FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Amy Beavers, Vice President of Regulatory Compliance at Maritime Professional Training has been appointed by Rear Admiral Joseph Servidio to the position of Vice Chair of the Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC), a committee that advises the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via the Commandant and U.S. Coast Guard, on matters relating to the training, qualification, licensing, certification, and fitness of seamen in the merchant marine in both national and international service. Ms. Beavers was appointed to MERPAC by then Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Janet Napolitano on February 15, 2013.

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Beavers currently directs all of MPT's regulatory compliance matters ensuring course offerings, licensing and maritime certification requirements are meeting national and international standards. She has served on several boards over the course of her career and has represented the maritime industry as a member of the public at the MERPAC meetings and working groups since 1998 and by serving as vice president of the Maritime Education Standards Council (MESC). Ms. Beavers is well known for her contributions to the Big Boat Bible, the MPT Career Reference Manual, numerous articles and speaking engagements on the subject of regulations and training that are required for maritime certification and licensing, and for her "Ask Amy" column on licensing that is monthly by Boat International and distributed globally.

"We continue to be proud of Amy's achievements on the national front as part of important organizations like MERPAC and in discussions that are integral to the lives and livelihoods of mariners," said Lisa Morley, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at MPT. "She has proven immeasurably valuable to us at MPT and I know her leadership, knowledge of the issues, and interest in moving forward on the issues that matter to MERPAC will continue to be evident as she takes up the role of Vice President," added Captain Ted Morley, Chief Operations Officer at MPT.

"Since my appointment I have enjoyed and welcomed the opportunity to contribute my knowledge and experience in maritime regulatory matters on such a distinguished and important Committee. I anticipate that as Vice Chair I will serve as an advocate for the mariner and be able to communicate how policies implemented by the USCG may impact the industry," said Beavers.

About MPT
MPT is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, five minutes from Port Everglades and the Fort Lauderdale International Airport.  MPT is the most complete full service private maritime school in the country and has been training mariners since 1983. MPT offers all levels of certification, license and document study programs, many of which offer in-school testing, are USCG Approved and are recognized by many foreign administrations. Training programs are designed to meet and exceed IMO standards and are fully STCW Compliant. The campuses host over 45,000 square feet of classrooms, deck, and engineering training labs including the MPT SMART Simulation Center, Marine Tech Shipboard Firefighting Site, Sea Survival Training Facility, and onboard the MPT Fleet of Training vessels!

For more information, visit www.mptusa.com.

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SOURCE MPT