The NSBC’s Executive Director, Peg Phillips, is an experienced executive and boating instructor. She is a certified American Canoe Association L2 Kayak Instructor, SUP Instructor, and NSBC Powerboat Instructor. Working hands-on with hundreds of students, she has instilled recreational boating safety and influenced boater behavior. She has successfully provided guidance for over a dozen federally grant-funded programs since she joined the NSBC in 2018. Phillips has received awards for her outstanding boating instruction including the American Canoe Association President’s Award and American Canoe Association State Director of the Year. With two decades of senior executive level management experience, Peg is accomplished in strategic planning, staff development, inspiring commitment, managing change, and building coalitions and partnerships.
Where did you grow up? How did your upbringing influence your career?
Home base for me is a beautiful island off the coast of Georgia; St. Simons. Known as the Golden Isles, the area is abundant with fish and a mecca for boating enthusiasts. My love for the outdoor world and our waterways started with powerboating and progressed to paddling in my college years. Protecting our fragile ecosystem and our boaters became a passion, and I began volunteering with local paddling clubs and environmental education organizations. As my passion grew, I became certified as an instructor in kayaking, SUP, and powerboating. Coupled with my education and management experience, a career in recreational boating safety seemed the perfect fit.
What do you see as the biggest challenge in your market?
In partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard office of boating safety, the National Safe Boating Council implements our annual Safe Boating Campaign – a yearlong effort to promote recreational boating safety. Our biggest challenge is reaching new boaters. Boating is a significant part of the lifestyle in America, and it has become easier to become a boater with the growth of boating clubs, paddling retailers, rental agencies, and even home owner associations providing paddlecraft. We want everyone to enjoy boating; it is our favorite thing to do! We just want people to boat safely, and we encourage new boaters in particular to take a boating safety course or watch online instructional videos. A little knowledge can make your day on the water a perfect one.
How do you continue to educate yourself?
Just last summer, I became a certified SUP instructor. I am currently working with an online educator to learn Japanese. Our boating friends in Japan are a significant part of our international community, and it is important to communicate with them in their language. I am working to become a Certified Recreational Boating Professional which is a program offered by one of our partners. Continuous learning is important and also a great way to connect and create new partnerships.
What role do partnerships and relationships play in your career?
Partnerships are the force multiplier in recreational boating safety. First and foremost, is our relationship with the U.S. Coast Guard office of boating safety. The funding and subject matter expertise guide the content of our programming. Our state and nonprofit partners across the nation create the pipelines for distributing our safety message directly to boaters.
True or false? Hard work solves almost anything. Tell us why you feel this way.
False. Our team uses the slogan that direction is more important than speed. The same goes for how hard we work. First, we promote a team environment in our work culture because each staff members has an important skill set they bring to the team. Our combined effort always creates better results – a better product. Yes, we work hard. More importantly, there is a strategy in managing our workload.
What achievement are you most proud of?
Creating a boating safety team that is so strong that we forget who the leader is.
What’s next in your career?
Growth. After 2.5 years as Executive Director, we have now established a strong foundation and are looking towards growth. This will include adding new team members and expanding our training program and membership outreach.
What advice do you have for our readers?
Take a deep breath. We are all in challenging times with the shift to safely working remote and expanded virtual communications. After retooling some of our safety campaigns to reach boaters through digital and social means, we were all exhausted. I started plugging in complimentary days off for staff members into our shared calendar. It may seem odd to take a day off while working remote – and on stay at home orders – but hitting the relief valve is important. These recharge days have been much appreciated and have actually increased our productivity.