For this month’s From the Bridge, I’ve decided to take a slightly different approach. Rather than providing an update, I wanted to use this as an opportunity to introduce you to someone who is making a difference in the maritime community and to share some information about Tall Ships America’s newest strategic partner organization.
Liz Schmidt is the Executive Director of the Women Offshore Foundation. With over 15 years of experience in strategic operations, community programming, and industry advocacy, she brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. In addition to serving as Executive Director of the Women Offshore Foundation, Liz is also the Co-founder and Director of Operations at Shipyard Supply USA, where she manages logistics and supply chain operations for yachts over 100 feet.
Her hands-on maritime experience includes working on deck aboard yachts, giving her a practical understanding of life and work at sea. Passionate about community impact, Liz volunteers as Treasurer of The Local Octopus Foundation and contributes to national drowning prevention efforts as part of the U.S. National Water Safety Plan’s Life Jacket Working Group.
She enjoys traveling and boating around the world or exploring the picturesque waterways of her hometown, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Stu Gilfillen: Good afternoon, Liz. Thanks for taking some time to speak with me. Let’s start with a pretty straightforward question: Tell us the story behind how the Women Offshore Foundation came to be.
Liz Schmidt: Our founder, Ally, has a background working offshore as well as on oil rigs, and she founded Women Offshore in 2017. It started as an online community and a blog. The idea came about after she had the opportunity to work on a vessel with a few women on board and really saw that—while she was often, as many women are, the only woman on board—when there were multiple women on a vessel, the rest of the crew started looking at them more as individuals for what they do in their jobs instead of as a novelty: “Oh, there’s a woman on board—how are we supposed to act? Can we talk to her?” and so on.
As a way to connect more women in the industry, both in the U.S. and internationally, she started a blog and then a podcast. Over the years, that evolved into our full 501(c)(3) nonprofit, where we operate under a mission of advocacy, program awareness, and workforce development for women in the industry.
Stu Gilfillen: It seems that you’ve been successful in addressing the challenges your mission is focused on. What have you seen in terms of impact, and where do you still see opportunities to fill some of those gaps?
Liz Schmidt: Absolutely. I’ve been with Women Offshore for a little over a year now, but I’ve seen the work the organization has done and the awareness that’s been raised among corporations about the need for a diverse workforce. When you look at the mariner shortage across the country and the need for qualified mariners to work both on ships and in shoreside support roles, by not advertising to or talking to women about the marine industry as an opportunity, you’re really missing out on half the population and a great potential workforce.
We’ve seen change at the corporate and C-suite levels, where they’re starting to realize that if they’re not working to not only retain women but also help them grow in their careers, they’re really missing opportunities for business growth.
Stu Gilfillen: Speaking of opportunities and growth—your own journey is quite impressive, from working in a number of different places, to serving as Operations Director for Shipyard Supply USA. How did you end up with the Women Offshore Foundation as Executive Director, and how does your background inform your leadership approach?
Liz Schmidt: I grew up in the industry. My family has a background in various parts of the marine industry—from sheriff’s water patrol to marine surveying to marine mechanics. My dad now operates a marina in my hometown.
Boating wasn’t just a business for us; it was also a family activity. We still boat to this day—we’re actually counting down to our upcoming trip to Venice, where we’ll be boating. I’ve traveled just under 1,000 miles through the canals in Europe. So boating is both a personal passion and a professional connection.
I’ve always wanted to help people, and my career started in the nonprofit sector. As I gained experience, I took every opportunity to learn about both the business side and the human side of nonprofit work. Later, I became a partner with Shipyard Supply USA, managing the operations and administration side of the business. I like to say I’m the creative problem solver—my partner handles the design and build side, and I solve the issues.
That work introduced me to the yachting community. Before living in Fort Lauderdale, I wasn’t very aware of the yachting world—only the recreational and commercial sides from my time in Minnesota on the Mississippi and Lake Superior. Working for the company immersed me in the yachting business and culture, and I became increasingly drawn to the human issues in the industry.
That’s what led me to Women Offshore—an opportunity to focus on the human side of the maritime world. My background in operations, business, and people management gives me a unique perspective in addressing workforce development and safety.
Stu Gilfillen: Focusing on that “human side,” what are the most pressing problems and barriers that women face in offshore maritime careers today? And how have those challenges shifted or intensified since the organization’s founding?
Liz Schmidt: We’ve seen more women being elevated into roles on board vessels, which has been very intentional. Many companies have set benchmarks to increase the number of women in leadership positions. One organization doing this really well is WISTA—the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association—in the Netherlands. They’ve signed a pledge to increase the number of women promoted into senior management, whether onboard vessels or in shoreside support. We’re seeing more companies take on similar initiatives globally. The benefits are real—companies report that problems are being solved differently and crew dynamics are improving. When you bring diverse perspectives into decision-making, you naturally improve the workplace.
