Friends of the Museum
NC Maritime Museum, Inc.
2025 Board of Directors

TOM KIES
PresidenT

After working for newspapers and magazines in New York and New England for thirty years, Tom moved to Carteret County in 2006 as publisher of NCCOAST Communications, a regional magazine publisher and commercial printing facility. In 2011, Tom became the executive director of Downtown Morehead City Revitalization Association.

He took on the role of President of the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce in 2016 and retired in November 2023.  While with the chamber, Tom served on the boards of the Economic Development Foundation, the Transportation Committee, the Public-School Foundation, the Reentry Council, the Small Business Resource Alliance, the NC Aquarium at PKS Advisory Committee, the Carteret County Broadband Task Force, and the Downtown Morehead City Board of Directors. 

He also sits on the NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Board and has served as the President of the Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast, since 2016 representing 43,000 businesses from Maine to Florida.

In his spare time, Tom is a crime novelist, having published five mysteries, one of which was Edgar-nominated by the Mystery Writers of America last year for the Sue Grafton Memorial Award. He also teaches Creative Writing courses for Carteret Community College.

Tom lives with his wife, Cindy, in Pine Knoll Shores and is the father of three grown children and four grandchildren.

bOB TERWILLIGER
VICE President (interim)

Bob Terwilliger holds a B.A. degree from Hartwick College. Prior to his retirement from AT&T in 2017, his career spanned 40+ years in telecommunications and associated services. He provided executive management oversight for sales, operations, and engineering.

Bob was active in several areas of local government in Beaufort. He chaired the Historic Preservation Commission and was the vice chairman of the Board of Adjustment. In addition, he was a member of the Beaufort Rotary and directed their annual Road Race every July. He is also an active member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, where he serves as a Staff Officer specializing in navigation aids management and vessel safety.

Bob sees the Maritime Museum as being a cornerstone of the Beaufort character and lifestyle. It educates residents and visitors alike on the maritime history of this area and the general marine environment. In his role on the Board, his goals are to increase awareness of the Museum and its benefits and to help facilitate the expansion of the museum onto the Gallants Channel site.

Bob and his wife Kathie have three grown children and four grandchildren. They enjoy travelling, with their favorite destination being Italy. In addition, boating, golf and friends are the main focus of their retirement.

VACANT
Treasurer

To be filled January 2025

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Beth Beswick
Secretary

Beth Beswick recently retired as Vice President of Human Resources and Community Relations at Carteret Health Care where she has worked for the past 40 years. She has called Beaufort home for 19 years. She was born in Chapel Hill, NC and grew up in Greensboro. She obtained her nursing undergraduate degree and Masters in Healthcare Administration from UNC Chapel Hill. She began her career at Duke in the Neurosurgical Intensive Care unit and then moved to Carteret County in 1979 where she and her husband could be closer to the boating activities they loved. She worked as a nurse manager in Critical and Progressive Care for 8 years before moving into Human Resources. Beth enjoys doing leadership training, coaching and staff development. She is active in her church and serves on the Board of the Broad Street Clinic as well as other volunteer activities.  She has a grown son, Michael, who lives in Wilmington and a black lab named Jepp. In her spare time, she loves to swim in the ocean, read, fly airplanes, travel and cook for friends.

ALI CIAMPA

Allison (Ali) Ciampa has lived in Beaufort for three years after moving with her husband Dave from their home of 25 years in Cary, NC. Ali grew up in Smithfield, NC, and enjoyed many summers on the Crystal Coast with her family. She attended UNC Chapel Hill, graduated with a degree in Communications and immediately moved to New York City. She began her modeling career at Elite agency, also spending time in Paris and Zurich working for Prestige and Fotogen agencies while there. Ali moved back to North Carolina after marrying Dave in 1983.

As a working mom, Ail raised 3 children and continued to model while living in Charlotte and Cary. When the kids were grown, she started a retail clothing business in Cary in 2006, as the Co-Owner and Founder of Ciao Bella Boutique, which she ran through 2011. She was active in the community, supporting Mission House as the President of their board, First United Methodist Church activities, and volunteering at Rex Hospital, which became a part-time job in their retail shop. She currently works part-time at Beaufort Linen Company.

In her free time, Ali loves to play golf, go boating, spend time with her kids and grandkids, and enjoying her new friends in Beaufort over fine food and wine. She feels strongly connected to the Beaufort community which has embraced her move with open arms. Her family connections include Nan and Hugh Cullman, her deceased aunt and uncle, who were benefactors of many worthy causes in the local community, including the Friends of the Maritime Museum, and she wants to honor them in their legacy of service. Ali looks forward to sharing her ideas and enthusiasm with fellow board members of the Friends of the Maritime Museum. 

