Mayor Micciche has lived around and been on the waters of Cook Inlet since 1982. He has served in many capacities around the water, including managing the ConocoPhillips Kenai LNG Waterfront Facility in Nikiski, being a Commercial Drift fisherman in Cook Inlet for the past 25 years, and currently serving on the Alaska Sea Life Center Board of Directors. Peter has served on the Area Maritime Security Committee for the USCG, as well as the Alaska Partnership for Infrastructure Protection. He graduated with a BA from Alaska Pacific University with a focus on business. Peter served as the Mayor of Soldotna, Alaska from 2008 until 2013, and was elected to serve as the Alaska State Senate representing District O on the Kenai Peninsula in Chair of Senate Finance and Co-Chair of Senate Energy. He now serves as the Mayor of the Kenai Peninsula Borough after being elected in February 2023. Peter is married to Erin Micciche, and they have four daughters ranging in ages from 20 years to 15 months. Senator Micciche and his family enjoy the sustenance and bounty of the natural resources of Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay where they often recreate in the summer months.

Captain Ward began his career at sea upon graduating from Maine Maritime Academy in 1980 when he began sailing out of the Masters Mates and Pilots Union hall. He focused on tankers with Maritime Overseas Corp. and worked his way up to Master Unlimited on their TAPS Vessels. Sailing into Valdez in 1990 as Chief Officer, he became enamored of Alaska and moved to Homer in 1993 to train with Southwest Alaska Pilots Association. He has been a state and federally licensed pilot with SWAPA since 1997 and served four terms as Association President. He has served as president of Middle Rock Inc. for ten years and has commissioned and overseen the construction and personally delivered the two pilot vessels in service in Valdez. Captain Ward currently serves as Chair of the Anchorage Port Commission, Maine Maritime Alumni Association Board of Directors, and served four years on the Alaska Board of Marine Pilots. Ron and Lori, his wife of 39 years have two grown daughters and two grandchildren. They split their time between Anchorage in the winter and Homer in the summer season.

Michael Munger has been the Executive Director of Cook Inlet RCAC since 2003 after serving 2 years as CIRCAC’s Director of Operations. Mike brings over 39 years of experience working with the oil industry in Alaska, both in Cook Inlet and the North Slope. Prior to Cook Inlet RCAC, he was with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation during which time he served as an Environmental Specialist responsible for regulatory oversight of all Cook Inlet exploration, production, and refining facilities.

Captain Paul Mehler serves as the Senior Port Captain for Marathon Petroleum, where he oversees all marine operations across the Alaska region. In this role, he ensures safe, efficient, and compliant maritime logistics in one of the most dynamic and strategically significant environments in the United States.

Prior to joining Marathon Petroleum, Captain Mehler honorably served over 25 years in the United States Coast Guard, culminating in his final assignment as Sector Commander and Captain of the Port for Western Alaska and the U.S. Arctic. In this capacity, he led multi-mission operations across a vast and complex area of responsibility, including critical oversight of safety, security, environmental protection, and emergency response for the Arctic maritime domain.

Throughout his distinguished Coast Guard career, Captain Mehler held a series of high-impact assignments, including: United States Senate Fellow – Senior Maritime Advisor, providing subject matter expertise on national maritime policy; Commanding Officer, Marine Safety Unit (MSU) Chicago, where he led regulatory and response operations across the Great Lakes; Coast Guard Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, facilitating interagency coordination at the national level; Operations Officer, International Training Division, conducting maritime security and safety engagements in over 46 countries; Supervisor, Marine Safety Detachment Bucksport, Maine, leading coastal regulatory enforcement; and Chief, Port State Control Division, Galveston, Texas, overseeing foreign vessel compliance and port security.

Captain Mehler is a seasoned Marine Inspector and Coast Guard Investigator and has served as the Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) for multiple high-profile maritime incidents. He also served as a Port Commissioner for the Port of Alaska, further contributing to Alaska’s maritime governance and infrastructure.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation from Massachusetts Maritime Academy and a Master of Science in Quality Systems Management.

Captain Mehler and his wife, Michelle, were first stationed in Alaska in 2012 and made Sterling their permanent home in 2015 following his retirement from active duty and transition to the private sector with Tesoro.

Captain Brue is responsible for the day-to-day global marine operations for Marathon Petroleum and is a 1998 graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY. After graduation he sailed as a deck officer with Crowley on product tankers. Coming ashore in 2008, Captain Brue spent 12 years in marine and commercial operations with OSG Ship Management, Inc. in Tampa, FL managing all aspects of tanker operations in both domestic and international trades, including a fleet of 3 tankers operating in Cook Inlet. In 2020, Captain Brue joined Marathon as a Marine Operations Supervisor in Tampa, FL, overseeing Marathon’s marine operations in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. In 2023, Captain Brue relocated to San Antonio, TX and assumed the role of Global Marine Operations Manager for Marathon.