On June 20, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) welcomed new officers and seven new members to its board of governors during its annual meeting in the museum’s Van Lennep Auditorium. Newly elected to three-year terms on the museum’s board of governors include: Richard Bodorff, William Dudley, Dagmar Gipe, James Harris, Christopher Havener, Francis Hopkinson, Jr. and Alfred Tyler II. Newly elected as board officers are Chairman CG Appleby; Vice Chairmen Joe Peters and Alan Griffith, Treasurer Tom Seip and Secretary Mark Nestlehutt.

The board also recognized retiring governors for their service, including Bruce Bedford, Stuart Clarke, Joanne Prager, and Bruce Wiltsie. Re-joining the board as emeriti members are Ted Lewers and Bob Perkins.

“This year’s class of governors is a welcomed addition to our leadership,” commented CBMM Board Chairman CG Appleby. “Each person’s experience and vision will ultimately make the museum a more meaningful place to visit, volunteer with, and belong to as members.”

Richard J. Bodorff is a partner with Wiley Rein LLP in Washington, DC, representing radio and television licensees before the Federal Communications Commission. Bodorff received a bachelor’s degree in English literature at Denison University and a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University School of Law. He currently serves as the Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corporation’s vice chairman, and the vice chairman for the Academy Art Museum in Easton.
Bodorff also serves as trustee for Pickering Creek Audubon Center and YMCA of the Chesapeake.

William S. Dudley is the former director of Naval History for the United States Navy. He was concurrently director of the Naval Historical Center, curator for the Navy, and coordinator of Navy Museums. He holds three academic degrees: Williams College, B.A.; Columbia University, M.A. and Ph.D. Dudley is the author of many book reviews, articles, monographs, and documentary editions, including Maritime Maryland: A History, which was published in September 2010 by the Johns Hopkins University Press. The book received the Maryland Historical Trust’s Outstanding Heritage Book Award in May 2011.

Dudley is a past-president of the North American Society for Oceanic History and the Society for History in the Federal Government. Presently, he serves as maritime committee chair of the Maryland Historical Society, is on the board of directors of the Naval Historical Foundation, the editorial advisory committee of Sea History Magazine, is the historian general of the Naval Order of the United States, and is an appointed member of the Maryland advisory committee on archaeology. Dudley retired from the Naval Historical Center in 2004, and currently works as a maritime heritage consultant, serving as historical advisor to the Annapolis Maritime Museum and the Ocean Technology Foundation, Groton, CT. He is an appointed member of the resources and stewardship advisory committee of the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission.

Dagmar Dunn Pickens Gipe was born and raised in Houston, TX. She earned her liberal arts degree from Greenbriar College and studied at the New York School of Interior Design before majoring in history and psychology at the University of Texas. Gipe worked in design and antiques for many years, owning a shop in Virginia. Now focusing on investments, Gipe serves as vice president of the John S. Dunn Research Foundation in Houston and served on CBMM’s board of governors from 2000 to 2006.

James P. Harris retired in February 2010 as senior vice president of ExxonMobil Chemical Company, located in Houston, TX where he was a member of the chemical company’s management committee for more than 15 years. Harris earned a degree in chemical engineering with highest honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in business administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Georgia Tech Advisory Board and the board of directors of the Christus Foundation for HealthCare. While with ExxonMobil, he was a member of the board and executive committee of the European Chemical Industry Council, serving a total of seven years. He was also an operating board member of American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division and served as chairman of the American Plastics Council in 2001. Georgia Tech named Harris to the Academy of Distinguished Engineering Graduates in 1996 and the Engineering Hall of Fame in 2011.

Christopher A. Havener is the founder and managing director of Royal Oak Capital Management, with 24 years of experience in financial markets, including institutional sales/research and trading, equity capital markets and derivatives. Prior to founding Royal Oak Capital Management, Havener spent five years at Merrill Lynch as a senior vice president and five years at Credit Suisse First Boston as Global Head of the Investment Banking Services Group. Chris received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland and holds a Series 65 securities license.

Francis Hopkinson, Jr. retired from a career in information technology specializing in telecommunications at AAA Mid-Atlantic. He and his wife, Jane, moved from Philadelphia to St. Michaels in 2007. Hopkinson served 12 years with the Pennsylvania National Guard, and is currently a marine surveyor. He is involved with many non-profit organizations in St. Michaels, including the St. Michaels Fire Department, Habitat for Humanity Choptank, and as a volunteer for CBMM.

Alfred Tyler II has more than 20 years experience in the environmental services industry, currently serving as president of Days Cove Reclamation Company, a full service solid waste management firm specializing in reclaiming surface mining and other industrial sites in conjunction with the management of construction and demolition debris (rubble) landfills. Tyler is the immediate past chairman of the Pride of Baltimore I, a reproduction of an 1812-era topsail schooner privateer.

In photo: The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum welcomed new officers and seven new members to its board of governors during its June 20 annual meeting. From left, Chris Havener, Allie Tyler, Dick Bodorff, Secretary Mark Nestlehutt, Vice Chairman Alan Griffith, Vice Chairman Joe Peters, President Langley Shook, Chairman CG Appleby, Dagmar Gipe, Frank Hopkinson, and Bill Dudley. (Not pictured: Jim Harris).