID pandemic between 2020 to 2022. Many membership operations were curtailed during that period but have since been reestablished. Patti remains a strong advocate for the U.S. Merchant Marine and has urged more support for the U.S. industry and for American mariners.