Coast Guard Foundation reveals Board of Trustees and Directors

by Jennifer Crowley Fyke on 6 Mar 2014 The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, has announced its 2014 board of trustees.

Consisting of 117 members, the Coast Guard Foundation Board of Trustees and Directors oversees management of the organization and helps to provide resources to advance the Foundation’s mission to support the service of men and women in the United States Coast Guard.

This year, the board welcomes three newly elected officers and four new members to its executive committee, as well as three new board members.

The Coast Guard Foundation’s officers are:

• Robert J. Flynn, Chairman
• William E. Jenkins, Vice Chairman
• Cheryl Felder, Treasurer
• R. Christian Johnsen, Secretary

Profiles of the officers, new executive committee members and new board members are provided below. For over 40 years, the Coast Guard Foundation has been committed to inspiring leadership, learning and a proud legacy of service to our nation by supporting the men of women of the United States Coast Guard. The Foundation provides higher education grants to enlisted members, reservists and their children, higher education financial support for families of Coast Guard members lost in the line of duty and support for morale programs, including funding recreation, exercise and family-oriented facilities.

Board of Trustees And Directors Profiles:

Robert J. Flynn, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Directors: Mr. Flynn holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, class of 1974 and served as a Commissioned Officer with the U.S. Coast Guard from 1974 to 1979. Mr. Flynn has served on the Foundation board since 2002, and has served as chairman since 2012. He joined Stamford, Connecticut-based commercial shipbroker MJLF and Associates in 1979 and is currently its President. Bob is a member of the American Bureau of Shipping, and the Society of Maritime Arbitrators, New York.

William E. Jenkins, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees: Mr. Jenkins joined the Foundation's board in 2009 and was elected Treasurer in 2011 and Vice Chairman in 2014. He is a Director on the Board of ABS Group of Companies, and was chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil affiliates that provide shipping and marine transportation for Exxon Mobil worldwide from 2000 until he retired in 2011. Mr. Jenkins holds master’s degrees in finance and safety management from the University of Arizona and a bachelor's degree from Northern Arizona University. He is a professional member of the American Society of Safety Engineers and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Cheryl 'Cherrie' D. Felder, Treasurer of the Board of Trustees and Directors: Ms. Felder was elected to the Coast Guard Foundation Board in 2010. She is Vice President of Legislative and Governmental Affairs for Channel Shipyard Companies and is Chairman of the Lower Mississippi River Waterway Safety Advisory Committee as well as the Immediate Past President of the Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association. Ms. Felder serves on the Executive Committee of Waterways Council, Inc. and on the boards of directors of the National Waterways Foundation and the Louisiana Association of Waterway Operators and Shipyards. She is a member of the American Waterways Operators and the New Orleans Business Alliance Transportation, Trade and Logistics Industry Council. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University.

Chris Johnsen, Secretary of the Board of Trustees and Directors: Mr. Johnsen has served on the Board of Directors since 1998. A managing partner with Jones Walker in the firm's Government Relations Practice Group, Mr. Johnsen holds a Bachelor of Science in commerce from the University of Virginia and earned his Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from Tulane University Law School in 1985.

Nicki Candies, Executive Committee Member: Ms. Candies was elected to the Foundation Board in 2013. Her involvement with the Foundation began in 1994 as Chair of the eighth Coast Guard District Dinner in New Orleans, a role she has held for the past 21 years. Ms. Candies holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Master of Business Administration degree from Loyola University, New Orleans. She serves on the boards of numerous philanthropic organizations in her hometown on New Orleans. Ms. Candies is the Director of Regulatory Affairs at Otto Candies, LLC.

Michael L. Carthew, Executive Committee Member: Mr. Carthew joined the Coast Guard Foundation board in 2004. He is president of Chevron’s global marine transportation subsidiary Chevron Shipping Co. LLC, a position he assumed September 1, 2001. In this capacity, he is responsible for shipping crude oil and petroleum products worldwide. A native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Mr. Carthew graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point with a bachelor's degree in marine transportation. He holds a master's degree in business administration from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr. Carthew serves on the board of directors of several industry organizations including the American Bureau of Shipping and the Oil Companies International Marine Forum.

Judith Roos, Executive Committee Member: Ms. Roos joined the Coast Guard Foundation Board in 2010 and currently serves as Chair of the Development Committee. She joined the Marine Spill Response Corporation in 1991 and serves as vice president of marketing, customer services and corporate relations. Originally from Seattle, Washington, Ms. Roos has an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in government from Johns Hopkins University.

Duncan C. Smith, III, Executive Committee Member: Mr. Smith has been a member of the Coast Guard Foundation's Board since 2011. He is President of Smith Advocacy Group, LLC, a legislative and administrative government relations practice that represents clients with business, legislative, and regulatory challenges and opportunities. He has decades of experience in the public arena, teaches appropriations and fiscal law, and previously was a staff counsel to the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee and a U.S. delegation congressional advisor to the International Maritime Organization. A retired Coast Guard Reserve Rear Admiral, Mr. Smith is a board member and volunteers at several non-profit organizations.

Jeffrey Freeman, Trustee: Mr. Jeffrey Freeman is the Vice President for Business Development at Fincantieri Marine Group. Mr. Freeman is a retired Navy Commander, having served as a naval flight officer and completed assignments at the Pentagon, Naval Military Personnel Command and Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a 1981 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.

Kevin J. McSweeney, Director: Mr. Kevin McSweeney has served on the Coast Guard Foundation Board of Trustees since 2005, and was elected as a director in 2014. Mr. McSweeney is the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Telephonics Corporation.

James H. Woodward Jr., Trustee: Mr. Woodward serves on the board of Altra Industrial Motion in Braintree, Massachusetts as well as the USCG Auxiliary Association. He is a former chief financial officer with experience in strategic planning, execution and change management.

For a complete list of the 2014 Coast Guard Foundation Board of Trustees, please visit coastguardfoundation.org/about/board/104. To learn more about the Coast Guard Foundation or to help support its work, please click here.