Bailey Island native Craig Johnson, a successful entrepreneur who became fascinated with sailing at a young age, has been appointed the 16th president of Maine Maritime Academy in Castine.
Johnson was named president in March of the publicly funded maritime college, part of the University of Maine System. In a recent interview, he talked about how growing up on Bailey Island shaped his lifelong interests and ambitions.
“I always wanted to work on the ocean,” Johnson said, adding that he became aware of the academy at a young age. “There’s always been Maine Maritime folks around Bailey Island since it was created.”
Johnson has worked in the maritime industry for more than 30 years. After graduating from the Maritime Academy in 1991 with a degree in engineering, he sailed on tankers before transitioning ashore with energy giant Hess Corp.
Johnson lived in Florida, working for Seacor Holdings and then Carnival Cruise Lines before founding Flagship Management, a worldwide maritime industry recruiting and consulting firm.
An accomplished sailor, he served as head sailing coach at the University of Miami for 15 years. Johnson also has coached at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Boston College. He has made it a priority to return the Maritime Academy’s sailing team to its former prominence.
Johnson returned to the academy — and Maine — in 2022 as its chief operating officer, overseeing its finances, facilities and operations, and advancement and alumni affairs. He was then named interim president, and finally president.
“I’d always stayed in touch with the academy — I was a sponsor of a lot of athletic events, career events, and things like that,” he said. “I had run a headhunting business finding people in the maritime industry jobs for the last 20 years. I’d kept a lot of relationships here at the college. So it was nice coming home.”
One of the reasons the Maritime Academy cited for choosing Johnson as its next president was his thorough understanding of the professional needs of the industries that employ its graduates.
Johnson also serves on the Maritime Transportation System National Advisory Committee, having been appointed by former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Johnson’s older brother, Harpswell Select Board Chair Kevin Johnson, said his younger brother has “always been on the ball,” becoming successful at everything he sets out to do.
“He had a really good business going in Florida … and he happened to come up to Maine Maritime to do some recruiting for them,” the older Johnson said. “Next thing I knew, he was working here, and moved his whole family up to Castine, and they loved it.”
Kevin Johnson said it’s great for the close-knit Johnsons to have Craig and his family closer to home. He added that many Maritime Academy alumni in Harpswell were rooting for Craig’s presidency.
As chief operating officer, Craig Johnson already has overseen major construction projects and the pursuit of new revenue sources for the academy. He played a key role in advocating for the passage of a law aimed at securing more equitable state funding for the academy compared to other public institutions.
Johnson also has worked to strengthen ties with industry leaders such as Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Bath Iron Works. Those partnerships, combined with the expertise of Maine Maritime faculty, have helped spawn new academic programs aligned with the academy’s strategic goals.
Johnson said he couldn’t be prouder or more gratified that his career has led him back to where it all began. “I couldn’t have a greater feeling than what I have,” he said.
