Maritime Exchange board names George McCarthy to succeed Lisa B. Himber as President

The Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay is pleased to announce that George McCarthy (USN, ret.) will assume the President’s position on the retirement of Lisa B. Himber on December 31, 2024. Himber is stepping down after 36 years with the organization.

“I am extremely pleased that George McCarthy has been selected to become President of the Maritime Exchange effective January 1, 2025. George brings a vast amount of knowledge to the Exchange from his commercial and military background. I look forward to working with him,” said Exchange Board Chairman John Reynolds.

McCarthy is a third generation merchant mariner and naval officer with extensive ship, tug, and barge operations experience handling petroleum, bulk, containerized cargo, and vehicles. He also has diverse port knowledge resulting from his tenure at the port in Houston, as well as his various organizational interactions with maritime committees spill response groups, Customs, and USDA. His skill set also includes interactions with numerous national agency committees, such as Coast Guard, National Safety Council, and others with a focus on establishing maritime information exchange policies between industry and government. His participation included testimony/presentation to the National Security Council's sub-committee for Maritime Domain Awareness and to the International Maritime Organization's sub-committee on the open sharing of commercial vessel automatic identification system information.

McCarthy is also bilingual and multicultural. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and then lived in Paris, France for eleven years due to his family's extensive U.S. diplomatic service. His father was a U.S. Maritime attaché to South America and then Europe, and his sister recently retired from a long career with the State Department after serving most recently as U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania.

His education includes an MBA in Finance & International Trade from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. He has a Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation and a U.S. Coast Guard 3rd Officer Deck License from Texas A&M University in Galveston, Texas. He also has post master’s level diplomas in Joint Operations from Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia and in National Strategy & Policy from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

“I am both honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve as President of the Maritime Exchange. My deep family maritime heritage and own experience working in this dynamic shipping world of ours have me eagerly anticipating the chance to meet and work with all stakeholders of the Delaware River as we together, begin the Maritime Exchange’s next 150 years,” McCarthy said.

Please join the Exchange in welcoming George McCarthy as its next President.