Sea Tow Foundation launches new advisory council
The Sea Tow Foundation is currently organizing a new North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council representing diverse and influential marine industry representatives, with plans for the group to collaborate on current and future boating safety messages and initiatives primarily involving its popular Sober Skipper campaign.
Launched in 2015 and enjoying established partnerships with more than 130 organizations in 32 states, the program encourages boaters to be or to designate a Sober Skipper before they leave the dock to promote safe, fun boating experiences for all. The Sober Skipper program is funded through a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration & Boating Trust Fund, as administered by the U.S. Coast Guard.
“We are actively reaching out and seeking feedback from marine industry stakeholders about how to work together to most effectively promote boating safety through our Sober Skipper initiative,” said Sea Tow Foundation Executive Director Gail R. Kulp. “Our primary goal in organizing and launching the Sober Skipper Advisory Council is to engage the industry from multiple touchpoints in order to both maximize the messaging impact and extend our campaign reach. Our ultimate goal is to reduce the number of boating accidents and deaths on our waterways.”
The initial group of Advisory Council members will be announced by April 1, 2019 and will serve a two-year term. Kulp said the Foundation is actively seeking candidates to represent the boating industry sides of retail, manufacturing, media, associations, boat shows, boating safety, government, service industry and general influencer sectors. Members will be expected to participate in quarterly teleconferences, attend a one-day annual meeting in conjunction with a large trade conference or event, and be available to respond to occasional e-mails and surveys.
“We highly value and respect the commitments of our industry partners and will focus and guard our time requirements accordingly,” said Kulp. “While the Foundation has enjoyed great success for this program since its launch, we believe the Council can collectively identify further initiatives to help us strengthen the overall Sober Skipper campaign deliverables and provide new insights and recommendations on strategies to generate broader industry awareness, participation and adoption.”
To learn more about the Sea Tow Foundation’s North American Sober Skipper Advisory Council or to nominate yourself or a member of your team for the inaugural leadership team, please visit www.soberskipper.com/advisorycouncil.
