Sea Education Association Appoints Dr. John Wigglesworth President

Veteran Educator, Mariner, and SEA Alumnus Takes Helm

 Woods Hole, MA – Jan. 12, 2023 – Sea Education Association (SEA) has announced the appointment of Dr. John Wigglesworth as President, effective immediately. Wigglesworth is a deeply experienced educator, mariner, SEA veteran, and alumnus (W-5). He has been acting as Interim  President since November of last year.

His 50-year career has been a blend of time with students living and working at sea and time teaching and learning with students in the secondary school classroom. In his career, he has embraced the courage to teach and strived to master the skills of good seamanship and leadership at sea.  He has been equally passionate about creating programs that inspire curiosity and understanding of the world’s oceans.

“John is a beloved figure in SEA circles. He knows our organization well, having served on the faculty, assistant dean for program development, and as interim dean on two occasions. He served as a trustee and overseer, and most recently as our interim president. He is ready, willing, able to take the helm at this important moment in our history,” said SEA Board Chair Jessica McWade.

“In that context,” McWade continued, “we are hitting the pause button on the overall presidential search process. John will serve as president for two years. We will be using that time to focus hard on core operating issues and setting the stage to resume the presidential search in a year or so. Let’s all do what we can to help John, the Senior Management Group, and the entire SEA team succeed in the days ahead.”

SEA celebrated its 50^th anniversary last year and continues as the only ocean science and seafaring program of its kind.  The anniversary coincides with SEA’s recently completed $24 million Capital Campaign and its much-expanded Woods Hole campus. The success of the Campaign supports SEA’s evolving and important role as a global teaching, learning, and research community dedicated to the exploration, understanding and stewardship of the ocean.

Wigglesworth has an Ed.M. (1985) from Harvard University in non-profit administration and management and an Ed.D. in Science Education (2000) from the Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development. John also holds United States Coast Guard 1600-ton Ocean Master Mariners License.

“I look forward to working with the wisdom and experience of our senior management team, faculty, staff and crew to develop the bold ideas and innovations necessary to help direct SEA toward a prosperous future,” said Wigglesworth.

About Sea Education Association (SEA)
Sea Education Association (SEA) is an internationally recognized leader in undergraduate, gap year, and high school ocean education. For 50 years and more than one million nautical miles sailed, SEA has educated students about the world’s oceans through its Boston University accredited study abroad program. SEA is based on Cape Cod in the oceanographic research community of Woods Hole, Massachusetts and has two research vessels: the SSV Corwith Cramer, operating in the Atlantic Ocean, and the SSV Robert C. Seamans, operating in the Pacific

Contact: Douglas Karlson, Director of Communications | 508-444-1918 | dkarlson@sea.edu | www.sea.edu

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