Campus Directory

I began my career at sea in the U.S. Coast Guard. After completing my tour, I sailed as A.B. Seaman in tankers, container ships, breakbulk vessels, and offshore tugboats. I served with the San Francisco Bar Pilots from 1991-2000, where I became captain of the offshore pilot vessel California. I hold a license as Master, Steam or Motor Vessels of 200 tons (US) and Mate 1600 tons (US) and I'm an active full book member of the Sailors' Union of the Pacific (#2741).

As a student at Berkeley and Cornell my research in British Literature and Critical Theory was generously supported by fellowships from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Society for the Humanities at Cornell and the National Endowment for the Humanities. I wanted to understand how seafaring, so crucial to the development of colonies and nations, was represented in art and literature, and how the history of human engagements with the sea since the mid-eighteenth century have helped to develop culture. A recently published book chapter (2021) explores the dense social and material infrastructure in of marine transportation since the 1920's and the changing ideal of "autonomy," that tradition — and literature— celebrates as a central trope of maritime culture. In more recent public lectures and seminars, I have begun to explore  the concept and meaning of autonomy and "mastery,"  how these ideas have developed along with marine transportation, and what it means for the 21st century. Current projects include a study of the infrastructure of globalized marine transportation (ships, cranes, ports) since the eighteenth century as media.

My upper division literature and culture classes (Literature of the Sea; Globalization of Culture; Maritime Culture) are informed by these and related questions, and I encourage my students to become colleagues and join me in pursuing these issues in shared research projects. My lower-division courses (Intro to Literature; English Composition) are designed to help students in all majors get "up to speed" and build the skills necessary to advance their own academic and professional careers at Cal Maritime and beyond.

 My colleagues among the faculty recognized me with the Outstanding Teaching award in 2015, and a CSU "Educational Experience Enhancement" award with course release for providing exceptional service to the students. In 2017, I was honored with the President's Cabinet award, and in 2018 the faculty again recognized my work by selecting me for the award for Outstanding Service.

I am  an Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute.  I currently serve as Faculty Advisor to the Cal Maritime NI Club, NI@CMA. I have previously served as Executive Secretary of the Melville Society and both Chair and Secretary of the NI US West Coast branch.

I'm always happy to answer questions about my courses or my work, or our programs at Cal Maritime. Please see contact information, or drop by my office.

Introduction Video that I produced for the Spring 2021 pandemic online semester:

My Curriculum Vitae is HERE (link opens in new window)