About

Board of Trustees

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, Semester at Sea’s Board of Trustees provides fiduciary oversight, shapes broad policies to guide and protect the Institute, provides vision and direction to ensure the long-term sustainability of the program, and evaluates the President.

The Board meets three times a year and holds several committee meetings.

Trustees are unpaid volunteers who are recruited by the nominating committee and serve four-year terms. Our trustees are leaders with experience in large organizations and expert knowledge in higher education, business, technology, finance, and medical science. The majority of our trustees are Semester at Sea alumni.

Chair of the Board

Dan Garvey
President/Professor Emeritus, Prescott College
Dan Garvey
President/Professor Emeritus, Prescott College

Dan Garvey will be sailing on his seventh Semester at Sea Voyage as Executive Dean. He will be teaching SOC 362 Social Change on this voyage. This course is a student-directed experience that provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and initiate action toward social justice. He is President Emeritus of Prescott College, serving as President from 2000-2010, and also a professor and founding Fellow of the Institute for Sustainable Social Change at Prescott College. Dan has been a faculty member and administrator at six colleges and universities and has strong ties to the mountaineering and experiential education communities and was a Trustee of The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and Project Adventure and a supporter of the United World Colleges.

  • Committees
    Advancement, Executive, Governance & Nominating, Voyage Academic, Community & Operational Affairs
  • SAS Connection
    Dan has sailed on the Spring 1984, Spring 1988, Spring 1996, Spring 2011, Summer 2014, Spring 2017 and Spring 2023 SAS voyages. He is also a former member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Vice Chair of the Board

Lynn Johnson
CFO, CSU STRATA
Lynn Johnson
CFO, CSU STRATA

In her current position, Lynn Johnson overseas Parking and Transportation Services, Procurement Services, Office of Budgets, Business & Financial Services, Facilities Management, Environmental Health Services, Central Receiving & Mail Services, HR, the Office of the Ombuds & EAP, Risk Management & Insurance, Training & Organizational Development & the Office of Equal Opportunity. Lynn also serves as the liaison to the Administrative Professional Council and State Classified Personnel Council and as Board Chair of the Executive Steering Team for the Kuali Financial System Project.

She obtained her B.S. in accounting from UT Arlington. Lynn is a CPA and spent several years with KPMG and served as the CFO for a non-profit cancer research center in Denver prior to joining CSU in 2003.

  • Committees
    Executive, Finance, Investment, Marketing & Recruiting

Board of Trustees

Lori Barker
Professor of Psychology, California Polytechnic State University, Pomona
Lori Barker
Professor of Psychology, California Polytechnic State University, Pomona

Dr. Lori Barker is a licensed clinical psychologist and a Qualified Medical Evaluator with the State of California, Division of Workers Compensation. She has a private practice in Riverside, California, called The Center for Individual, Family, and Community Wellness. As a therapist, she specializes in providing culturally inclusive, sensitive, and responsive therapy. Dr. Lori Barker is a professor in the Department of Psychology and Sociology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona).

Two of Dr. Lori Barker’s favorite things are travel and teaching, so when she heard about Semester at Sea, she knew it was a perfect fit. Spring 2023 will be her third voyage.

  • Committees
    Voyage Academic, Community & Operational Affairs
  • SAS Connection
    Sailed as a faculty member on the Fall 1999, Spring 2017 and Spring 2023 voyages.
Kristina Ota Belfiore
Kristina Ota Belfiore

Kristina previously worked for the Microsoft Corporation in Recruiting for nearly 12 years. Her last position there was Director of University and MBA Recruiting which also included responsibility for the company’s internship and scholarship programs. Kristina is a long-time member of the Board of Trustees for Rainier Scholars, an educational non-profit in the Seattle area which opens doors to education for hardworking, disadvantaged children of color, providing a pathway to college graduation and creating future community leaders. She also currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Seattle Country Day School, a private K-8 school in Seattle. Stanford University, Bachelors of Arts and Science degree in Economics and Biology.

