John O’Keeffe serves as the Vice President of Business Development for Waterson Terminal Services, where his main responsibilities are the expansion of terminal operations and strategic partnerships. In this capacity, Mr. O’Keeffe plays a critical role in identifying potential tenants, cultivating client relationships, and exploring new terminal locations to drive business growth, encompassing not only offshore wind but also traditional bulk, break bulk, and project cargos.

With a distinguished career in the offshore wind industry, John O’Keeffe has played pivotal roles in shaping its development in the United States. He made history as the first Operations & Maintenance Manager of an Offshore Wind Farm in the country and spearheaded the establishment of the marine coordination center during the construction of the Block Island Wind Farm (BIWF).

Notably, John pioneered the advancement of US offshore wind by founding the nation’s first dedicated Marine Affairs department. This department facilitates collaboration among all maritime stakeholders and provides essential guidance tailored to the unique American maritime landscape, thus driving project development, construction, and operation forward by providing policies, procedures, and solutions tailored to the complex US market. This innovative concept has now been adopted by all US offshore wind developers.

John’s journey in offshore wind began with Deepwater Wind, where he served as Manager of Operations & Maintenance and Head of Marine Affairs. During his tenure, he managed the nation’s first offshore wind project, BIWF, which serves as a catalyst for further industry growth and innovation. Following Deepwater’s acquisition by Ørsted, John continued to play a key role in offshore wind development as Head of Marine Affairs North America.

Prior to joining Waterson Terminal Services, John served as Head of Renewables, Americas for Blue Water Shipping, a global transport & logistics company, where he was responsible for evaluating new markets and developing strategic consortiums and partnerships in the Americas.

Before venturing into offshore wind, John accrued well over a decade of experience in various maritime roles, including deck officer, teacher, and captain. He holds a USCG 1600-ton Ocean Master license. He contributed his expertise to esteemed organizations such as the Sea Education Association (SEA) in Massachusetts and served as Port Captain at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) in St. Georges, Bermuda.

John’s commitment to service extends to his eight-year tenure in the United States Army, where he served as a sergeant in armored reconnaissance. He holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Southern Vermont College and a graduate degree from the University of Rhode Island’s Marine Affairs program. Additionally, he has completed the Certificate in Leadership for Global Business and Politics from the Yale School of Management Executive Education.

Recognized for his outstanding contributions, John O’Keeffe was honored as the Propeller Club of Narragansett Bay Maritime Person of the Year in 2019. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island, and holds the position of VP at the Narragansett Bay Propeller Club Board. John is a sought-after figure in the offshore wind community, frequently participating in trade missions, committees, interviews, and speaking engagements, where he passionately advocates for the industry’s growth and sustainability.

Matt Fuhrman is the Founder and CEO of Core Group Resources. He established the company with a vision to connect people with their passions through employment solutions, with the goal of creating a world with no unemployment. Guided by strong core principles like being God-Centered, conducting honest and integrity-driven business, and providing service above self-interests, the Houston-based company has been making an impact in staffing for over a decade by placing thousands of hopefuls with meaningful work. Outside of work, Matt is a devoted husband and father of four, actively involved in his church and cherishes quality time with his family and friends.

Daan Spikker leads product development at Teqplay, specializing in process optimization within terminals and maritime supply chains through data-driven improvements. A strong advocate for collaborative optimization, Daan emphasizes the importance of incorporating work-floor experience early in the process. He believes data must always be paired with context to deliver value to customers.

Spencer Pope serves as Product Manager, and Manager of Grant Acquisitions, for Taylor Machine Works, Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Mississippi. The Taylor portfolio features over 150 heavy industrial material handling equipment models, including Forklifts, Container Handlers, Reach Stackers, and many other heavy industrial machines. His tenure as Product Manager has spanned the development of many new products, including ZERO emissions battery electric Container Handlers, battery electric heavy Forklifts, and negative-lift Reach Stackers purpose-built to serve inland waterway barge applications.

Working to educate Taylor’s industrial customer base on new material handling technologies and air quality advancements is a responsibility that Spencer is passionate about. He works at the State and Federal levels to drive policy and encourage alternate sources of funding for these new technologies.

Spencer also serves as Co-Chairman of the National Association of Waterfront Employers’ “Environment, Energy, and Equipment (E3C) Committee”. In that role, he serves as voice of the American Manufacturers who play key roles in supporting our nation’s ports, waterways, and surrounding communities. Taylor Machine Works was instrumental in the development of dedicated container handling equipment almost 50 years ago and continues to innovate and meet the Port Industries’ material handling challenges today.

