KINGS POINT, N.Y., September 15, 2023 – Today, President Biden announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to serve as Members of the Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy:

 
Claudia Cimini

Susan A. Davis

Eric P. Ebeling

Nicholas M. Logothetis

Michael J. Rodriguez

Claudia Cimini is the Executive Vice President of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association (MEBA) and is based in Oakland, California. Soon after graduating from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1990 with an engineering degree and Third Assistant Engineer license, Cimini joined the MEBA. The union hall system provided her an opportunity to sail on a variety of vessels in the deep-sea, government contract, and ferry sectors. She holds an unlimited Chief Engineer license and is a USMMA Silver Mariner. Cimini also worked as a Port Engineer, supporting both U.S. Maritime Administration and commercial vessels. Between shipping jobs, she developed curriculum and taught classes for marine engineers. As a rank-and-file member, she advocated for MEBA at the local and national levels, served on committees within the union, and took on projects to preserve and honor MEBA’s history. As a senior MEBA official, Cimini works to help the current and next generation of U.S. Merchant Marine officers earn a competitive wage in a good work environment and find their best career path.
 

Susan Davis was honored to serve the public as a School Board Member, California State Legislator, and most recently as a Congressional Representative from San Diego from 2001-2020, where she served in leadership positions primarily on the House Armed Services and Education Committees. Davis grew up in Richmond, California. She attended the University of California, Berkeley and graduated with a sociology degree, later earning an MSW from the University of North Carolina. She was the first Executive Director of the Aaron Price Fellows Program, which inspires young people to build strong communities. Davis is a proud wife, mother, and grandmother of three. She values having had an impact in people’s lives and looks forward to a renewed engagement in the quest for opportunity and equity for all. Davis was proud to facilitate appointments with her constituents to the Merchant Marine Academy. Through a neighbor, she became aware of the tremendous opportunity the Academy delivers for a young person and encouraged applicants to give the Merchant Marines a serious look during their application process.
 

Eric P. Ebeling is President and Chief Executive Officer for American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC). He leads a team of maritime and logistics professionals that comprise the largest U.S.-flag Ro-Ro carrier in international trade and a leading provider of government services, including global end-to-end logistics services, terminal and related services, multimodal logistics, trucking and third-party logistics services, and personal property shipping services. All of ARC’s U.S.-flag vessels are enrolled in the Maritime Security Program and Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement with the U.S. Maritime Administration and U.S. Transportation Command. Ebeling is a thought leader on U.S. international maritime strategy, and he is a frequent contributor on policy issues including providing testimony in Congressional hearings. The United Seamen’s Service awarded Ebeling the Admiral of the Ocean Sea in 2022, the most prestigious award in the American maritime industry. Ebeling is also a member of the Board of Directors for the National Defense Transportation Association.
 

Nicholas M. Logothetis is the Vice Chairman of Libra Group, a privately owned global business group whose subsidiaries own and operate assets in nearly 60 countries. He is also the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Concordia, a leading non-profit organization that seeks to promote and develop public-private partnerships to address pressing global issues. Logothetis joined Libra Group in 2010 and helped oversee its expansion to 30 operating entities. Comprising 20 businesses that are predominantly focused on maritime, along with aerospace, renewable energy, real estate, hospitality, and diversified investments, Libra Group also oversees ten independently run philanthropic initiatives. Logothetis is an entrepreneur who has a lifelong interest in politics and international affairs. He attended the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. He co-founded Concordia in 2011 on the notion that facilitating cross-sector collaboration can more efficiently address global challenges to create a more prosperous, sustainable, and equitable future for all. Logothetis resides in Washington, DC with his wife and two young children.
 

Captain Michael J. Rodriguez is a maritime professional with nearly 45 years of service in the private sector, government, and the U.S. Navy. Rodriguez’s maritime career began as a merchant marine officer aboard U.S. flag ships upon his graduation from the USMMA in 1979. In 1995, Rodriguez started his shoreside career, which includes service to USMMA as an Academy Training Representative, a senior staff position at the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots, AFL-CIO, a Senior Professional Staff position on the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, service as the Deputy Administrator at the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, and service as the 15th Superintendent of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy. Rodriguez also served as the maritime subject matter expert on the Biden-Harris transition team.
 
Rodriguez’s military career includes a deployment in support of special operations in the Central Command Area of Operations and active-duty assignments supporting the Office of Naval Intelligence, Military Sealift Command, and the Chief of Naval Operations Office of Fleet Readiness and Logistics. He retired from military service in 2019. Rodriguez currently works as an adjunct instructor at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies in Linthicum Heights, Maryland. He is also a volunteer supporting voting rights, adult literacy, and the food bank at Salem UMC in Baltimore.

The Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy provides independent advice and recommendations concurrently to the President of the United States, the Secretary of Transportation, and Congress – on matters related to the state of morale and discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, and academic methods of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA). The Board of Visitors is composed of 19 members, including five members appointed by the President and six ex officio members.