Newsroom
| New President Takes Helm of Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium | | Mote Board of Trustees Also Elects New Officers | | |
| Published Thursday, May 16, 2013 |
Dr. Michael P. Crosby officially assumed the leadership of Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium today, May 16, 2013, following the nonprofit organization’s annual Board meeting. He is taking the role of President and CEO following the retirement of Dr. Kumar Mahadevan, whose new position will be President Emeritus as he continues to be an advocate and ambassador of the organization, assisting in promoting and developing support for Mote’s world-class research and education programs. Dr. Mahadevan led the organization for 27 years.
As new President and CEO, Dr. Crosby will oversee the Lab’s  groundbreaking research programs that take place in Southwest Florida and around the world, along with the organization’s efforts to educate and inform the public and policy makers about the marine environment.
Scientists at Mote Marine Laboratory have been performing world-class marine research studies since the Lab was created and operated in one room with one boat in 1955. Today, the Lab’s main Sarasota campus sits on 10.5-acres on City Island and includes the popular Aquarium at Mote Marine Laboratory, which is one of the most-visited attractions in Southwest Florida. The Lab’s annual operating budget is nearly $20 million and there are 192 staff members, including 31 Ph.D.-level scientists who are leaders in their fields. The Lab’s estimated economic impact to the community is in excess of $70 million.
Mote also has six additional campuses including a 200-acre Aquaculture Park in eastern Sarasota County, a research field station on Pine Island in Charlotte Harbor, satellite offices in Punta Gorda and Boca Grande, a Tropical Research Laboratory on Summerland Key in the Florida Keys, and a second public outreach exhibit dedicated to coral reefs in the Eco-Discovery Center in Key West.
During the official hand-off at the Board meeting, outgoing Chairman Robert E. Carter led the board in a unanimous resolution recognizing Dr. Mahadevan for his outstanding tenure at Mote. “The resolution documents the incredible record of success that Kumar has created at Mote,” Carter said. “Many of us in this room have watched him take charge of Mote and move it to where it is today and we can’t thank him enough.”
As he handed off the gavel to Dr. Crosby, Dr. Mahadevan told the board that the organization’s success depended, in-part, on them. “We’re in a great position and I’m so pleased that you’ve chosen Michael as my successor,” he said. “I think it’s one of the best things you’ve done. It’s wonderful and I think he won’t miss a beat. Please give him the same support and friendship you’ve given me.”
New Board Chairman Eugene Beckstein said moving forward with Mote’s 2020 Vision and Strategic Plan will be key to the Lab’s continued success. “One of the single most important challenges we face is to ensure the success of our 2020 plan,” he said. “We are off to a good start and the pace of the plan will increase dramatically through 2013 and into 2014. Let us move forward together and help Mote continue its advancement and achievement as a world-class marine research enterprise.”
Dr. Crosby said he was humbled and honored at being appointed to lead Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. “I’m sincerely grateful for the trust and support you all have provided,” he said. “Mote has grown a great deal since Genie Clark started her one-room lab. There is no doubt that Kumar deserves the lion’s share of credit for what Mote has become. Today, I am lucky to have both Genie and Kumar as my mentors and friends, along with this great Board.
“Most marine labs around the world are owned by government and universities, and few are independent like Mote — able to respond to emerging needs in the marine environment. Each of our scientists, educators and Aquarists are superstars in their own right. We must empower each of them to make the most of their skills and abilities. Mote is embedded in our community, and our staff and volunteers go above and beyond. Mote is indeed a rare gem. I’m confident that with the continued counsel and engagement of the Board and the continued support of the community, Mote’s best days are truly to come.” |
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| Pictured from left to right: Dr. Kumar Mahadevan, President Emeritus; Robert E. Carter, outgoing Board Chairman; Gene Beckstein, incoming Board Chairman; Dr. Michael P. Crosby, President and CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory. |
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| Additional Biographical Background |
Dr. Michael P. Crosby joined Mote in 2010 when he was appointed to lead the Lab’s scientific endeavors as Senior Vice President for Research. He joined Mote following appointments as Associate Vice President for Research and Economic Development at George Mason University and Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Hawai’i-Hilo. Prior to those appointments, he served in a federal Senior Executive Service position as Executive Director of the National Science Board and as Senior Advisor for International Science Policy in the Under Secretary’s Office of International Affairs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In his three years at Mote, Dr. Crosby has helped develop the Lab’s current guiding document — the 2020 Vision and Strategic Plan [view it online at mote.org/aboutus] — developed the Mote Marine Laboratory Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, which provides support and mentorship for recent Ph.D. graduates, and is working on several international initiatives expanding Mote’s marine science leadership worldwide. Much of Dr. Crosby’s past experience has focused on improving the synthesis, translation and transfer of science and technical information among research, public policy and stakeholder communities.
