Tom Kies | President

Tom brings more than three decades of experience in publishing, communications, and community leadership to his involvement with the Friends of the Maritime Museum. After working for newspapers and magazines in New York and New England, he relocated to Carteret County in 2006 as publisher of NCCOAST Communications. In 2011, he became Executive Director of the Downtown Morehead City Revitalization Association.

In 2016, Tom assumed the role of President of the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce, serving until his retirement in November 2023. During that time, he served on numerous boards and committees, including the Economic Development Foundation, Public-School Foundation, Carteret County Broadband Task Force, Downtown Morehead City Board, and advisory committees for the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and NOAA’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. He also serves as President of the Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast, representing businesses from Maine to Florida.

Outside of his professional and civic work, Tom is an accomplished crime novelist with five published mysteries, including an Edgar-nominated novel, and teaches creative writing courses at Carteret Community College. He lives in Pine Knoll Shores with his wife, Cindy, and is the proud father of three grown children and four grandchildren.

Brad Baker | Vice President

A sailing and boating expert, Brad has over 50 years on and off the water in a wide range of boating activities. For the past two years, he has served as the Program Supervisor for our Junior Sailing Program.

Prior, he was the Head Instructor at ETYSA in New Bern, NC. He holds the following qualifications: 100 Ton USCG Master’s License with Towing & Sailing Endorsements, US Sailing Level 3 Instructor, and STEM Certified. He is currently the Head Boating Trainer at Freedom Boat Club and is a National Safe Boating Council Certified Instructor.

Brad is also a veteran advertising professional with over 40 years of marketing experience with some of the marine industry’s premier companies, including Mastercraft, Wellcraft, Tracker, Cigarette, Indmar, Bombardier Sea-Doo, Boating Magazine, and MarineMax. Highlights include strategic consulting, digital, social media, media buying, copywriting, print, and video production.

Sara Shelp | Treasurer

Sara has been a Carteret County resident since 2015 and retired in 2024 after a 27-year career in accounting and financial leadership. Most recently, she served as Corporate Controller for Meati, an alternative meat company, and as Vice President of Accounting and Business Operations for a data storage company. Her experience spans public and corporate accounting, supporting nonprofit organizations, technology and medical device companies, manufacturers, and small business owners.

In addition to her professional work, Sara serves on the Carteret Community College Business Administration and Accounting Programs Lay Advisory Committee and volunteers with the Pony Patrol, a joint program of the National Park Service and the Foundation for Shackleford Horses.

Sara and her husband, Bill, live in Morehead City with a lively assortment of animals. When she’s not volunteering, she enjoys hiking on Shackleford Banks and riding her ElliptiGo around Morehead City.

nANCY tEBEAU | SECRETARY

Nancy brings a diverse background in science, community engagement, and preservation to her involvement with the Friends of the Maritime Museum. Trained as a marine biologist and fish disease specialist, she conducted research on the impacts of pollution and toxins on freshwater and saltwater environments.

Throughout her career, Nancy has also been a small business owner and community advocate. As the owner of a bookstore in Wake Forest, North Carolina, she shared her love of reading with local families, and through her work with the Wake Forest Downtown Revitalization Corporation—first as a board member and later as an employee—she helped plan community events and supported small business and economic development. As a long-time volunteer with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and the North Carolina Maritime Museum, she has combined her passion for science and preservation by digitizing and archiving historic photographic records.

Nancy and her husband discovered Beaufort many years ago and were drawn to the community’s strong connection to the natural environment and shared opportunities to learn, explore, and contribute. They now call Scallop Island home and are grateful to be part of the Beaufort community.

Liz Kopf | Advisor

Liz 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.

Chris Brust | Member

Chris is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and served as Captain of the 1982 NCAA Championship Basketball Team, bringing a lifelong foundation of leadership, teamwork, and excellence to his service with the Friends of the Maritime Museum.

After relocating to Beaufort in 2022, Chris became an active supporter and volunteer, particularly at the Watercraft Center, where he enjoys helping preserve the region’s rich maritime traditions. He believes the Museum plays a vital role in Beaufort’s past, present, and future through educational programs that engage both children and adults in the area’s seafaring heritage.

Professionally, Chris spent more than 30 years in the automotive industry, advancing into senior leadership roles including General Sales Manager. He and his wife, Mary Ellen Holleran—owner of Holleran Coastal Real Estate—enjoy restoring coastal homes and supporting Friends events. As a father of three and proud grandfather of four, Chris is deeply invested in the community and its future.

Paul Crenshaw | Member

Paul brings a strong background in public service, governance, and law to his involvement with the Friends of the Maritime Museum. His professional experience includes work with the Carteret County District Attorney’s Office, as well as prior legal and leadership roles detailed in his résumé.

In addition to his professional career, Paul served approximately eight years as a Board Member of Fayetteville Urban Ministry and as a member of the Paralegal Advisory Board at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina, helping ensure the program’s American Bar Association accreditation. He also served two terms on the Cumberland County Alcohol Beverage Control Board, including one year as Chairman, overseeing operations and personnel decisions for ten county ABC stores.

Paul and his wife, Katie, relocated to Beaufort full time in 2023 after first visiting in 2021. Since then, they have become active members of the community through Beaufort Oars and engagement with the Maritime Center. Paul looks forward to contributing his experience, leadership, and commitment to service in support of the Friends of the Maritime Museum.

Paul DiGiacomo | Member

Paul has been a Beaufort resident since March 2022, after growing up in Brooklyn, New York, and later living in Chicago. He currently serves as Managing Editor of U.S. Editorial & Digital Image Assets at Stats Perform, the world leader in sports content and data.

Paul and his wife, Nicole DiGiacomo, are active supporters of the Beaufort community as Oak Tree Benefactors of the Olde Beaufort Farmers’ Market and Heritage Club Members of the Beaufort Historical Association. Nicole also serves on the board of the Beaufort Historical Association and is a former board member of the Olde Beaufort Farmers’ Market and the Beaufort Business Association..

Paul serves as Deputy Grand Knight of Council 8143 of the Knights of Columbus in Morehead City, where he organizes charitable initiatives and service projects that benefit residents throughout Carteret County. He is deeply committed to community service and is honored to support the Friends of the North Carolina Maritime Museum in preserving and sharing the region’s maritime heritage.

MICHAEL DYKSTRA | Member

Michael 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.

RENDON NELSON | Member

Michael 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.

RANDY PARKER | Member

Randy 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.

GEORGE STANZIALE | Member

George is an urban designer and landscape architect with more than 45 years of experience working nationally and internationally on complex development and planning projects. He holds degrees in Architecture from Miami Dade College and Landscape Architecture and Urban Design from Louisiana State University.

A Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, George has held senior leadership roles at prominent design firms and currently serves as President of Stanziale Development Strategies, PC. Since retiring to Beaufort, he has remained active in the community, serving on the Beaufort Planning Board and contributing to major local projects, including the Maritime Museum Master Plan and Gallants Channel Education Center.

George and his wife, Linnie Causey, have three adult children and four grandchildren. He enjoys landscape photography, boating, fishing, and golf.