Bill Straus is a former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the town of Mattapoisett. He served in the House from 1993 through 2024. He did not run for re-election in 2024. He worked on a number of legislative committees during that time including as House Chair of Environment and Natural Resources from 2009 to 2010, and House Chair of Transportation from 2011 through 2024.
Bill has held a number of other public positions. From 2011 through 2024 he was co-chair of the UMass Amherst Oversight Board for the Cranberry Research station in Wareham. He was a public member of the Massachusetts Hazardous Waste Facility Site Safety Council pursuant to chapter 21D from 1987 through 1992, a member of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission from 1989 through 1992, and an Assistant District Attorney in Bristol County from 1982 through 1988.
From 2006 through 2016 he was an Adjunct Lecturer at the Boston University Law School. He was engaged in the private practice of law with an office in New Bedford until 2021.
Bill Straus received a BA from Middlebury College, his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, and a Masters of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Mary Regina Thomann (formerly Sullivan) graduated from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Transportation as part of the Academy’s first class of women. Mary was inspired to attend the Academy by her love of the sea and by the accomplishments of her two paternal Aunts, Captains Elinor and Mary Rose Sullivan, U.S. Navy. In 1992, she received a Master of Business Administration degree from Rivier College in Nashua, N.H.
Since 1983, Mary has worked in the Human Resources field gaining diverse global business experience in both corporate and manufacturing environments. She has a track record of successfully recruiting highly skilled technical staff, improving staff morale, and coaching and partnering effectively with senior executives. Since 2011, Mary has been providing Human Resources Consulting Services.
In 2014, inspired by the registered nurses in her life, including her mother, grandmother, and aunts, Mary earned her Associate’s Degree in Nursing at the now Rivier University in Nashua, N.H. and obtained her Registered Nurse Certification. She currently works part-time as a per diem R.N. at a Long-Term Care skilled nursing facility.
In December of 2016, together with the other women from the Class of 1981, Mary was honored to receive the Emery Rice medal in recognition of having graduated in the first class of women at the Academy. Mary is a Member of the Society for Human Resources Management and the American Association of Nurses. She volunteers at Nevins Farm MSPCA in Methuen, MA.
Mary grew up in Roslindale, Massachusetts as the oldest of 12 children and daughter of Mr. & Mrs. James E. Sullivan. She now resides in Dracut, Massachusetts with husband Gary, a Sales Engineer, and dog Bilbo. They enjoy spending time on and around the North Atlantic Ocean whenever possible.
Eric Turkington is a retired attorney living in Falmouth. He served 20 years in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1989 to 2009 representing Falmouth, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. He served as chairman of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development. He was the lead sponsor of the Cape Cod Land Bank legislation, which provided $150 million for the Cape towns to acquire 4500 acres of protected open space. He was also the lead sponsor of legislation creating the Upper Cape Regional Water Supply Cooperative, which supplied drinking water to the four Upper Cape towns.
He is a founder and former president of the 300 Committee, Falmouth’s land trust, which has preserved 2600 acres of conservation land in Falmouth; former chairman and president of the Cape Cod United Way; founder and first chairman of the Falmouth Economic Development and Industrial Corporation; a corporator of Cape Cod Healthcare; and former Selectman of the town of Falmouth.
He currently serves as chairman of Falmouth’s Water Quality Management Committee; treasurer of the Falmouth Housing Corporation; board member of the Woods Hole Community Association; and board member of the Cape Cod Conservation District. He is a past recipient of the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year award and the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s Guardian Award. He lives in Woods Hole with his wife Nancy and dog Juneo.
- Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Bridgewater State University
- Master of Arts in Political Science from University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Ph.D. in Political Science from University of Connecticut
- Dr. Valla joined Massachusetts Maritime Academy's Emergency Management Department in 2016 after completing a career with the FBI as an intelligence analyst. During his tenure with the FBI, Dr. Valla provided intelligence analysis on most of the major terrorism investigations conducted by the FBI's Boston Field Office which included the 9/11 attacks and the Boston Marathon Bombing. Dr. Valla also served as a military intelligence officer with the U.S. Army Reserve and retired as a Major in 2004. His final assignment before retiring was as an instructor at the Joint Military Intelligence College - now the National Intelligence University. While there, he taught graduate courses in intelligence analysis, terrorism, and analytic methodology, as well as other national security topics.
- When not teaching, Dr. Valla enjoys running, hiking, working out, white-water rafting, and foreign language study. He is an avid science fiction fan. A lifelong resident of Massachusetts, he grew up in Kingston and now resides in Taunton.
A baptized non-denominational Christian
Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering from Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies from Brandon University, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
Master of Science in Disaster Science and Management from University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with direction of Societal Risk Management from University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
Postdoc at Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and Chapman University, Orange, California
Dr. Wang is currently serving as an Assistant Professor of Emergency Management at the Academy. His research topics include social vulnerability, hazard modeling, risk assessment, loss prediction, equivalency of hazard intensity, nowcasting of weather events, and media coverage of disasters. His methodological tools involve data science, machine learning, geographic information science, remote sensing, and qualitative approaches. Dr. Wang has been working on earthquake, flood, heavy rainfall, lightning, tropical cyclone, wildfire, and extraterrestrial hazard; as well as disaster risks within a multi-hazard context.
Jessica Waters graduated from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering and a U.S.C.G 3rd Assistant Engineer’s License. She was an Emery Rice Scholar and served as the Academy’s first female Regimental Executive Officer. Jessica was also co-captain of the women’s varsity crew team. She later returned to MMA and earned her Masters Degree in Emergency Management in 2009.
Ms. Waters has been employed at FM Global, a leading commercial property insurer, since 2001. She has held various field, account, and operations engineering roles, all with a focus on property risk assessment and loss prevention. She has significant project management experience through working with clients to coordinate risk mitigation efforts and by leading global internal engineering implementations. As a Senior Engineering Technical Specialist with the company’s Natural Hazard and Structures group, Jessica leads the company’s natural hazard strategy as it relates to windstorm, wildland fire and other perils.
Jessica is an active member of the Society of Women Engineers and in her spare time enjoys cycling and hiking.
