Meet the 2025 Bridge Officers

Being on the water is Liz’s happy place. She has been sailing in earnest for the past 10 years and enjoys the thrill of a good race. In 2025, she purchased her first racing boat and raced it throughout the Chesapeake Bay, achieving some very good results. She has also spent the past four summers sailing on the historic Billie P. Hall Log Canoe. Liz’s professional background is in laboratory management and operations. With more than 30 years of leadership experience in that field, she has developed a deep appreciation for teamwork and the importance of enabling others to excel in their areas of expertise. She is also the proud mother of four beautiful and talented young women. Liz considers it a privilege to lead the ESSA organization as it promotes sailing on the Choptank and Nanticoke Rivers.

Rhonda grew up on the Eastern Shore and first learned to sail in Ocean City. She later moved to the Florida Keys, where she continued boating and sailing, living aboard her 28-foot sloop Witchy Woman. During this time, she earned her Captain’s License and began racing on a 40-foot Pearson, competing in major events such as the Tampa Bay Cup races and Abaco Race Week in the Bahamas. For more than 15 years, Rhonda has sailed with the Tangier Fleet. She spent many years sailing and learning from Deke Sheller and, upon his retirement, purchased his boat Lolly along with Kevin McKenzie and Keith Staton. Over the years, Rhonda has served ESSA as crew, captain, fleet captain, and now Vice Commodore, bringing a wealth of experience and dedication to the organization.

Bio coming soon. Stay tuned for more about Kristin's role and background.

Bio coming soon. Stay tuned for more about Mike's role and background.

Paul moved to the Eastern Shore from West Texas in 1988 and knew right away he had to find a way onto the water. His first boat was a Hobie 14—$250 to buy and another $600 (plus plenty of elbow grease) to get it seaworthy. Not long after, his boss took him to the Annapolis Boat Show, and Paul was hooked; he hasn’t missed a show since. When he met his wife, Kristin, she was already a sailor and got him aboard for a race from Annapolis to Oxford. Their shared love of sailing quickly grew into racing and, for their honeymoon, a bareboat charter. Just six months later, they bought their own CS30. That first summer with the boat, a friend introduced them to ESSA, and they’ve been members since 2002. After losing their CS30 to a fire while it was on the hard, they moved up to a CAL 39 with hopes of long-distance cruising in retirement. Over the years, Paul has given back to ESSA as Fleet Captain (multiple terms), Vice Commodore, and Commodore.

Chris joined ESSA back in 2005 and has worn many hats—commodore, secretary, and treasurer. He spent more than 10 years sailing with the Cambridge Fleet but these days you’ll find him out with the Tangier Fleet.