Superintendent
RADM Jack Buono is the thirteenth Superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA).
Prior to his appointment as Superintendent, RADM Buono served as President and CEO of SeaRiver Maritime, Inc., an ExxonMobil marine subsidiary headquartered in Houston, Texas. He chaired the Board of International Marine Transportation Limited, an ExxonMobil subsidiary in Great Britain, and chaired the ExxonMobil Global Marine Center providing operations guidance to ExxonMobil affiliates worldwide.
RADM Buono is a 1978 graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Upon graduation, he joined the Marine Department of Exxon Company USA, a predecessor organization of SeaRiver Maritime, Inc. Between 1978 and 1986 he served as deck officer aboard various sized crude and chemical tankers before being promoted to Master Mariner. In 1991, Buono transferred ashore where he progressed through the management ranks before retiring as President and CEO of SeaRiver Maritime in 2016.
Simultaneous, with his graduation, Buono was commissioned into the United States Navy Reserve where he served for eleven years, rising to the rank of Lieutenant.
He currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Coast Guard Foundation and has previously served on the Board of Trustees at the Webb Institute, as Vice Chairman of the Oil Companies International Marine Forum, on the Board of Advisors with the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation, as Chairman of the North America Region of the American Bureau of Shipping, and on the Board of Advisors for the Global Maritime and Transportation School at the United States Merchant Marine Academy.
In addition to having earned a U. S. Coast Guard License as Master, Steam and Motor Vessels of Any Gross Tons Upon Oceans, Buono has received awards and citations including the USMMA Meritorious Service and Outstanding Professional Achievement Awards, the Seafarers International House 2017 Honoree Award, the Seamen’s Church Institute 2016 Safety Leader Award, and the North America Marine Environmental Protection Association 2016 Environmental Leader Award. RADM Buono was also listed among the Top One Hundred Most Influential People in Shipping 2012–2015 by Lloyd’s List.