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16 Maritime Professional 3Q 2011Crowley Maritime?s announcement that Suz Michel had assumed the role of vice president of safety andlearning probably surprised no one inside the of theprivately held family and employee-owned 119-year-old firm. Outside Crowley, those not familiar with their newest high profile executive are about to find out why the position that gives her oversight for both the Safety, Security, Quality & Environmental (SSQE) and People Development & Learning (PDL) groups at Crowley is so important. In 2004 Michel joined Crowley in an SSQE role focused on regulatory safety training. In 2007, she was promoted to director of PDL. And, in 2008, she received the company's highest honor, the Thomas Crowley Trophy. In the wake of her most recent promotion, Michel told MarPro, ?My interesthas been to help people and groups learn so they can have an impact on the larger organization.? In July, we asked her to expand upon that theme and a couple more. Her responses to our queries provide a unique look into the progressive human resources approach of one of America?s largest and oldest maritime employers. TELL US ABOUT YOUR EDUCATION AND CAREER PATH AND HOW IT EVOLVED INTO YOUR CORE FOCUS OF ?DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND PRO- MOTING LEARNING.?I have an undergrad degree in Education from Concordia University in Irvine. I actually started out as a Director of Christian Education for the Lutheran church working with youth and adults. After I finished my graduate degree in Industrial Psychology and Organizational Development, I spent time in several industries; and finally the maritime industry. When I came to Crowley, I was pretty transparent about my inability to tell one end of the vessel from the other. At the time, they were looking for someone to provide pro- fessional training and development support for an oil response training program in Valdez. My first exposure to the fleet was on an oil response barge in Prince William Sound in brutal winter winds. The crew helped me step from the pigeon holes of the barge over the side of the icy tug. I flopped onto the deck like a salmon. I was absolutely hooked on Crowley from that moment on...no pun intended. THE MOVE TO HQ PUTS YOU CLOSER TO THE CORPORATE FOLKS WITH WHOM YOU WILL FORMULATE THE DIRECTION OF TRAINING, BUT ALSO PUTS YOU FARTHER AWAY FROM THOSE EMPLOYEES THAT YOU HOPE TO HELP. DO YOU ANTICIPATE A BUSIER TRAVEL SCHEDULE, OR WILL YOUR NEW ROLE FOCUS PRIMARILY ON POLICY DECISIONS? We?re a diverse organization spread out over land and water ? travel is part of staying connected to the business. I?ve been on every type of Crowley vessel and in most of our offices from Alaska to Puerto Rico. The benefit of being close to the operation is that the crew and terminal employees keep us honest about the relevance and effectiveness of our programs. PProfile Suz Michel, VP, Safety & Learning Crowley Maritime MarPro Profile MP #3 (1-17):MP Layouts 8/17/2011 8:34 PM Page 16