Capt. Michael J. Rodriguez has been named as the 15th superintendent of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy at Texas A&M University at Galveston, effective immediately, announced Dr. Douglas Palmer, interim chief operations officer of Texas A&M-Galveston.
Rodriguez has been the deputy maritime administrator with the U. S. Maritime Administration since 2014. He joined the Maritime Administration from active duty as a Navy officer with the National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office. He brings nearly four decades of public and private maritime industry experience to the maritime academy.
“Captain Rodriguez brings over 37 years of public and private maritime industry experience to the maritime academy,” Palmer said in announcing the appointment. “This experience and his proven leadership will continue the momentum of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy as the nation’s premier maritime academy.”
Rodriguez graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy and sailed for 17 years as a merchant marine deck officer. In 1995, he became an application engineer with Nautical Technology Corporation before returning to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy as an Academy Training Representative in the Office of Professional Development and Career Services.
Rodriguez was responsible for preparing midshipmen for shipboard assignments and the administration of the academy’s internship program. He also played important roles integrating the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping into the academy’s curricula.
In 2001, Rodriguez joined the International Organization of Masters, Mates, and Pilots as the executive assistant to the president where he administered labor contracts and represented the organization and maritime labor in several national and international forums including the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Labor Advisory Committee and the International Maritime Organization.
In 2009, Rodriguez began service at the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. During his term with the committee, Rodriguez worked on a wide range of national maritime issues including navigation, maritime safety and maritime security.
Rodriguez was raised in Blue Point, NY. In addition to his Bachelor of Science Degree from the U.S. Maritime Academy, he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in business from the University of Baltimore and a Master of Business Administration Degree from Dowling College in New York. He has a wife and two sons.
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Texas A&M University at Galveston is a special-purpose campus of Texas A&M University offering undergraduate and graduate programs under the name and authority of Texas A&M University. With a distinct identity in marine themes, Texas A&M Galveston is intimately connected to the land grant mission of Texas A&M University and, as such, its academic programs and research initiatives are linked to finding basic and applied solutions in maritime affairs, science and technology, and ocean studies. The institution is under the management and control of the Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System. For more information, visit www.tamug.edu.
Media contact: Bob Wright, Marketing and Communications, Texas A&M University at Galveston. Office: 409-740-4840, Cell: 713-586-9870 Email: WrightB@TAMUG.edu.
