Six new boating industry stakeholders have been tapped to serve on the North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council. They will collaborate with the existing council members on strategies to promote greater awareness and adoption of boating safety initiatives and messaging both within the recreational marine industry and the boating consumer space. The council is also actively involved in promoting and judging the organization’s annual National Boating Industry Safety Awards.
“We received a record number of nominations for new term appointments and were very pleased by both the enthusiastic response and the outstanding qualifications of the slate of candidates,” said Sea Tow Foundation Executive Director Gail R. Kulp. “Our six new council members help to round out representation from throughout the recreational marine industry and we are thrilled to welcome them aboard.”
Read Next: Sea Tow Foundation Announces National Boating Industry Safety Awards Winners
New inductees voted onto the North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council will serve a two-year term which began June 1, 2021. Appointees are listed below in alphabetical order:
- Shannon Aronson, Marketing and PR Director, ABYC
- Laura Barry, Regional VP/West Coast, West Marine
- Capt. Bob May, Owner/Producer, Bob’s No Wake Zone Boating Radio Show
- Adam Quandt, Managing Editor/Top 100 Program Director, Boating Industry Magazine
- Scott Rath, General Manager, Uflex USA, Inc.
- Chad Tokowicz, Government Relations Manager, MRAA
This group joins the current slate of council members including David Connolly, Thomas H. Connolly and Sons; Jim Emmons, Water Sports Foundation; Kevin Falvey, Bonnier/Boating Magazine; John Jost, Ken Cook Company; Capt. Keith Lake, MarineMax; Nic Thomas, Freedom Boat Club; Stephanie Vatalaro, RBFF; Annamarie Worrell, Emerald Coast Marine Group; TK Krumenacker, AAA Insurance; Tyler Mehrl, Mercury Marine; Mark Pillsbury, Bonnier/Cruising World Magazine; Angie Scott, The Woman Angler & Adventurer; Eric Shepard, retired; and Leslie Zlotnick, Yamaha Watercraft Group. The council’s executive committee includes Kristen Frohnhoefer, Sea Tow Services International; Gail R. Kulp, Sea Tow Foundation; and Wanda Kenton Smith, Kenton Smith Marketing.
About the Sea Tow Foundation’s North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council
Launched in 2019, the North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council represents multiple sectors of the recreational boating industry along with an executive task force. In its first year, the council organized and debuted its first National Boating Industry Safety Awards to recognize the outstanding work of recreational boating organizations in promoting boating safety. The council is actively engaged in ongoing support of multiple safe boating initiatives. For more information about the North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council, please visit: boatingsafety.com/nassac.
About the Sea Tow Foundation
With a focus on safe boating practices that result in fun on the water, the Sea Tow Foundation – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization – was established in 2007 by Sea Tow Founder Capt. Joe Frohnhoefer. The Foundation brings attention to the number of preventable boating-related accidents, injuries, and deaths, and directly addresses prevention methods through education and awareness.Through the Foundation’s Life Jacket Loaner Program, more than 75,000 life jackets are available and free to borrow and return at over 750 life jacket loaner stations located across the United States. The Foundation’s Sober Skipper Campaign aims to eliminate Boating Under the Influence by encouraging boaters to Take the Pledge to be the sober skipper before heading out on the water. And the Sea Tow Foundation also established the National Boating Industry Safety Awards in 2019 to recognize and reward for-profit boating businesses for their efforts to promote boating safety. For more information on the Sea Tow Foundation, please visit BoatingSafety.com.
