Maine Maritime Academy president abruptly retires after 2 years

In an abrupt move, Maine Maritime Academy president Jerald Paul has announced that he will retire at the end of the month.

Paul, a 1989 graduate of the college in Castine, has served as president of MMA since May of 2022 .

Kate Noel, spokesperson for the academy, said that Paul decided to retire due to “extenuating family circumstances.” She did not elaborate on what the circumstances are.

In light of Paul’s decision, MMA’s board decided on Wednesday to appoint Craig Johnson, MMA’s chief operating officer, as interim president effective June 2. Johnson has served as the academy’s COO since the position was created in September 2022.

Wayne Norton, chairman of the academy’s board, said Paul accomplished a lot in his two years of leading the school.

“Under his watch MMA has reinstated MMA Football, established the MMA Foundation, reached new records for state and federal funding, prepared for the arrival of a new training ship and pier renovations to accompany it,” Norton said. “New strategies in advancement, enrollment and communications have reaped solid results, and MMA’s profile throughout the state and abroad is strengthening.”

Norton said that the return of the school’s schooner Bowdoin to the Arctic after 16 years and the revival of a nationally competitive sailing team under Paul’s tenure were noteworthy.

“While I cannot list the full breadth and depth of his accomplishments, I assure you, they are felt in programs across the campus,” Norton said.