Stu Gilfillen: Looking ahead to the next three to five years, what are the Foundation’s primary strategic goals to continue increasing women in leadership roles? And how will you measure success?
Liz Schmidt: We’re focused on workforce pipelines and pathways. That starts with educating young women and young adults about opportunities in the maritime industry—both onshore and offshore. We want to show that there are great-paying jobs and strong career growth, with or without a college degree.
We also work on helping women transition within the industry. For example, if someone works offshore for several years, it might not be a lifelong fit—but we don’t want them to leave the industry altogether. Through our workforce development program, we teach women how to transfer their offshore skills—whether as a chief mate, master, or bosun—into shoreside support roles, and how to translate those skills into resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles.
Stu Gilfillen: Speaking of LinkedIn—you’ve got over 22,000 followers, which is impressive. But followers don’t always translate to engagement. How have you been successful in fostering meaningful connections among women in different maritime sectors?
Liz Schmidt: We’re very intentional about amplifying women’s stories—both individual stories and vessel stories. For example, a woman recently emailed us a photo of her crew with 13 women on board—a rare occurrence. She shared all their job titles, ranging from licensed officers to unlicensed mariners. We’ll be celebrating that story on LinkedIn and social media, highlighting the company and vessel.
By sharing these success stories, we encourage other companies to take similar steps. It’s all about amplification—showcasing what’s possible and inspiring others to replicate it.
Stu Gilfillen: You also offer a wide range of programs—mentorship, scholarships, professional development. Could you highlight a few key initiatives and share any success stories that stand out?
Liz Schmidt: Definitely. Starting with our scholarship program—we identified a gap in funding for maritime students pursuing U.S. Coast Guard licenses. Many can’t use student loans or federal grants for required sea training, so some take out personal loans or drop their license track altogether. We offer full scholarships—not partial—so students can complete their training without financial barriers.
We also run a workforce development program led by Christine McMillan, a licensed career coach with offshore experience. She helps women navigate career transitions, secure training, or pursue licenses.
Our mentorship program connects young mariners with experienced mentors around the world. It’s formalized and tracked—we don’t just pair people and walk away. Mentors receive training and support, and we’ve seen great success stories of mentees earning promotions, changing roles, or entering new sectors.
One of my favorite stories involves Disney Cruise Line, one of our conference sponsors. A cadet attending our conference spoke with their representatives, and not long after, she began sailing under her third mate license with Disney. We provide free conference attendance for cadets, so that single opportunity changed her career trajectory.
Stu Gilfillen: That’s a fantastic example—and great to have partners like Disney supporting your work.
Liz Schmidt: Absolutely.
Stu Gilfillen: When our organizations got together, we recognized the synergies between our missions. How does the partnership with Tall Ships America align with your strategic objectives?
Liz Schmidt: The partnership fits perfectly within our focus on workforce pathways. Tall ships provide opportunities for people to gain meaningful experience and connect with maritime history, and we can help support those individuals as they advance in their careers.
That could mean helping women upgrade licenses so they can move into captain or chief mate roles, or providing mentorship connections that span regions and fleets. Someone sailing on the East Coast might feel isolated, but through our network, she could connect with someone in the Gulf or on the West Coast.
It’s a great way to bridge the tall ships community with the larger maritime industry, while also helping showcase your work to a broader audience.
Stu Gilfillen: From our standpoint, it’s exciting to partner with an organization that shares our mission and expands our reach in ways we can support. When we announced our collaboration, we also introduced new scholarship requirements—something we felt was important for our segment of the industry. That leads to my next question: beyond supporting women individually, how does Women Offshore raise awareness among industry leaders about systemic issues that affect women on the water?
Liz Schmidt: We do that in several ways. One is through amplification—using our social media and public platforms to share data, stories, and successes. Another is through our corporate membership program, where we work directly with companies that share our values.
Through that program, we provide consultative support—policy reviews, mentorship setups, roundtables, and training sessions. We also conduct “boots-on-deck” listening sessions, where we share what we’re hearing from women in the field and help companies identify opportunities to improve their workplaces.
We’ve found that companies are eager to listen—both because of workforce shortages and because they genuinely want to do the right thing. Our roundtables and conference sessions also create safe spaces for discussion and collaboration across the industry.
Stu Gilfillen: Excellent. Final question—what does success look like? If you and I were to have this conversation ten years from now, what would you hope to have achieved?
Liz Schmidt: Success would be if every vessel worldwide had at least 20% women on board. We see that as a tipping point—once a vessel reaches that threshold, it tends to sustain or even grow beyond it. At that point, women stop being seen as a novelty and become simply part of the team.
Beyond numbers, success means companies are ensuring safe, supportive workplaces—physically, emotionally, and psychologically. When companies prioritize that, they create great places to work, attract talent, and retain their workforce.