MICHAEL DYKSTRA

Michael Dykstra was a research professor at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine from 1984-2014.  He then worked at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences from 2016-2019.  He currently is associated with the Center for Marine Sciences and Technology in Morehead City as an emeritus professor.

During his career at NC State, he ran a service laboratory that contracted work from the pharmaceutical industry, where he evaluated animal sample from pre-clinical trials and wrote reports that  brought funds into his laboratory for equipment upgrades from 1987-2014.  He assisted people with their research, handled all fiscal matters for the laboratory, published numerous scientific papers, wrote and published three textbooks about microscopy, and wrote chapters on medical mycology and general mycology for several books.  Starting in the 1980s he began devoting a significant amount of his time to a variety of volunteering efforts.

He moved to Beaufort in 2018 and subsequently became heavily involved in various activities associated with the Maritime Museum.

LEE HINSON

Lee Hinson is a native of Lexington, NC where he attended high school and then on to UNC Chapel Hill for a degree in Business Administration. While being professionally employed, he began a very successful service business in the Piedmont Triad area that quickly became his “career” for 35 years.

Lee spent much time at the coast sailing and enjoying other water related activities. He and his life partner of 34 years enjoyed a part time getaway in Beaufort for many years before they retired in 2010 and moved full time to Dockside Resorts on the Morehead City waterfront

Lee began his NCMM relationship as a volunteer with the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort in 2012. Lee and Dean are very proud of jointly receiving the Museum’s Volunteer of the Year award in 2014 and they are also very active with the Friends of the Maritime Museum, including fundraising events, chairing the popular Boat Shoes & Bow Ties fundraiser and serving your favorite beverages at Friends functions.

Lee also served as board chairman of Downtown Morehead City, Inc and was involved with economic development and strategic planning. He was also Chairman of the Downtown Morehead City Design Committee and responsible for initiating arts projects in the downtown area with the goal of making it a walking arts district.

LIZ KOPF

Liz Kopf grew up visiting Beaufort from a young age and fell in love with the town early on. After working as a lobbyist and political consultant in Raleigh and Washington, she moved to Beaufort to follow an entrepreneurial path. Liz is now the owner of the Turner Street Market and Backstreet Pub. She is passionate about community building and enjoys serving on a number of non-profit boards as well as organizing unique events in Beaufort. Liz is a long-time supporter of the Friends and the various events we put on. She is interested in becoming more involved in the planning and execution of events as well as bringing her vast catalogue of relationships to bear in assisting the Friends to expand their presence and visibility in the community.

RENDON NELSON

Rendon Nelson recently retired from the Duke School of Medicine after 30 years as faculty in the Department of Radiology. During this time, he enjoyed the pleasure of holding several administrative positions including Division Chief of Abdominal Imaging, Vice-Chair of Academic Affairs and Vice-Chair of Research. The balance of clinical radiology, teaching, research and administration all contributed to a very enjoyable and rewarding time at Duke. In 2006, Rendon had the honor of being bestowed the title of Reed and Martha Rice Distinguished Professor of Radiology and in 2016, a joint appointment as Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Material Science. Perhaps one of his favorite things about his academic job was teaching and mentoring medical students, resident and fellows. He received several teaching awards over the years and in 2021 was nominated by Aunt Minnie.com, a global news company focused on radiology, as the Teacher of the Year. In addition, the Research fellowship for young international radiologists Rendon started over 20 years ago was recently named the Rendon C. Nelson, Bracco Research Fellowship.

In 2010, he started VoxelMetrix, a consulting firm which provided imaging expertise for the drug development industry. Last year, that company was acquired.

Rendon is passionate about sailing and has owned several different boats over the years, including a Hobie-16 during Medical School, a US-25 during residency, a J-24 while on faculty and a RS-Venture since moving to the coast.

RANDY PARKER

Randy Parker retired from Guildford Technical Community College in 2019 as President after 40 plus years in community college education. He has worked at three community colleges in North Carolina – Vance-Granville Community College where he served as President and Lenoir Community College where he served for 25 years in a variety of positions, his final position being Vice President of the college.

Other jobs and roles he has had include Professional Engineer, farmer, warehouse shipping management, and retail management for a total of approximately fifty years in the workforce. He has three engineering degrees, one each from the following colleges – Lenoir Community College, UNC Charlotte, and NC State where he completed his Master of Mechanical Engineering degree. He also has a doctorate from NC state in Higher Education Community College Leadership.

Randy is a native of Craven County where he was born in New Bern and graduated from Havelock High School. He has two daughters who live and work in Greenville and New Bern respectively, and three grandsons. He and his wife are moving to the area where they both grew up coming to the beach and have been coming all their adult life to enjoy the beach and surrounding communities. He has been enjoying his retirement traveling,  taking long road trips, going to DPAC and cooking.

