Education: MMA 90 BS Marine Transportation (concentration Business), MBA UMASS Lowell '25, 30 years Marine Transportation Management, Leadership, Operations, Communication, Strategy, and Project Management
- Bachelor of Science from Massachusetts Maritime Academy
- Master of Arts from Cambridge College
- Master Mariner - Oceans, Unlimited Tonnage, Tankerman PIC, DL, DG
Dr. Marina Brock
Assistant Professor, Emergency Management Department
Coordinator, Emergency and Risk Management Concentration and Minor
Dr. Marina Brock is an Assistant Professor in the Emergency Management Department at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, bringing 17 years of higher education experience and over 25 years of service as an Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Specialist with the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment. Her interdisciplinary expertise spans EHS, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), Public Health, Environmental Science, and Emergency Management.
Dr. Brock is the lead faculty coordinator for the Academy’s newly established Emergency and Risk Management Concentration and Minor, which integrates applied and theoretical perspectives on risk identification, hazard control, and enterprise risk management. Through this work, she helps prepare students across disciplines to anticipate, assess, and respond to complex and interconnected risks within public and private sector systems.
Her academic and professional work focuses on advancing local and regional government initiatives by promoting the development and implementation of Safety and Risk Management Systems. She provides assessments, training, compliance guidance, and strategic planning support to public sector facilities, with a strong emphasis on system-based solutions for sustainable risk reduction and operational resilience.
Dr. Brock holds a B.A. in Environmental Economics from Simmons University, an M.S. in Occupational Health and Safety Engineering from Columbia Southern University, and a Ph.D. in Emergency and Protective Services from Capitol Technology University. Her research focuses on identifying operational gaps and barriers to the implementation of Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) competency, and she is committed to evolving and evaluating strategies that enhance safety culture and enterprise-wide risk management frameworks.
She has authored and co-authored several articles, lectured widely across New England, and served as a mentor to both students and professionals. Her contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Excellence Award and the Massachusetts Governor’s Award for Toxics Use Reduction. Her innovative prevention and mitigation initiatives have served as national models for public agencies.
A recognized leader in cross-sector collaboration, Dr. Brock was nominated for the Harvard Kennedy School’s Innovations in Government Award and appointed Member and eventually Chair of the EPA Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) in 2016. In this role, she represented U.S. local government interests in environmental and safety policy matters under the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) as part of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Dr. Brock continues to engage students in applied research, promoting the development of critical skills in safety systems, risk communication, and integrated enterprise risk management, fostering the next generation of risk-aware, solution-oriented professionals.
Dr. Heather (Schrum) Burton is currently Chair of the the Marine Science, Safety & Environmental Protection Department at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. She teaches Earth Science, Oceanography, Coastal Ecology, Communicating Ocean and Climate Science, and several marine biology courses. She has coordinated and taught Experiential Learning field courses in St. John, Maine, and Bermuda. Dr. Burton received her B.A. in Geology (Mathematics minor) from Hamilton College and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island. Her research interests include marine biogeochemistry, particularly the carbon and nitrogen cycles. Dr. Burton has participated on oceanographic research expeditions to the Southern Ocean, Equatorial Pacific, Atlantic Ocean, the Bering Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Education: B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison; J.D., cum laude, University of Wisconsin-Madison, M.A., with distinction, U.S. Naval War College
Education: BA, The Evergreen State Collegel MA, Ph.D. University of Rhode Island