NASBLA announces the 2022 Northern Region Educator of the Year
Lieutenant John Girvalakis, of the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP), has been named the 2022 NASBLA Northern Region Educator of the Year.
Lt. Girvalakis has provided continual outreach and education to the recreational boating public in his role as the Lead Instructor for the Boat Safety Bureau of the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP). As the bureau lieutenant, Girvalakis has been successful in providing recreational boating safety (RBS) instruction to all incoming MEP officers while he maintains regular Bureau missions.
As COVID-19 significantly impacted MEP presence in the classroom and the opportunity for in-person interactions, Lt. Girvalakis worked diligently with NASBLA Education Director Mark Chanski to fill the void by providing virtual boating education courses. Lt. Girvalakis maintains a very active presence in the delivery of the Massachusetts boating safety curriculum to the public and has provided classes annually since his induction to the MEP as an officer.
Lt. Girvalakis provides constant oversight and availability to all MEP staff regarding messages for outreach, training, and law enforcement activities related to recreational boating safety. He is constantly on call for field officers, outside agencies and MEP command staff to resolve conflicts or to enlighten all on things related to recreational boating safety.
Additionally, Lt. Girvalakis continues to work with the MEP legal team to update the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR’s) for all regulations regarding recreational vessels in Massachusetts. This task shines light on his vast knowledge of federal regulations and the importance of consistency between federal and state RBS regulations. Lt. Girvalakis also monitor legislative efforts and provides significant feedback upon request to legislators regarding RBS initiatives.
Lt. Girvalakis provides all new officers with boat safety enforcement training, and vessel incident response and crash investigation training. He has been a member of the NASBLA Engineering, Reporting & Analysis (ERAC) Committee for eight years, serving as Vice Chair for three of those years, and uses his experience in this role to aid the commonwealth of Massachusetts in further vessel incident reporting standardization.
Lt. Girvalakis encompasses the knowledge, skills, dedication, and willingness to share the recreational boating safety mission within the state of Massachusetts, and most importantly, with the entirety of the boating public. His efforts in the classroom and in the field have certainly lead to safer waterways throughout the state of Massachusetts. Congratulations, Lieutenant John Girvalakis!
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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 to engage students and boaters, raise awareness, and make boating education initiatives relevant, thorough and exciting.
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.