(NORFOLK, Va.) — Former Rep. Peter DeFazio, long-serving U.S. congressman from Oregon, has joined the Association for Rescue at Sea (AFRAS), taking command as the maritime nonprofit’s chairman of the board of directors.
AFRAS also welcomes to its board of directors:
• Michael Bennett, director of crisis management at Snapchat and a retired U.S. Coast Guard commander.
• Timothy Ciampaglio, former owner of Pharos Group, owner of QM Consulting and a retired Coast Guard commander.
• Kevin Osgood, president and chief executive officer of the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon
Bay, Wis., and former U.S. Navy boatswain’s mate.
• Dr. Vince Patton III, former master chief petty officer of the Coast Guard.
• Jennifer Williams, former vice president, maritime policy, at Cruise Lines International Association
(CLIA) and a retired Coast Guard captain.
DeFazio served Oregon’s 4th Congressional District for 36 years, making him the longest-serving member of Congress in the state’s history. DeFazio chaired the influential House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has jurisdiction over highways and transit, parts and water resources, railroads, aviation, economic development and the Coast Guard. He was known as the “Tiger of the House” and a “legislative giant.”
Bennett served in senior executive roles at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security after his 28 years of active-duty service in the Coast Guard. In addition to serving on the AFRAS board of directors, Bennett will serve as an officer and member of the Executive Committee as vice president for history and heritage, bringing his past historian work in federal government to bear.
Ciampaglio served 23 years of active duty in the Coast Guard, including 10 years at sea on six ships, culminating in command of the Coast Guard cutter Washington, a patrol boat home-ported in Honolulu, Hawaii. Ciampaglio was named Virginia’s Small Businessman of the Year by Virginia’s Small Business Partnership in 2011.
During his Navy career, Osgood served aboard USS Towers (DDG 9) as a boatswain’s mate and surface rescue swimmer. In 1987-88, his ship was deployed to the Persian Gulf region to assist in escorting Kuwaiti oil tankers through the Straits of Hormuz. Osgood worked in television news before his stint in the Navy, and returned to it after – starting as a photographer, then advancing through the positions of reporter, anchor and eventually news director, including managing a television newsroom for The New York Times.
Patton served in the position as the highest-ranking enlisted member of the Coast Guard and principal adviser to the commandant of the service from 1998-2002, when he retired with more than 30 years of active-duty service. Patton is currently the president of Northeast Maritime Institute Foundation and an adjunct faculty member at Northeast Maritime Institute College of Maritime Science in Fairhaven, Mass. He is also an ordained minister and is actively involved with several other public service and nonprofit organizations, serving on boards with the National Coast Guard Museum, U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, and the Uniformed Services Benefit Association.
Williams served nearly 30 years in the Coast Guard in a variety of assignments, including commander of Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach and captain of the port. During her work with CLIA, Williams was accredited to the International Maritime Organization, where she represented the global cruise industry during international treaty negotiations and other matters.
“This is an exciting time for AFRAS,” said Joseph Re, the association’s president. “These newly elected board members share our deep commitment to the mission of AFRAS and will bring their passion and energy to help mature and strengthen our organization. I know their experience and vision will enable us to make an even greater impact in our support to volunteer maritime rescue organizations around the world.”
AFRAS helps protect mariners from the perils of the sea by providing monetary and in-kind donations to world volunteer maritime search and rescue organizations. The charity also recognizes and honors extraordinary maritime rescues through its awards program and annual ceremony. AFRAS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charity.
