Program Leadership and Management
- Design programs or projects to meet organizational objectives, from timelines to deliverables
- Build the team and provide leadership in developing team cohesiveness and communication
- Cultivate a culture of empowerment and accountability
- Identify, develop and maintain strong working relationships with strategic partners
Work Example:
The Search for the Wreck of the Bonhomme Richard
MMC President Melissa Ryan leads the search for the remains of the Revolutionary War ship Bonhomme Richard (BHR). Commanded by U.S. Naval hero John Paul Jones, the ship sank off the coast of England in 1779 during a ferocious battle with the British frigate Serapis. It was from the deck of the BHR that Jones shouted his famous words : “I have not yet begun to fight!”
In 2006, Melissa Ryan spearheaded a project to locate the remains of this famous war ship. This involved building relationships with the French and U.S. Navies, sourcing the assets and cutting-edge technologies needed to achieve mission objectives, and engaging on ongoing strategic planning, media relations, and outreach activities.
Mystic Maritime liaised with U.S., French, and British Navies as well as academia and private industry to establish partnerships and technology transfer opportunities. To facilitate operations in foreign countries and international waters, Melissa interfaced with U.S. and foreign Embassy staff and high-level government officials. To date, the search has applied technologies such as Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Remotely Operated Vehicles, magnetometers, side scan sonars, P3 Orion aircraft, the US Navy’s Submarine NR1, and highly trained Navy deep-sea divers. It is likely the most comprehensive marine archaeological survey ever conducted, with more than 700 U.S. and French Navy personnel having participated in more than a dozen expeditions, and hundreds more people working shoreside to make it all happen.
Based on this project, Mystic Maritime developed and taught the U.S. Naval Academy’s first and only online course, Historic Shipwrecks, which focuses largely on the methods, technologies, and policies involved in the search for a historic shipwreck. The course integrated science, history, technology and engineering into a multidisciplinary and interactive learning experience for Naval Academy midshipmen. As part of the course, five midshipmen participated in two expeditions to search for the Bonhomme Richard in the North Sea. One midshipman remarked: “This experience has certainly been the best hands-on experience I have had while at USNA.”