  • Committees
    Advancement, Executive, Governance & Nominating
  • SAS Connection
    Kristina sailed on Semester at Sea with her husband and three children on the Spring 2016 voyage with John Tymitz serving as the Dean. She learned about the program from close friends, Kevin & Kristine Shields, who sailed in Fall 1999 as Lifelong Learner’s.
Lisa Braun Glazer
Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Lisa Braun Glazer
Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Lisa is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (retired). She currently volunteers at UCSD’s School of Medicine. Graduated cum laude with a BA degree from Brandeis University and earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Vermont.

  • Committees
    Advancement, Voyage Academic, Community & Operational Affairs
  • SAS Connection
    Lisa sailed on the Spring 2002 voyage as faculty spouse and on Fall 2010 as the staff psychologist. She has also sailed on numerous partial and reunion voyages.
Greg Chapman
CEO/Founder, Chapman Family Foundation
Greg Chapman
CEO/Founder, Chapman Family Foundation

Greg started his career in the insurance industry at Chubb, in San Francisco and Warren, NJ. After returning to the Pasadena area, Greg joined Swett & Crawford as a wholesale insurance broker in Los Angeles. In 2000 Greg acquired his father’s insurance brokerage where he expanded operations to become a top 100 firm in the United States. Ten years later Greg sold his firm to Arthur J. Gallagher and transitioned into the auto parts business by acquiring Transgo. After growing Transgo into one of the largest aftermarket transmission kit manufacturers, he sold the firm to a private equity group out of North Carolina. Greg currently serves on several forprofit and nonprofit boards. He is the Board Chair of Semester at Sea, Board Chair of the Chapman Family Foundation, and the Executive Chair of Smart Parke. Greg and his wife, Kristin, live in San Marino and have 3 children (Reese 19, Luke 17, and Nico 14). Greg graduated from the University of San Diego and has an MBA from the Marshall School of Business at USC.

  • Committees
    Executive, Finance, Investment
  • SAS Connection
    Greg first sailed on the Fall 1990 voyage. He then sailed on a partial Summer 2014 voyage and on the Spring 2017 voyage.
Cedric Dark
Cedric Dark
  • Committees
    Voyage Academic, Community & Operational Affairs
James Deutsch
Portfolio Manager and Managing Member at Gilder, Gagnon, Howe & Co.
James Deutsch
Portfolio Manager and Managing Member at Gilder, Gagnon, Howe & Co.

Gilder, Gagnon, Howe & Co. is a stock brokerage firm focused on helping small investors create wealth. James invests in high growth public companies around the world. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Rodeph Sholom School, where his daughters are enrolled, and Trinity School, NY where he went to high school. Graduated from Stanford University in 2000 where he studied Economics and Computer Science.

  • Committees
    Investment, Voyage Academic, Community & Operational Affairs
  • SAS Connection
    Sailed on the Semester at Sea Fall 1998 voyage.
Christopher Foreman
President, Moonbeam Investment Corporation
Christopher Foreman
President, Moonbeam Investment Corporation

Moonbeam Investment Corporation invests in and acquires distressed assets of which the underlying security interest is real estate. Such assets include, commercial and consumer debt, tax liens, large land tracts and commercial real estate. Christopher graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 1988 with a degree in Economics.

  • Committees
    Finance, Investment
  • SAS Connection
    Sailed on the Semester at Sea Spring 1986 voyage as a student, and again in 2014 with his family.
Dennis Gertmenian
Foxdale Properties CEO
Dennis Gertmenian
Foxdale Properties CEO

Dennis Gertmenian is the CEO of Foxdale Properties and Founder of Ready Pac Foods®, where he served as CEO for 40 years. During his career, Dennis has completed over 60 mergers and acquisitions mostly related to the food and real estate industries. Dennis received an AA from Pasadena City College, a BS from the University of Southern California, and a MBA from Pepperdine University. Community service is very important to Dennis and his wife Susi, where they devote a great deal of time and resources. He is a lifetime resident of Pasadena where he and Susi raised 5 children. Dennis and Susi spend their summers at Grouse Creek Reserve- their ranch in the Tetons, where they enjoy multiple outdoor activities.

