LEONARD H. TYLER, B.S., M.S.

Leonard H. Tyler, a faculty member and administrator at Maine Maritime Academy since 1969, was appointed President of the Academy by a unanimous vote of the board of trustees on March 21, 1995. He had served on an interim basis since August 1994, following the retirement of Kenneth M. Curtis.

Over the years, he has served the Academy in a variety of roles, including dean of admissions, director of conferences and institutes, director of the Center for Advanced Maritime Studies and vice president for external affairs. As president, his administration has been highlighted by the acquisition of a state-of-the-art training ship, by record enrollment, and by the launching of a $22 million capital campaign, the most extensive ever conducted by a maritime college.

A native of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Tyler earned bachelor's and master's degrees at Ithaca College and is a graduate of the Colby College Management Institute. He completed sabbatical internships with Keystone Shipping Co., Trinidad Shipping Co., and the American Institute of Shipping. He also interned with the U.S. Maritime Administration and with the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, U.S. House of Representatives.

Tyler joined MMA in July 1969 as an assistant professor of health and physical education and assistant football coach. He later became Director of Financial Aid, Assistant Director of the Center for Advanced Maritime Studies, and Director of Conferences and Institutes.

In 1977 he was appointed Dean of Admissions, and in 1987 became Vice President for External Affairs. In that office, he directed "On Course for Greatness: The Campaign for Maine Maritime Academy." The fund drive, the most extensive ever attempted by a maritime college, raised $12 million. Today, through Tyler's leadership of the college's $22 million capital campaign, "Enhancing a Legacy of Excellence", extensive campus expansions and renovations are underway.

He founded the Downeast College Consortium and served as its president, 1982-86. In the mid-1980s, he served as an evaluator of California Maritime Academy, appointed by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Tyler served as a founding officer of the International Association of Maritime Universities in 1999. The organization seeks to establish a worldwide network among maritime universities of excellence and to enhance the safety of international ocean traffic the establishment of an international maritime society to promote the scientific and academic approach to maritime education and training. Sponsored by The Nippon Foundation of Tokyo, Japan, IAMU was established as a non-profit organization by seven maritime universities representing the various regions of the world. Today the organization is comprised of more than 40 member institutions. Tyler served as chairman of IAMU in 2002-2003 and currently serves as chairman. In the post, he is the first person to serve a second term as IAMU's top executive.

A former member of the Board of Directors of Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, Tyler is engaged in civic and professional service in a variety of organizations. He serves on the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Post Secondary Education and the Governor's Task Force to Create a Seamless Pre-Kindergarten through Sixteenth Grade Educational System He is a member of the Boards of Directors of the Association of State Maritime Academies, the Maine Boat Building Council, and Maritime Maine. He currently serves as a member of the capital campaign committee of the Katahdin Area Boy Scout Council. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Bureau of Shipping, and is a incorporator of Bangor Savings Bank.

An avid golfer and sports enthusiast, Tyler resides in Castine with his wife, Bonnie. They have two daughters and six grandchildren.