General Manager Robert Davis to move into advisory role in 2025

FALMOUTH (September 17, 2024) – Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority General Manager Robert B. Davis announced today that he will step down from his role at the helm of the agency in approximately one year and transition into an advisory capacity.

Davis, who was appointed general manager in 2016 and began in the role in 2017, made the announcement at the Board’s monthly meeting, which was held on Nantucket.

“Serving the Steamship Authority and its port communities for nearly four decades has been an honor,” Davis said. “Together, we have achieved many notable accomplishments to further strengthen the lifeline to the islands – from adding new vessels to the fleet to undertaking major shoreside and terminal improvements. I look forward to moving several additional projects forward during the next year.”

Davis will continue to serve as an advisor to the Authority following the fulfillment of his one-year notice period. He joined the Authority in 1986 and held several positions of increasing responsibility, including treasurer and comptroller, before being elevated to the general manager position.

Highlights of Davis’s tenure as general manager include:

• Procuring three former offshore supply vessels (OSVs), renamed the M/V Barnstable, M/V Aquinnah, and M/V Monomoy, for conversion and reactivation operation on Steamship Authority routes. The conversions were made possible through an agreement with the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) yielding $28.1 million in additional federal funding.
• Spearheading the development and certification of the Authority’s first Safety Quality Management System (SQMS).
• Launching the Woods Hole Terminal Reconstruction Project, including the construction of a new administrative building in Falmouth and three new ferry slips in Woods Hole. The construction of the utility building and terminal building at the site is now under way.
• Expanding the Authority’s environmentally friendly initiatives to include the introduction of electric buses into its parking shuttle fleet; a 5,900-kilowatt solar and 6,100 kilowatt-hour battery storage development at the Thomas B. Landers Parking Lot in East Falmouth; and solar and geothermal energy at the planned Woods Hole Terminal facilities.
• Securing $8.4 million in coronavirus relief funding from the federal government by reaching an agreement with the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority regarding disbursement of the funds.

“Bob Davis has been an outstanding leader of the Steamship Authority, and his legacy will be long lasting,” said Robert Jones, chair of the Authority Board. “Bob skillfully and calmly guided the organization through a global pandemic and a period of increasing demand for travel to the Islands while maintaining a high-level of service and strong financial performance.”

“I have worked closely with Bob for more than 12 years, and his service to Steamship Authority has been and continues to be invaluable. The Authority is a better organization because of his leadership,” said Robert Ranney, the Board’s Nantucket representative and its longest-tenured member. “His insight and vast institutional knowledge will be invaluable to the Board when he joins us in an advisory capacity next year.”

An extensive search for a successor to Davis is expected to begin immediately.

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Since 1960, the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority has served as the transportation lifeline to the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard year-round. The Steamship Authority is the largest ferry service to the islands and offers the most frequent daily departures for passengers, automobiles, groups and trucks. In 2023, more than 2.9 million passengers and more than 690,000 vehicles of all sizes were transported to and from the islands. Our U.S. Coast Guard-certified crews are committed to the highest level of safety at sea while our vessels offer comfort and convenience with spacious seating, free Wi-Fi and TV on board.