Maritime Professional Training Welcomes Dr. Crystal Allen Craft as Vice Principal of Academic Affairs

Maritime Professional Training (MPT) announced the addition of Dr. Crystal Allen Craft as their new vice president of academic affairs. Dr. Craft brings extensive maritime, engineering, and leadership history to this role at the U.S.’s largest private maritime training school.
Craft began her professional career at New York Maritime College, earning a dual degree in engineering and humanities in 2001. She then moved on to managing complex engineering operations as a licensed unlimited engineer with the American Maritime Officers, handling maintenance and repair of propulsion engines, steam systems, and an array of vital machinery while mentoring junior engineers and ensuring the safety of her crew. She then transitioned into a class surveyor with the American Bureau of Shipping after a decade at sea.
Craft conducted thousands of vessel inspections and oversaw the construction of Fast Response Cutters with the U.S. Coast Guard to ensure operational efficiency in shipyard throughout the U.S. and Caribbean. She then joined Royal Caribbean, where her roles as project manager for the New Build and Revitalization department and later as propulsion manager for the entire fleet showed her capacity to excel in high-stakes environments.
Craft always devoted attention to the human side of the maritime field, training the next generation of seafarers while also becoming a guest speaker. Her passion for teaching led her to earn a doctoral degree in Leadership and Management in an Organizational Setting in 2022, with her study emerging from a gap in the existing literature that lowered the human error rate on ships by 96% with her help.
Craft’s new role as vice principle of academic affairs allows her to supervise the daily operations of the institution’s instructors while guiding and supporting ongoing professional development, ensuring training programs evolve to meet the industry’s ever-changing demands both culturally and regulatory.
“Dr. Craft’s appointment reflects MPT’s unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation in seafarer training and assessment. Her remarkable blend of hands-on industry experience, academic achievement, and leadership acumen will not only elevate our training curriculum but also inspire the next generation of maritime professionals. We are thrilled to have her join our team as we continue to set the standard for maritime training worldwide,” said John F. Flanagan, MPT’s academic principal.
Located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, MPT has trained thousands of mariners, yacht crew, and industry leaders in courses spanning STCW Basic Training, yacht and merchant marine careers, and captain’s licenses. While the school boasts elite pass rates and high-end programs, they also partake in community-focused initiatives like their annual Thanksgiving Food Drive benefiting The Pantry of Broward, Inc., to being a founding and ongoing partner of Junior Achievement of South Florida’s Maritime Storefront, Sea the World, to leading-edge training facilities with a “mariner-first” mentality.
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