NASBLA holds the 2020 Virtual Business Meeting and Annual Conference
LEXINGTON, Ky. (October 13, 2020) – The National Association of State Boating 
Law Administrators (NASBLA) held this year’s business meeting and annual conference, for the first time virtually, from the Lexington, Kentucky, headquarters, Sept. 28 – 30.
The NASBLA business meeting covered a variety of topics including a report from the U.S. Coast Guard, policy committee reports and the election of the slate of officers. Captain Timothy Dunleavy was elected Chairman of the nonprofit organization for the 2020-2021 year. Lieutenant Kenton Turner was elected Vice Chair and Major Dan Hesket was elected Treasurer. The virtual business meeting was attended by 48 boating law administrators (BLAs) from across the nation.
For the first-ever NASBLA Virtual Annual Conference, more than 300 individuals registered to attend the event. The annual conference sessions took place Sept. 29 – 30. NASBLA received overwhelmingly positive feedback from sponsors and attendees in regards to the production and presentation of the virtual event.
At the conference, a variety of breakout sessions were featured in the agenda, similar to what one would find at an in-person NASBLA annual conference. Panel discussions were held on the topics of wake related activities and potential changes to Federal regulations regarding throw bags and type IV throwables. Several sessions, including Time, Distance and Shielding – Seated Field Sobriety Testing Best Practices and Pandemic Boating Education – Virtual Boating Classes Set Sail were timely given adaptations that are having to be made across the recreational boating community since the onset of COVID-19.
To conclude the conference, NASBLA named the national winners of the Pamela S. Dillon Boating Educator of the Year award, the Boating Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award, and the Operation Dry Water Officer of the Year award, Media award and Top Agency awards (small, medium and large).
Although this year’s conference looked a bit different, NASBLA appreciates the unwavering support of its sponsors including NASBLA Mission Partner, FLIR, and Strategic Partner, Kalkomey. See below for a full list of the 2020 NASBLA Virtual Annual Conference sponsors.
The conference sessions will be available to those who registered to attend on the virtual conference platform through October 18th, 2020. After Oct. 18, the conference session recordings will be made available on NASBLA’s eLearning Center. The 2021 NASBLA Annual Conference will take place Sept. 26 - Sept 29 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.