Léon Gommans co-founded Teqplay with the mission to expose & eliminate waste and risk in the maritime industry, by making data actionable and fostering collaboration. With Léon’s strong leadership, the Teqplay team has successfully digitized port call processes and developed digital twin technology that offers global vessel movement visibility, including port context and processes.

Léon believes that through combining technology, data, and knowledge of the maritime world, we can move the industry forward, increase sustainability, and continuously improve.

Randy Pugh is the Naval Postgraduate School’s Vice Provost for Warfare Studies and Director of NPS’ Naval Warfare Studies Institute. He served 34 years as a U.S. Marine, first as an enlisted Combat Engineer and then as a Signals Intelligence, Electronic Warfare, and MAGTF Intelligence Officer. He commanded Second Radio Battalion and Marine Corps Intelligence Schools. Heserved in combat in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Southern Philippines. He holds degrees from the U.S. Naval Academy, the Naval Postgraduate School, Marine Corps University, and the Naval War College.

Juan Carlos Paz Cárdenas is an outstanding professional with extensive experience in the port, shipping, logistics and waterway fields. He has played leadership roles in important public sector entities such as the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MTC), the Supervisory Body for Investment in Transportation Infrastructure (OSITRAN), the Superintendency of Land Freight Transportation (SUTRAN) and the Metropolitan Institute PROTRANSPORTE, as well as in the private sector.

Among its most notable projects are the key initiatives for the country’s port and logistics development, such as the projects to install the first gantry cranes in Callao, the port concessions of Salaverry and Yurimaguas, as well as the implementation of the Amazon Waterway and the Ferry Iquitos – Santa Rosa.

In addition, he has contributed as an international consultant to organizations such as the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Global Association for Maritime Transport Infrastructure (PIANC). He has extensive university teaching experience at the postgraduate level.

His experience is also reflected in his publications on port and waterway matters and his participation in port and shipping legislation.

Dr. Kenneth Christopher is Professor and Academic Program Director for the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Homeland Security and Emergency Management at National University, San Diego, CA. He served 28 years in law enforcement, including as a Captain with the Miami-Dade Police Department and as Chief of Seaport Security Enforcement of the Port of Miami, Florida. He helped to develop and teach the U.S. Maritime Administration/O.A.S., Inter-American Port Security Training Program. His research interests include cooperative leadership strategies securing seaports and is the author of the book Port Security Management, published by CRC Press.

Jim Towers is a Principal in Charge as well as a Senior Naval Architect and Marine Engineer at Elliott Bay Design Group. He has 45 years of marine experience in vessel design and construction with a specific emphasis on structure. He is a recognized industry expert in vessel design and has been a part of numerous vessel construction and refurbishment projects. Jim has worked for the Pacific Northwest’s top shipyards, where he developed his engineering talent and was involved in the construction of many high-speed aluminum vessels. Jim’s vast experience includes production and repair yard engineering and management as well as shipyard estimating and budget control. Jim is a past member and Chairman of the ASTM Marine Aluminum Committee B07 on Light Metals and Alloys.

Stephen Kelly is a Native of Northern Ireland, and Certified Port Executive.

Stephen joined Carver Companies in 2008 as the Vice President of Sales and Business Development. In 2019, Stephen was promoted to President of Sales and Business Development. Prior to coming to Carver Companies, Stephen owned and operated a heavy equipment company. This experience has been significant in taking Carver Companies from a site contractor to a world class operator of ports.

During Stephen’s tenure, he has been instrumental in the logistical planning of serval large bridge projects including the 45th Avenue, Willis Avenue, and the Tappan Zee replacement. Stephen’s experience has helped modularize power plant projects as well. Starting with building several air-cooled condensers weighing 350 Tons at the Port of Coeymans and barged to Astoria, NY. This project led to two 4000 Ton PSEG owned heat recovery steam generators also being assembled at Port of Coeymans and barged to Sewaren, NJ and Bridgeport, CT.

Stephen and the team are currently working diligently on multiple phases of the Gateway Program, including the Portal North Bridge project and the Hudson River Ground Stabilization project. They are also involved in offshore wind projects along the East Coast, collaborating with a range of offshore wind partners, OEMs, supply chain manufacturers, and logistics providers.

Stephen is continuously looking for port opportunities to enhance existing ports and fulfill Caver Companies vision.