WISTA USA Holds Annual General Meeting in Philadelphia

Women's International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) USA held its Annual General Meeting and Conference April 26, 2019 in Philadelphia, PA. Boriana Farrar, Vice President Counsel Business Development Director at Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc., and Laura Sherman, Director, Marketing & Communications / Operations Technology Officer at International Registries, Inc., were re-elected to the WISTA USA Board of Directors for three-year terms. In addition to Farrar and Sherman, the WISTA USA Board of Directors for 2019 includes: President Parker Harrison, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Crowley Maritime Corporation; Membership Secretary Alexandra Anagnostis-Irons, President, Total Marine Solutions; Treasurer Kathleen Haines, CFO, Heidmar, Inc.; Recording Secretary Marlene Boyer, Sales Manager, Stolt Tanker Trading; Board Member Jeanne Grasso, Partner, Blank Rome LLP; Board Member Frances Keeler, Vice President, California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance, Inc.; and Board Member Kathleen Plemer, Partner, Chaffe McCall, LLP.

WISTA USA hosts its annual general meeting every year in coordination with a conference. The 2019 conference, “Women Making Waves,” organized by WISTA USA’s Delaware River and Bay Chapter, led by Chapter President Cynthia Hudson, CEO, Hudson Analytix, addressed the challenges of the global maritime business.  Harrison, WISTA USA President, observed that “WISTA USA and WISTA International have grown substantially in the last year.  Honored with consultative status at IMO in 2018, WISTA sees real energy in the community and in our membership to collaborate and cooperate to drive the industry toward inclusion. That energy was palpable at this conference.”

More than 130 people attended the conference held at the Independence Seaport Museum. Captain Megan Dean, Sector Commander US Coast Guard Sector Miami, was the keynote speaker at the conference luncheon. This year’s conference speakers included: Carleen Lyden Walker, NAMEPA/Morgan Marketing; Maria del Mar Rodriguez, Tropical Shipping; Susan A. Howland, The Howland Group; Helen Brohl, US Committee on the Maritime Transportation Systems; Jan-Willem van den Dijssel, Cargill Americas; Rebecca Garcia Malone, T&T Salvage; Colleen Moran, The Pilots’ Association for the Bay and River Delaware; Jeanne Grasso, Blank Rome LLP; and Anuj Chopra, RightShip Pty. Ltd. 

WISTA is an international networking organization for women in management roles in the maritime industry. WISTA comprises more than 3,000 members in 46 countries. WISTA USA, founded in 1997, is among the largest National WISTA Associations (NWAs) worldwide, with more than 610 members spread across ten regional Chapters: Connecticut; Delaware River & Bay Area; Florida; New England; New Orleans; New York/New Jersey; the Pacific Northwest (Alaska, Washington and Oregon); Texas; Washington, DC Metro; and West Coast (California and Hawai’i). WISTA USA members represent all facets of the maritime industry, including mariners, shipowners, charterers, operators, brokers, bankers, insurance professionals, attorneys, analysts, and government officials.  

WISTA USA’s main goals are providing networking and educational opportunities for WISTA USA members. In pursuit of these objectives, our various regional chapters hold periodic meetings, seminars, and social gatherings throughout the year, occasionally in conjunction with larger marine industry events. In addition, the WISTA USA Annual General Meeting takes place each spring, and the International Conference, open to all WISTA members worldwide, takes place each fall. All of these events – whether local, regional, national, or international – provide tremendous networking and educational opportunities for our members and thereby enhance the benefits of membership in the organization.  

For more information on WISTA USA, please visit www.wistainternational.com/associations/wista-usa.