  • Committees
    Finance, Governance & Nominating, Investment
  • SAS Connection
    His association with Semester at Sea has been long served and enjoyed. Dennis sailed as a student in Fall 1966, and is rejoining the SAS Board, after serving from 2000-2016, during which time he was Vice-Chair, Chair of the Investment & Governance Committees, and serving on multiple committees, including: Advancement, Academic Search, Executive and Scenario Planning.
Clipper Hackett
Clipper Hackett
  • Committees
    Voyage Academic, Community & Operational Affairs
  • SAS Connection
Conrad Herrmann
Director of Equity Portfolio Management, Franklin Templeton Investments (Retired)
Conrad Herrmann
Director of Equity Portfolio Management, Franklin Templeton Investments (Retired)

Conrad worked for Franklin Templeton where he held various positions within the Franklin Equity Department, including analyst, portfolio manager, Head of Equities, and Director of Portfolio Management. From 1993 until 2016, he served as lead portfolio manager of the Franklin California Growth Fund, later known as the Franklin Flex Cap Growth Fund. During that 23-year tenure, it was a top-performing mutual fund, with average annual returns of over 16%. Prior to this, Conrad received his undergraduate degree from Brown University, and his MBA from Harvard Business School. Conrad has two grown children, Christine and Alex, and recently re-married Julia Petitt Herrmann, after re-connecting with her at their 40th HS reunion. They now split their time between CT, CA, and FL these days.

  • Committees
    Investment
  • SAS Connection
    Conrad first sailed as a student on the S83 voyage, which ran aground in Alexandria, Egypt. He then completed his journey sailing on the S84 voyage. He also was a Lifelong Learner on the F16 voyage.
Marisa Huber
Counselor at Law, Gibson Robb & Lindh LLP
Marisa Huber
Counselor at Law, Gibson Robb & Lindh LLP

Marisa is passionate about maritime law, which she has practiced since 2007. She handles a variety of maritime matters including cases involving yachts, ship repairs, maritime personal injury, maritime products liability, general average, and bunker fuel disputes. Her practice also includes marine insurance coverage, liability defense, bad faith defense, and commercial maritime transactional matters.
Marisa’s Education includes: Santa Clara University School of Law, J.D. (2007), Law of the Sea Studies at Oxford University, University of San Diego, B.A. International Relations (2001)

  • Committees
    Governance & Nominating, Executive, Voyage Academic, Community & Operational Affairs
  • SAS Connection
    Marisa sailed onboard the S.S. Universe Explorer for the Spring 2000 voyage.
Jenny Lewis
Jenny Lewis
  • Committees
    Marketing & Recruiting
  • SAS Connection
Emily Poague
Vice President Marketing, LinkedIn Learning
Emily Poague
Vice President Marketing, LinkedIn Learning

Emily leads marketing for LinkedIn’s Learning business, focused on connecting consumers and organizations with digital learning to develop skills needed in an evolving world of work. Emily has over 15 years of experience across marketing and product management at companies including Accenture, American Express, and Yahoo!. She joined LinkedIn in 2013 and led the Consumer Marketing function until joining the LinkedIn Learning in 2016. Emily graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in International Relations and studied abroad in Paris, France through the Sweet Briar program. She holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley.

  • Committees
    Marketing & Recruiting
  • SAS Connection
    Friend of Semester at Sea since 2019.
Marjorie Seawell
Retired High Risk Labor and Delivery Nurse, Founding Donor of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, Former co-owner of The Shreveport Journal
Marjorie Seawell
Retired High Risk Labor and Delivery Nurse, Founding Donor of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, Former co-owner of The Shreveport Journal

Marjorie is a former high risk labor and delivery nurse with volunteer experience in HIV/AIDS in Zambia, Kenya and Rwanda. She has worked with and supported the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative as well as several other international NGO’s and philanthropies. Marjorie was one of the founding donors of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado and has served as president of her family’s foundation which focuses on social justice issues and the needs of the underserved. She is a former co-owner of The Shreveport Journal and is currently an investor in commercial real estate and alternative assets. Received two undergraduate degrees including a BSN and a Master’s Degree in Health Administration and Policy

  • Committees
    Governance & Nominating, Marketing & Recruiting
Karen Simon
ISE Board of Trustees
Karen Simon
ISE Board of Trustees
  • Committees
    Finance
  • SAS Connection
Liz Zavodsky
Liz Zavodsky
  • Committees
    Advancement, Marketing & Recruiting
  • SAS Connection

Youth Trustees

Libby Firer
Regional Manager of Business Development, Oracle Corporation
Libby Firer
Regional Manager of Business Development, Oracle Corporation

Libby graduated with a BA in Psychology from the University of Virginia.

