Maritime Leadership
Leadership development from someone who has stood the watch.
Jerry Dubay commanded Coast Guard cutters, led bridge teams through real emergencies, taught Bridge Resource Management, and later led crew training across the cruise industry. Folders Reach brings that experience to the people who run ships, ports, and maritime organizations today.
Who it is for
Built for people whose decisions carry consequences at sea and in port.
- Ship and cutter crews, bridge teams, and engineering departments
- Cruise line shipboard leaders and training and development teams
- Port authorities, terminal operators, and harbor services
- Maritime agencies, academies, and training centers
- Shoreside leaders who support crews they rarely see
The language is the crew's own: watch handovers, drills, casualties, readiness, and the moment someone on the bridge has to say, "I don't like this."
The Leadership Activation Series, told at sea
The same four courses Folders Reach teaches ashore, rebuilt around maritime stories, maritime risks, and the way crews actually work. Each session runs 60 to 90 minutes for up to 30 people and ends with one commitment the crew tests over the next 30 days.
See Clearly
Psychological Safety. Speaking up on the bridge and in the engine room, closed-loop communication, and how an officer's reaction teaches the crew whether to speak again.
Celebrate Strengths
Celebrating What’s Right. Recognizing the crew members whose quiet work keeps the ship safe, and turning resourcefulness into lasting shipboard practice.
Respond Effectively
Organizational Resilience. Weak signals, failure chains, and recovery: what a loss of power in a busy channel teaches about systems, drills, and the decisions made in the first minutes.
Create Opportunity
Finding Your Own Luck. When the usual options run out: asking a different question, finding the one person who holds the key, and building solutions across ships and agencies.
Format
Four separate sessions, a full-day seminar, or a one-hour introduction to all four. Delivered aboard, in port, or at your training center.
Advisory and custom work
For organizations that need more than a session: support for the leaders, and programs designed around the operation.
Leadership Advisory
- New masters, department heads, and first-time supervisors
- Shoreside leaders responsible for shipboard teams
- Crew onboarding that builds connection, not just compliance
- Leadership transitions and rotations
Custom Leadership Experiences
- Scenario-based team exercises drawn from real casualties
- Drill and after-action review facilitation
- Leadership programs for training and development teams
- Retreats and facilitated strategy sessions for port and fleet leaders
Folders Reach sessions build leadership and team culture. They complement, and do not replace, STCW-required or other regulatory training and certification.
The record
Command at sea. Training at scale.
- Commanded the U.S. Coast Guard cutters VIGILANT, homeported at Cape Canaveral, and GALVESTON ISLAND
- Executive officer of the cutters SHERMAN and MUSTANG
- Deputy Director of the Coast Guard’s Command and Operations School, where he taught Bridge Resource Management
- Coast Guard Commendation Medal for directing the rescue of 176 migrants from the sinking F/V MARIA JULIA
- Manager, Maritime Training at Royal Caribbean Group: led the Bridge and Engine Resource Management program and all maritime deck and engine technical training
- Senior Manager, Learning and Development at Carnival Cruise Line: oversaw 72 shipboard learning and development managers and their engagement specialists across 29 ships, responsible for leadership and development training for some 35,000 shipboard employees
What would your crew do with a little more candor, recognition, and readiness?
Start with a no-pressure conversation about your people, your operation, and what a first session could look like.