Courtesy / MMA
William J. Brennan
June 23, 2021
Maine Maritime Academy president will retire next summer after 12 years at the helm
By William Hall
The longtime president of Maine Maritime Academy, William J. Brennan, plans to retire next summer, at the end of the upcoming school year.
Brennan has served as president of the Castine college since 2010. The academy is forming a search committee to find a successor, who will probably be named in January, according to a news release.
“It is an exciting moment for me, but I really do have mixed emotions about the announcement,” Brennan said in the release. “This is truly the best job I have ever had. MMA’s mission, our students, and our staff and faculty — they all mean the world to me. Still, I feel this is the right decision for me and for the Academy.”
In a letter announcing his decision to Earle Cianchette, chairman of Maine Maritime’s board of trustees, Brennan described his love of the school and reflected on his tenure as the college’s 14th president.
“There have been no shortages of challenges,” Brennan wrote. “But together we have worked to strengthen the quality, appeal, and ongoing integrity of our programs; to strengthen our relationship with the community in which we reside; and to embed national best practices of college administration into all aspects of the daily work of the Academy.”
Cianchette wrote in an email to the college community: “President Brennan has proudly and steadfastly served the mission of this institution and carefully stewarded MMA’s reputation as a leader in maritime education. He has positioned us well for continued success. It is our collective responsibility to be sure that we select a President who continues to maintain our tradition of excellence and our commitment to ‘minds-on, hands-on’ education.”
Under Brennan’s leadership, Maine Maritime and the federal Maritime Administration have begun work to replace the school's training vessel, TS State of Maine, which is more than 30 years old. Construction of a $300 million ship was contracted out last year to a Philadelphia shipyard.
In a tragic irony, the work is overseen by TOTE Services, a Florida company whose cargo ship, SS El Faro, sank in a 2015 hurricane, killing five academy graduates and all 28 other crew members.
Maine Maritime, founded as a public university in 1941, has an enrollment of about 1,000 students.
Brennan, who was raised in Castine, is an authority on environmental policy relating to oceans, the atmosphere and maritime issues. Before his current role, he served as assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, as administrator of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and as commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
He began his career in the merchant marine, working on deck and in engine rooms, and also worked as a fisherman in Maine.
Brennan holds a doctorate in ecology and environmental sciences from the University of Maine, where he also earned his bachelor’s degree in marine biology.
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