Dr. Kumar Mahadevan joined Mote in 1978 as a senior scientist and he has served as President and CEO since taking the helm in 1986. He has been the Lab’s longest-serving leader in the organization’s 58-year history. When Dr. Mahadevan became CEO of Mote, the Lab’s annual operating budget was about $2 million, and there were 52 staff members. Locally, Dr. Mahadevan has held active memberships in many community organizations, including The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, Visit Sarasota County, the Rotary Club of Sarasota and the Science and Environment Council of Southwest Florida. He has also served as a board member or chairman of numerous marine and ocean-related organizations nationally and internationally, including the National Aquarium Conservation Center, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, the Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean, the Florida Ocean Alliance, the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies Advisory Board and the Florida Coastal Ocean Observing System Consortium. He was also a charter member and President of the National Association of Marine Laboratories and the Southern Association of Marine Laboratories. Dr. Mahadevan is also a fellow of the Explorers Club. |
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New Officers Elected to Lead Mote Marine Laboratory
and Aquarium Board of Trustees |
- Gene Beckstein, Chairman. The Sarasota resident has lived and worked in Southwest Florida for more than 30 years. He has been a Trustee at Mote since 2010. Beckstein and his wife, Annabelle, founded the local eye surgical equipment company Visitec and he served as president before selling the company in 1997. Previously, he was president of Intermedics, Inc., in Pasadena, Calif. and General Manager of Milton Roy, Inc., in Sarasota. Beckstein served as Chairman for the Manatee County branches of the United Way Foundation, American Red Cross and for Southeastern Guide Dogs. He is a member of several boards of organizations in Manatee and Sarasota counties with a focus on financial planning and management. In 2008, Beckstein and his wife were honored with a Spirit of Manatee Award for Lifetime Spirit from the Manatee Community Foundation.
- G. Lowe Morrison, Vice Chairman. The Sarasota resident is Managing Principal at Sabal Trust Company where he is a CFA. The 7th generation Florida native has more than 25 years of investment management experience and is also a Trustee of the Frank E. Duckwall Foundation, serves on the Advisory Council of Tampa Bay Watch and as Treasurer of the Sarasota Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association. He is an avid saltwater fisherman and especially enjoys fishing in Charlotte Harbor.
- Mickey Callanen, Secretary. Callanen, who lives in Sarasota part-time and has resided in Sarasota County for much of his life, has been a Mote Trustee since 2005. Callanen is a developer of top-quality custom properties in Florida and Connecticut and is known for his success as an entrepreneur. He served as Executive Vice President and National Sales Manager for Monet Jewelers, a subsidiary of General Mills. Then he founded Guess Watches in 1984 and expanded the company around the world before selling it to Timex in 1996. He received the Ernst and Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” award in 1987. Callanen has been an avid fisherman since childhood.
- Howard Crowell, Treasurer. Crowell, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General who resides in Sarasota, has been a Mote Trustee since 2005 and Treasurer for more than five years. He served 34 years in military command and staff assignments throughout the U.S., Japan, Vietnam, Germany and Belgium before moving to Sarasota in 1989. Locally, Crowell has served as Senior Vice President of Coast Bank, as Vice President for Development at Mote and was a board member, chairman and then CEO of the Glenridge on Palmer Ranch. He has served as President of the Rotary Club of Sarasota Bay, a District Governor of Rotary International, a Director of the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, Vice President of the Sarasota Sister Cities Association and more. He holds numerous military honors, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
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| Members Recently Elected to Mote’s Board of Trustees |
- Paul Carreiro of Longboat Key. Carreiro is a senior technology executive with more than 25 years of experience leading and managing organizations and is currently Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer for Infor. He was most recently past Executive Vice President and General Manager of SAP America Inc. He’s also an avid athlete who has competed in and finished in five Ironman competitions.
- Nigel Mould of Sarasota. Mould is a semi-retired marketing and development expert in the cosmetics industry, including high-level positions at Avon and Oriflame Cosmetics who most recently served as CEO of LR Health & Beauty Systems GmbH. He joined the Mote Board after serving for several years in a variety of capacities as a Mote volunteer, including serving as past president of Mote’s volunteer board. He is an advocate for solar power and electric vehicles.
- Jeanie Stevenson of Boca Grande. Stevenson grew up in Sarasota and was a member of the Charter Class at New College. She attended Colby College in Maine and lived in New Hampshire until 1990 when she and her husband moved to Boca Grande. She is a Trustee of the Boca Grande Health Clinic Foundation and a dedicated volunteer for several nonprofit organizations in the region. She is an avid gardener and artist.
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