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Jerry Desmond recognized as the 2021 NASBLA Boating Educator of the Year

By Taylor Matsko posted 10-26-2021 04:47 PM

  

Jerry Desmond recognized as the 2021 NASBLA Boating Educator of the Year

Jerry Desmond


During its 62nd Annual Meeting, held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sept. 26 - 29, 2021, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) presented its prestigious national Pamela S. Dillon Boating Educator of the Year award to Jerry Desmond with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”).

Generously sponsored by Kalkomey Enterprises, Inc., the Pamela S. Dillon Boating Educator of the Year award was launched by NASBLA in 2011 to recognize those who go above and beyond to engage students and boaters, raise awareness, and make boating education initiatives relevant, thorough and exciting. 

Jerry Desmond has been an invaluable asset to Connecticut’s recreational boating safety program since he was hired by DEEP in 2014. Prior to joining DEEP, Desmond retired as Captain of Police after serving 34 years with the Stonington Police Department (SPD). For 17 of these years, he led the SPD Marine Division conducting many marine patrols and was instrumental in training officers in boating law enforcement. Since Desmond joined DEEP in 2014, he has leaned on his extensive knowledge of boating safety to perform his duties as Connecticut’s boating education coordinator with passion and fervor.

Desmond has been extremely successful in bringing creative programming ideas around boating safety to market. He launched and produced a TV series called “Better Boating in Connecticut,” which ran on local PBS stations and online. In addition to this, Desmond also initiated an annual boating safety program for middle and high school students called the ‘Student Ambassador Program’ to raise awareness of safe boating habits for young people.

Additionally, Desmond manages an annual Law Enforcement Seminar which provides training for boating law enforcement officers across the state. He is also responsible for teaching boating safety classes, coordinating volunteer instructors and private providers, and helping to manage seasonal employees during the summer months.

Desmond’s creativity and dedication to boating safety make the waterways of Connecticut a safer place for all recreational users. His efforts to continue to educate the boating community during a worldwide pandemic demonstrates his commitment to DEEP and the recreational boating community as a whole.

The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators congratulates Jerry Desmond on receiving the National Pamela S. Dillon Boating Educator of the Year award in recognition of his exceptional career and impact on recreational boating safety. To learn more about NASBLA's awards program, visit www.nasbla.org/awards.

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The
National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) is a national nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization that works to develop public policy for recreational boating safety. NASBLA represents the recreational boating authorities of all 50 states and the U.S. territories. We offer a variety of resources, including training, model acts, education standards, publications and more. Through a national network of thousands of professional educators, law enforcement officers and volunteers, we affect the lives of nearly 85 million American boaters.

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