The Del-Mar-Va Council is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2023 Midshore Distinguished Citizen Award is Craig Fuller of Easton, MD The Del-Mar-Va Boy Scouts Council considers it a privilege and an honor to present him with this award. Recipients are selected for their outstanding service as evidenced by their leadership to many worthwhile organizations, as well as the respect and esteem in which they are held by their colleagues and community. The award will be presented to Craig on Friday, September 29th at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD with a 5pm cocktail reception.
Craig Fuller
Craig Fuller arrived in Washington, D.C. from California with the Reagan Administration in 1981. Almost immediately, he was drawn to the Chesapeake Bay and to the Eastern Shore. As a sailor at a very young age in California, he immediately found after his arrival to the area that the Chesapeake Bay and its limitless tributaries provided wonderful sailing and photographic opportunities.
However, it was public service that brought him to the region. He served eight years in the White House, first as Assistant to President Reagan for Cabinet Affairs before becoming Chief of Staff to Vice President George H.W. Bush during the second term of the Administration. After serving as a leader in the successful 1988 George H.W. Bush presidential campaign, he co-chaired the President-Elect Bush Transition in 1988 into 1989 and then entered the private sector in Washington, D.C. leading public affairs consulting firms, associations and serving as an officer of a major consumer packaged goods company.
As a life-long pilot, Craig was asked to lead the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association near the end of his professional career. He served as the president and CEO of AOPA until his retirement at the end of 2013, flying aircraft from a fabric covered two-seat back country airplane to the AOPA Cessna Citation jet. Following his full-time employment, he joined the boards of aviation-related companies; one, pioneering flight simulation for a wide variety of aircraft, and another company that has designed an electric powered aircraft for use in flight training.
Soon, a home in Easton became a full-time residence and by 2016 his engagement in the community began. He was elected to the board of Easton’s Academy Art Museum. And, not long after agreed to take on the chairmanship of their annual craft show. He would go on to become vice chair of the board.
His love of sailing and the water compelled him to become involved in the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. After being elected to the board of governors, not too much time passed before he became vice chair of the board and he now serves as board chair at CBMM. He also serves on the board of Benedictine.
Always one to enjoy communication and public affairs, the leading online newspaper, The Spy, offered an opportunity to first write commentary and now, for the past two years, to join a long-time friend Al From once a week in a discussion with The Spy’s Dave Wheelan about the issues of the day. Their program airs every Thursday.
Craig and his wife, Diane, enjoy their home on Trippe Creek with their three dogs and a Ranger Tug power boat named Tranquility.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.