CIMSEC is proud to present the official candidates for our 2016-2017 Officer positions. All candidates who accepted their nomination and were existing members of CIMSEC are listed below for the position they are nominated for followed by their self-provided qualifications and goals. Elections will open on Monday, June 27, and close on Friday, July 1. 

Vote Here 

President
Sally DeBoer

Qualifications

Having filled several roles for CIMSEC of both an editorial and administrative nature, I feel I have a good sense of the organization and the direction CIMSEC should take in the upcoming year. I believe strongly in what we are doing here and would not take the opportunity to build on the hard work and success of this year’s CIMSEC team lightly. CIMSEC will be my first professional priority. 

Goals

– Expand towards a truly global perspective: CIMSEC has been fortunate to receive submissions from a variety of sources all over the world. The success and popularity of the recent India in the Asia-Pacific topic week shows that CIMSEC has the potential to expand our audience internationally. In the coming year, I will work to develop our international chapters and relationships. Possible projects include further topic weeks and content sharing partnerships with like-minded partner organizations. I plan to achieve this through direct outreach and a more focused social media effort. 

– Further Scholarship: In the coming year, I would like for CIMSEC to host a writing competition for undergraduates. I would like to raise funds for a potential scholarship prize by working to increase donations and perhaps selling CIMSEC gear (pint glasses, t-shirts, notebooks, etc.) in an online storefront. By hosting such a competition, we can provide a platform for future maritime security thinkers and expand our audience in an academic setting. 

– Invest in Membership, Officers, and the future: As a volunteer organization, we depend on the efforts of our officers to continue growing. I will continue current President Matt Hipple’s efforts to empower members to become contributors and contributors to become volunteers. I would also like to expand our international chapters and increase turnout at member events. In this way, we can best guarantee the future of CIMSEC.

Vice President
Roger Misso

Qualifications

-Currently the incumbent, have seen the job for the past year and am ready to move out aggressively in a number of areas

Goals

-Institutionalizing our scholarship program, combined with a yearly fundraising campaign, to encourage younger participation in our maritime dialogues;
-More multimedia products, to include videos and innovative uses of social media (some of our contributors are already doing this and we want to continue to be their hub);
-Better connecting our membership throughout the world through meet-ups, virtual chats, and access to the facilities and materials they might need to both grow in knowledge and more fully participate in the great maritime debates.

Director of Online Content
Dmitry Filipoff

Qualifications

– Selected topic week issues and led topic week production
– Ensured new content was posted most weekdays
– Led CIMSEC editorial team
– Launched Write for CIMSEC page and Archives
– Solicited and edited contributions from numerous experts 

Goals

– Increase outreach to Coast Guardsmen, Marines, and service members of other militaries
– More topic week partnerships
– New Calls for Articles on current events
– Expand international audience and writers

Director of Publications
John Stryker

Qualifications

I will be a junior at the College of William and Mary this coming fall. I am pursuing majors in International Relations and in Hispanic Studies. In terms of my undergraduate education, I have background in international security, as well as a heavy dose of economics. I am additionally professionally proficient in Spanish.

I have worked with Matt Merighi and Dmitry Filipoff since last fall on publications. My work largely focuses on the fundamentals in production of CIMSEC compendiums, but I have also explored the complementary segments of compendium logistics and am myself looking to publish short- and long-form pieces on drug submarines. Finally, I am intrinsically detail-oriented, a characteristic I believe reflects well in publication.

Goals

– Better-develop a meticulous, standard compendium template to provide familiarity through uniformity and quicker publication that will churn out more pieces.
– Increase coordination with the Director of Online Content to brainstorm ways to include more diverse online content in publication, expanding the “Publications” tab, and reaching a larger audience via PDFs that are easily distributed beyond single blog posts. – Engage the Director of Social Media to include publication in efforts to expand CIMSEC’s reach.
– Work with other officers to query for and include less technical pieces in publication to engage audiences (such as myself) that are interested in naval issues, but can be overwhelmed by the specificity of our content; all of this of course without compromising this specialized work enjoyed by those in the field.
– Strive to improve CIMSEC and myself with hard work an eye to the future!

Director of External Relations
Mina Pollman

Qualifications

My background is in Asian security affairs, and I look forward to bringing my particular interests in island disputes and defense deals to the table. I have developed my expertise in these fields through my coursework at Georgetown University, as well as my research and writings for The Diplomat and publications for various other think tanks. Through my work for The Diplomat and independent research projects, I have developed the professionalism and enthusiasm to reach out to and engage with experts and practitioners around the world. I believe this skill set will help me increase CIMSEC’s collaboration with various other outlets and organizations as Director of External Relations. 

Goals

I would be interested in expanding CIMSEC’s list of “partnerships” and “suggestions.” I think there could be a greater focus on collaborating with organizations based in countries that are currently underrepresented. I also think a database of naval experts/professionals (including information such as their title, affiliation, research interests and contact information) could be a useful resource for members. I would also be interested in specifically soliciting pieces from female contributors. 

Director of Social Media
Christiaan Conover

Qualifications

For four years, I handled much of the U.S. Naval Institute’s social media – including the USNI Blog. In this position I became one of the early members of CIMSEC, and worked closely with a number of its members both on CIMSEC and other maritime security-related projects. I have also been in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve for eight years, with whom I am currently a BM2.

Goals

First, get our existing membership more involved in the organization, both writing and community-building. This builds on latent potential and enriches our network.

Second, increase CIMSEC’s visibility on social media – this is an area in which much improvement can be found, and we owe it to our writers and editors to increase their exposure. Increasing involvement will do this naturally, but we cannot rely on our membership alone.

Grow the membership of CIMSEC, especially among enlisted and junior officers. We already have a large membership base, so while this IS important, re-engaging our already existing membership takes priority (and will likely aid this third priority).

Director of Membership
Christiaan Conover 

See above.

Director of Operations
Jake Bebber

Qualifications

Cryptologic Warfare Officer, member of CIMSEC and frequent contributor.

Goals

Continue to expand CIMSEC’s role in the defense and maritime policy community.

I want to Make CIMSEC Great (Again? Still?)!

Treasurer
Jeff Betz

Qualifications

Served as interim Treasurer from October 2015 – May 2016.

Goals

I plan to expand the financial partnerships that CIMSEC engages in so that we may offer additional contests, scholarships, and opportunities for engagement and dialogue amongst scholars and practitioners in the maritime security community.

Secretary

Ashley O’Keefe

Qualifications