  • Committees
    Advancement, Marketing & Recruiting
  • SAS Connection
    Libby sailed on the Summer 2014 voyage of Semester at Sea. She worked in the ISE Home Office as a Work Study student from 2014 to 2016. She is also a current Semester at Sea Alumni Chapter Representative in Austin.
R. Foster Hillis
Intern for the National Democratic Training Committee
R. Foster Hillis
Intern for the National Democratic Training Committee

Before college, Foster was an International Trustee for Key Club International, a high school organization of Kiwanis International.

Foster studies Political Science with an emphasis in Elections and Campaign Management at the University of Oklahoma, accompanied by a General Business Management minor. Foster graduated in May 2023.

Foster enjoys traveling, recreational running, and reading. Foster has traveled to over 40 countries and over half of the United States.

  • Committees
    Governance & Nominating
  • SAS Connection
    Foster sailed on the 129th Voyage of Semester at Sea during Spring 2022. Onboard, he was the Logistical Pre-Port Host, a Glazer Impact Scholar, and an Institute for Shipboard Education’s Merit Grant Scholar.

Honorary Trustees

John Tymitz
Co-Founder and past president of the Institute of Shipboard Education
John Tymitz
Co-Founder and past president of the Institute of Shipboard Education

Dr. Tymitz served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Shipboard Education until February 2007. He served as a faculty member for Chapman College’s World Campus Afloat in 1972 and as the Associate Director of Operations from 1973-75.
In 1976 he was the co-founder of the Institute for Shipboard Education, serving as the Director of Administrative Affairs until 1984. In 1984 he was appointed Executive Director; in 1997 the Board of Directors changed his title to Chief Executive Officer.
His teaching experience includes serving as an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. He has his B.A. and M.A. from Southern Illinois University and received his Ph.D. in 1973 from Oklahoma State University

  • Committees
    Advancement, Governance & Nominating, Voyage Academic, Community & Operational Affairs
  • SAS Connection
    Dr. Tymitz is the co-founder of the Institute for Shipboard Education. He sailed on 12 SAS voyages serving as the Executive Dean and teaching courses on U.S. Diplomatic History.

Ex-Officio 

Blanche Hughes
Blanche Hughes
  • Committees
  • SAS Connection
Jill Hurd
Jill Hurd
  • Committees
  • SAS Connection
Janice Nerger
Janice Nerger
  • Committees
  • SAS Connection

Advisory Committee Members

Mandy Bratton
Executive Director, Global Ties and Grand Challenge Scholars Programs
Mandy Bratton
Executive Director, Global Ties and Grand Challenge Scholars Programs

University of California San Diego

  • Committees
    Voyage Academic, Community & Operational Affairs
  • SAS Connection
Shaun Crisler
Shaun Crisler

Shaun N. Crisler (He/Him) has been committed to higher education and student success as a professional for 15 years and currently serves as the Assistant Vice President for Residence Life and Housing at SUNY Oswego in New York. He has served in several roles within Housing and Residence Life with the primary goal to help create positive living and learning experiences for all students. By working with faculty, campus partners, and staff, Shaun looks for opportunities to collaborate with a focus on student success and retention.

Shaun actively works with students and professionals to increase their intercultural competence by facilitating workshops and through study abroad activities. Shaun has been a member of the Semester at Sea family for more than twenty years.

  • Committees
    Voyage Academic, Community & Operational Affairs
  • SAS Connection
    He sailed as a student on the Fall 2000 voyage and returned as the Assistant Dean of Students for two summer voyages: SUM09 and SUM12. Shaun served as the Assistant Executive Dean on the SP18 voyage and as Executive Dean on the SP22 Voyage.
Ken Cushner
ISE Board of Trustees
Ken Cushner
ISE Board of Trustees
  • Committees
    Voyage Academic, Community & Operational Affairs
  • SAS Connection
Paige Ensor
Paige Ensor

Paige Ensor is a five-year alumnus of the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Spring 2017 Semester at Sea voyager. Upon graduation, she moved to New York City to work for IBM, where she is currently employed as a Corporate Strategist. In addition to her corporate experience, Paige is also the Founder & CEO of MarqUP Brands, a small but mighty marketing services and consulting firm with expertise in non-profit and new business development. Paige joined the ISE/Semester at Sea Board of Trustees as an advisor in January 2023 and is a passionate contributor to the overall ISE/SAS mission.

