Government, industry, labor and education leaders gathered at Cal Poly Maritime Academy on Sept. 10 for a maritime summit focused on strengthening the nation’s maritime industry and building the workforce needed to support its future.

Hosted by U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, the summit brought together federal, state and local officials with maritime industry leaders to discuss U.S. maritime competitiveness, the Bay Area’s industrial capacity and opportunities to expand career pathways into the Blue Economy.

Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong welcomed participants to the Solano Campus before opening remarks from Garamendi and a keynote address from Stephen Carmel, administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD). MARAD provides the federally owned training ships to the nation’s state maritime academies, including Cal Poly Maritime Academy’s Training Ship Golden Bear and its replacement, Golden State.  

Carmel joined senior federal maritime and defense leaders for a discussion on building a more resilient and competitive U.S. maritime future. Participants included Thomas “Jack” Moreau of U.S. Transportation Command, Rear Adm. Todd Nicholson of Military Sealift Command and Rear Adm. Robert Compher of the U.S. Coast Guard. The panel explored the infrastructure, training and leadership needed to strengthen the nation’s maritime capabilities and prepare for future challenges and opportunities.

The summit comes as Cal Poly expands its role in regional maritime workforce and economic development. Cal Poly Maritime Academy recently received $5.8 million in California Jobs First funding to advance maritime workforce and industry development initiatives in Solano County and the surrounding region from Governor Newsom’s Jobs First initiative. 

The investment will support development of a maritime career pathway connecting schools, community colleges, apprenticeships and four-year degrees, as well as a new innovation center on Mare Island designed to connect industry with technical assistance, shared lab space and equipment, and potential investors.

That investment closely aligned with the summit’s discussions. One panel highlighted the breadth of the maritime industrial base in the San Francisco Bay Area and opportunities to strengthen regional supply chains and maritime capabilities. Another focused specifically on growing the maritime workforce and creating pathways into high-quality maritime careers.

Corey Cook, vice president and CEO of Cal Poly’s Solano Campus, joined representatives from labor and industry for the workforce panel. The summit concluded with a discussion of local and state strategies for maritime growth featuring state Sen. Tim Grayson, Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson, Vallejo Mayor Andrea Sorce and Gabrielle Stevenson of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.

The event underscored Cal Poly Maritime Academy’s growing role in bringing education, government and industry together to strengthen California’s maritime economy and prepare the next generation of maritime professionals.