SARA SHELP

A Carteret County resident since 2015, Sara retired from a 27-year career in accounting in 2024, most recently working for Colorado-based companies as the corporate controller for Meati, an alternative meat company, and for a data storage company as Vice President of Accounting and Business Operations.  She’s practiced in both public and corporate accounting, serving nonprofit clients, technology and medical device companies, manufacturing companies, and small business owners and startups. Sara is a Carteret Community College Business Administration & Accounting Programs Lay Advisory Committee member and a Pony Patrol volunteer (a National Park Service and Foundation for Shackleford Horse joint program).

Sara and her husband Bill reside in Morehead City with a menagerie of animals.  If the sun is out, you’ll likely find Sara hiking on Shackleford Banks or riding her ElliptiGo in Morehead City.

GEORGE STANZIALE

George Stanziale is a highly experienced urban designer and Landscape Architect with more than 48 years experience having worked nationally and internationally on significant development projects ranging from hotel and resort, residential and golf communities, mixed use, multi-family, and commercial, healthcare, and college and university projects. George is a graduate in Architecture from Miami Dade College and an advanced degree in Landscape Architecture and Urban Design from Louisiana State University.

George has led design and development teams through the conceptual design, master planning, zoning, and entitlement phases of complex projects by developing strong working and personal relationships with city and county appointed and elected officials and staff. He has been highly successful in leading and building consensus in neighborhood and public meetings, resulting in more efficient and successful entitlements, always with design integrity, and equity, as its foundation.

George is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects and has been recognized for his leadership in design and business. George has been a design leader and Principal at EDSA, an internationally renowned firm based in Fort Lauderdale, FL, co-founder and Managing Principal at HadenStanziale, PA, a Planning, Landscape Architecture and Civil Engineering firm based in Durham and Charlotte, NC, President and Chair of Stewart, a multi-disciplinary Design and Engineering firm based in Raleigh, NC and has retired to Beaufort and is currently President of Stanziale Development Strategies, PC, a master Planning, Landscape Architecture, Entitlements and business development advisory firm.

George’s projects have been awarded by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), The North Carolina chapter of ASLA, the White House during the Clinton administration, and various city and county commission awards.

George has served on corporate, college and university and municipal boards and commissions and currently serves on the NC State University College of Design Board, currently serving on the Board of Trustees of William Peace University in Raleigh, NC. He is currently serving on the Beaufort Planning Board and has completed the Beaufort Gateways Master Plan, the Maritime Museum Master Plan, and is currently serving on the design team for phase one of the Maritime Museum’s Gallants Channel Education Center and site work, and the Beaufort Housing Authority Multi-Family Housing expansion projects, as well as several significant residential designs and the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church masterplan and courtyard design.

George and his wife, Linnie Causey, have three adult children and four grandchildren. He is an experienced and avid landscape photographer, loves to be on his boat, fishing and playing golf.

NANCY TEBEAU

Nancy Tebeau has worn many hats throughout her life. As a marine biologist and fish disease specialist, she researched impacts of pollutions and toxins on our freshwater and saltwater environments. As a bookstore owner, she shared her love of the written word with the children and residents of Wake Forest, NC. As a board member, and then as an employee, of the Wake Forest Downtown Revitalization Corporation, she planned Christmas Parades, storytelling and street festivals, and supported small business and community economic development. As a long-term NC Museum of Natural Sciences and currently as a NC Maritime Museum volunteer, she has combined her love of science and passion for preservation by digitizing and archiving historic photographic records.

When Nancy and her husband discovered Beaufort many years ago they fell in love with the community that reflected their shared appreciation for the natural environment and had abundant opportunities to explore, learn, and contribute. When the opportunity arose, they were fortunate to establish their forever home on Scallop Island.

Millie Warren

Millie Warren is a native of Goldsboro, NC.  She attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA, and then completed her undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University. After college, she was the recipient of the Intramural Research Training Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She did critical care research at the NIH in Bethesda, MD, before attending medical school at East Carolina University (ECU). She completed her internship in Pediatrics at ECU and completed her Dermatology residency at Eastern Virginia Medical School. She now practices full-time here in Carteret County with Eastern Dermatology and Pathology.

Millie and her husband, Willis, live just outside of Morehead City with their two children, Betts and Hugh. Millie spent many summers learning to sail at Camp Seafarer and in the British Virgin Islands with Sail Caribbean. She was a Junior Sailing instructor here in Beaufort for several summers and her children have followed in her footsteps by attending the Junior Sailing Program since 2021!

Ex-Officio Members:

Maria Vann
Director of Maritime Museums (Beaufort, Hatteras, Southport)

Vacant
Maritime Museum Site Manager

Brent Creelman
Director of Operations

David Daly
Director of Development & Communications

Kim Urbanczyk
Port Of Call Museum Store Manager

BOARD MEMBER DOCUMENTS 2025