  • Committees
    Marketing & Recruiting
  • SAS Connection
    Spring 2017 voyage.
Bob Heinemann
Bob Heinemann
  • Committees
    Finance
  • SAS Connection
Kirk Lacob
Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations, Golden State Warriors
Kirk Lacob
Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations, Golden State Warriors

Kirk loves sports, family time, and learning. Kirk still regularly plays basketball (often at San Quentin State Penitentiary) and enjoys time with his wife and twin boys.

He received a BA in Science, Technology, and Society. Technical Depth – Management Science and Engineering Stanford Unversity, 2010

  • Committees
    Voyage Academic, Community & Operational Affairs
  • SAS Connection
    Traveled on Fall 2008 Voyage
Angie Miller
Angie Miller
  • Committees
    Advancement
  • SAS Connection
Todd Miller
Partner, Western States Technologies Founder, Global Grins
Todd Miller
Partner, Western States Technologies Founder, Global Grins

For the past 24 years, Todd has served as a founding Partner at Western States Technologies, a real estate investment company headquartered in Los Angeles. Prior to that, Todd was Vice-President/Director of Marketing at The Sammis Company, a national real estate investment company headquartered in Irvine, California. Todd graduated cum laude from the Real Estate Finance Program at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and was awarded membership in The Golden Key International Honor Society.

  • Committees
    Voyage Academic, Community & Operational Affairs
  • SAS Connection
    Todd sailed as a student on the Spring 1984 voyage, where he met his wife of 31 years, Joselyn. The Millers’ daughter and son both sailed on Semester at Sea when they were students at the University of Southern California.
Sahil Saini
Sahil Saini
  • Committees
    Voyage Academic, Community & Operational Affairs
  • SAS Connection
Anthony Taormina
Chief Investment Officer, Armo Corporation
Anthony Taormina
Chief Investment Officer, Armo Corporation

Anthony manages investment operations for his Family Office, Armo Corporation, which invests in reliable income producing assets that align with its ultra-conservative investment criteria. Anthony holds a background in Finance and is working toward becoming a CFA charterholder. He graduated from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder in May 2016.

Anthony holds past experience as an Account Executive, Season Ticket Sales for both the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche, and enjoys travel and recreation activities while spending time with loved ones. Anthony joins the Finance Committee as an Advisory Member in 2023. Anthony is determined to help grow and spread the word about this life changing program, Semester At Sea!

  • Committees
    Finance
  • SAS Connection
    Anthony sailed in Spring of 2015 alongside his brother, Michael. His sister, Desiree, sailed in 2004, as well as his father, Vince, who sailed in 1975.
Paul Tapper
Paul Tapper
  • Committees
    Investment
  • SAS Connection
Khanh Tran
Khanh Tran
  • Committees
    Finance
  • SAS Connection
Chanel Watson
Manager Brand & Program Marketing, Showtime Networks
Chanel Watson
Manager Brand & Program Marketing, Showtime Networks

Chanel Watson is a Brand and Program Marketing Manager at Showtime Networks specializing in consumer marketing and brand strategy tactics to promote Showtime’s original programming. Her previous experience in the media industry includes roles at Complex Networks and BET. Currently serving as an Advisory Committe Member among the Marketing and Recruiting Committee, she hopes to help bring more awareness of the Semester at Sea program to HBCUs, and provide opportunities for BIPOC students to take advantage of the voyage she claims is “An experience of a lifetime.”

Chanel was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Maryland until leaving home to attend Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications with a focus on Strategic Communications and a minor in Entrepreneurship. After moving to begin her career in New York City, Chanel attended The New School to receive her Master of Science in Media Management. In the meantime, she enjoys continuing to travel with her old Semester at Sea friends, creating music playlist, and kickboxing!

  • Committees
    Marketing & Recruiting
  • SAS Connection
    It was during undergrad that Chanel first joined Semester at Sea during the Fall 2015 voyage, then returned for the Spring 2017 voyage; both time serving as a Global Journalism & Integrated Communications fellow.