PHOTO COURTESY MTAM

The Marine Trades Association of Maryland has named John Stefancik executive director.

Stefancik served on the MTAM board for 20 years in many capacities, including president and secretary, according to a statement. He assisted in the association’s legislative efforts and helped pass the cap on the state’s sales tax. Stefancik also was instrumental in changing the law that required pilots on superyachts visiting Maryland waters.

“A diversity of experience, plus the connections with many in the regional industry, led us to choosing Stefancik,” MTAM president Mike Bonicker said in the statement. “It was a tough decision based on the quality of the candidates.”

Stefancik serves the boards of the Maryland Tourism Coalition and the Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. He spent 24 years at Chesapeake Bay Magazine, working his way up to associate publisher and eventually publisher when he and a partner purchased the company that published the magazine.

Stefancik grew up boating on the Severn River in Anne Arundel County, Md., where his family lived in several waterfront communities. “It was an idyllic childhood,” he said in the statement. “It cemented my commitment to try to make a career centered on boating. I’m really grateful to serve as executive director.”