New Members, Officers Join CBMM’s Board of Governors

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md., is pleased to announce the election of new and returning members to its Board of Governors and Executive officers for its new fiscal year.

Elections to the Board include Andrea Dynes and Dr. Clara Small and returning member Deborah Lawrence. Dr. Frederick Hocker has been named an Honorary Governor, and officers for FY22–23 are Craig Fuller, Chair; Anne E. Mickey, Vice Chair; Richard Johnson, Treasurer; and David W. Reager, Secretary.

Andrea Fekkes Dynes is the Staff Vice President, International Trade & Compliance for General Dynamics (GD) Corporation and has worked at GD since 2004. In this role, she navigates complex and fluid regulatory and geopolitical environments and oversees GD’s enterprise risk management relating to international trade. She leads the corporate International Trade & Compliance Department, which oversees GD’s international trade compliance program and supports business worldwide, and is responsible for governance, budget, human capital management and continuous improvement. Prior to this role, for 15 years she served as the Staff Vice President and Associate General Counsel at GD, supporting the company’s international corporate and compliance matters.

She is recognized as a diplomatic change agent and serves as the Chair of the Defense Trade Advisory Group, a federal advisory committee to the U.S. Department of State. She also serves on several non-profit organizations relating to global and community betterment, with a focus on philanthropy, diplomatic relations, education, and material assistance to individuals experiencing poverty or homelessness. Prior to joining GD, she served as a lawyer with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (Of Counsel), Graham & James LLP (Associate), and the U.S. Department of Commerce (Attorney-Advisor).

Dynes has a BA in Criminal Justice from Indiana University, and a JD from The American University’s Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. She has lived in historic Alexandria, Va., since the mid-1980s, is the parent of two adult children, and has been a resident of Talbot County since 2016.

Dr. Clara Small, who has served on CBMM’s Curatorial Committee since 2021, is Professor Emerita at Salisbury University, where she spent 36 years teaching history in courses including World Civilizations, Civil Rights in American Society, African American History, and related topics. Prior teaching positions included two years at Saint Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, Va., and four years at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo. She received her BA and first MA in History from North Carolina Central University in Durham, and her second MA in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM. After starting her Doctorate at the University of Missouri, she began working at Salisbury University in 1977 (then Salisbury State University) and completed her Doctorate in History at the University of Delaware.

Dr. Small’s article, “Abolitionists, Free Blacks, and Runaway Slaves” was included in the book, A History of African-Americans on Maryland’s and Delaware’s Eastern Shore. She also authored a book titled, Reality Check: Brief Biographies of African-Americans on Delmarva, which was published by Salisbury [State] University Press and placed in all schools and libraries in the surrounding counties, and co-authored, with Rev. David Briddell, Men of Color, To Arms!: Manumitted Slaves and Free Blacks from the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland Who Served in the Civil War. Her other publications include Compass Points: Profiles and Biographies of African Americans from the Delmarva Peninsula, Vol. 1; They Wore Blue and Their Hearts Were Loyal: The United States Colored Troops of Dorchester County, Maryland, Slaves and Free Blacks Who Served in the Civil War, co-authored with Teresa M. Neild; Compass Points: Profiles and Biographies of African Americans from the Delmarva Peninsula, Vol. 2; and The Last Black Skipjack Captain: Captain Kermit Travers. Dr. Small’s latest book is Compass Points: Profiles and Biographies of African Americans from the Delmarva Peninsula, Vol. 3.

Dr. Small is presently researching the history of African Americans on the Eastern Shore and was appointed to serve on the Governor’s Commission to Coordinate the Study, Commemoration, and Impact of the History and Legacy of Slavery in Maryland. In 2011, she was appointed to the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture by then Gov. Martin O’Malley. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the University System of Maryland Regents’ Award for Public Service; the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore’s Frank H. Morris Humanitarian Award; the Faithful Service Award from Pi Gamma Mu, the International Honor Society for the Social Sciences; and the Harriet Tubman Lifetime Achievement Award. Since 2011, she has served as Second Vice-President of Pi Gamma Mu.

Deborah (Debbie) Lawrence retired as Vice President of Government Affairs from The Williams Companies, a Tulsa-based energy company in 2015, where she was the first female officer. Her responsibilities included representing Williams before Congress, federal regulatory agencies, and national trade associations. During her 35 years with Williams, she was recognized as a leader for her work on federal energy resource and transportation matters in Washington, D.C. She also had responsibilities for the company’s state government affairs staff. Prior to Williams, she worked for the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee.

Lawrence represented Williams at numerous trade associations, including the American Petroleum Institute and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America. She was recognized by the National Energy Resources Organization with a Lifetime Energy Industry Achievement Award.

Lawrence serves as a Regent for The Fund for American Studies, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., and previously served as a Governor of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum from 2015–2020, where she was Chair of the Governance Committee. She has also been a Board member for the national non-profit Rebuilding Together.

Lawrence received a BS in Textile Marketing from the University of Maryland, and a Law Degree from George Mason University Law School. She is married to Tom Lawrence and has two daughters and six grandchildren. She resides in Easton and Hyattsville, Md.

Honorary Governor Dr. Fred Hocker is the Director of Research at Sweden’s Vasamuseet/The Vasa Museum, where he has worked for 19 years. A leading maritime archaeologist, Dr. Hocker is the global authority on Vasa, a Swedish warship that sank on its maiden voyage in August 1628. Hocker spent time as a shipwright at Mystic Seaport before shifting into the academic world. He earned his PhD from Texas A&M University, where he also taught nautical archeology, and has written and edited countless works about archaeology and shipbuilding.

Dr. Hocker is CBMM’s Design Quality Advisor for its current Maryland Dove project, where he has been an invaluable resource. He has been a board member of the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, and when possible, serves as crew on the vessel.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to preserving and exploring the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and making this resource available to all.

Every aspect of fulfilling this mission is driven by CBMM’s values of relevance, authenticity, and stewardship, along with a commitment to providing engaging guest experiences and transformative educational programming, all while serving as a vital community partner. For more information, visit cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.