President’s Watch

A Defining Moment for Maine Maritime Academy

Craig Johnson picture

MMA PRESIDENT
Craig Johnson ’91

Dear members of the Maine Maritime Academy community,

I am pleased to share what I genuinely believe is the most exciting issue of Mariner since I’ve been reading it as a student. In it, you will find stories about the historic delivery of STATE OF MAINE, generational improvements to the waterfront campus, landmark levels of support from individuals, industry, and the federal government, the critical appointment of a chief of staff, emerging areas of international cooperation in maritime training, and, of course, the establishment of the transformative nuclear engineering technology major.

My sincere congratulations go out to Captain Mac, Chief Coy, and their teams whose remarkable efforts have made the inaugural STATE OF MAINE summer sea term possible in 2026.

STATE OF MAINE is the first purpose-built training vessel the Academy has operated in its history. It will be a great day in Castine when the vessel arrives from cruise on July 12. I look forward to hosting members of the community to celebrate the occasion on the waterfront campus.

I am pleased to report that construction of the pier remains on schedule for STATE OF MAINE’s arrival. Phase one, the construction of the pier extension, is wrapping up now. Our construction partners Reed & Reed, Colliers Engineering, and GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. continue to do impressive work while maintaining high safety standards and respect for the community. I also appreciate the contribution of our CFO Janet Waldron, who is leading the management of the project along with her many other important responsibilities.

In addition to the largest construction project in the school’s history, the pier, we are also in the process of a $40M renovation of Curtis Hall, our main residential hall, which will drastically improve our students’ living experience on campus. That project is on track to be finished next summer.

On May 1, the Board voted to approve the nuclear engineering technology major, the cover story of this issue of Mariner. The innovative program is the first-of-its-kind at any maritime academy in the United States and one of few at any institution in the country. We are very excited about the potential of this program, led by Chair of Nuclear Engineering Technology Paul Wlodkowski.

I would like to congratulate Professor Wlodkowski for the recent award of an impressive $1M grant from the Department of Energy, in collaboration with ABS, to further develop the nuclear program. Paul is working to establish some dynamic industry partnerships, as well, that I look forward to announcing soon.

In June, the Academy was awarded a $10M grant for workforce development to expand our programs at the Brunswick facility. I look forward to providing further details as our plans to use the funding continue to take shape.

The award of the grant coincides with the appointment of Dr. Shane Moeykins ’87 as the Academy’s Chief of Staff, who has extensive prior experience administering complex federal grants. Shane is an alumnus, has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Iowa State, and has held both corporate and academic leadership roles, most recently at the University of Maine. He will be a valuable member of my core leadership team.

With so many extraordinary things happening on campus, we are sincerely grateful for the continued support of the Maine Maritime Academy community in so many crucial ways. We take pride in providing a world-class education for our students, and you are helping to make that possible for generations to come.

Fair winds,
Craig Johnson
Craig Johnson ’91 RADM
President