Lauren Murphy was a four year member of the Buccaneer women's soccer program from 2010 to 2013. In her time in a Buccaneer uniform, coach Murphy scored 18 career goals, leading the Bucs in goals scored in her freshman (4) and senior (9) seasons. Of those 18 career goals, five were game winners, including three in her senior season. In her final year at Maritime she was named Captain of the team.
Murphy graduated in the Spring of 2014 with her Bachelor's Degree in Marine Transportation. Following graduation, she shipped out with the Master Mates and Pilots Union, of which she is a member.
Prior to coaching, Lauren was a player on the Olympic Development Program for both the state of Massachusetts and the North East Region. She played club level soccer where her team was finalist for the state cup 3 times. During her senior year of high school, she led her team to a Bay State Games Championship.
After four years on the ocean, Lauren has decided to come back and find a job shoreside and work with the program she dedicated so much time to as a Cadet at the Academy.
Christian Petterson brings nearly two decades of maritime, commercial, financial, and operational leadership experience to Massachusetts Maritime Academy. A graduate of the Academy’s Marine Transportation program, he also holds a B.A. in History from the University of Rhode Island and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from Trinity College Dublin.
His maritime operating experience includes ship handling, stability, dock / undock, dynamic positioning, regulatory compliance, and offshore wind construction. He has served as Chief Officer and Senior Dynamic Positioning Operator aboard Dynamic Positioning construction vessels supporting the Vineyard Wind and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind projects. He holds a USCG Master, 1600 GT, Oceans, Master of Towing, Oceans, Dynamic Positioning Operator, Unlimited (Nautical Institute) and a Second Mate Unlimited license.
Christian previously held several positions of increasing responsibility with ExxonMobil across marine chartering, supply, refining, and LNG and lubricants. His work took him throughout the United States, Asia, and the Middle East, where he led global and regional commercial, operational, planning, and organizational development teams and initiatives built around maximizing value capture and customer experience and minimizing total delivered cost.
He and his wife, Tracy are also co-founders of Woodle & Company, an adaptive apparel business created to help children like their son, who wear ankle foot orthotic braces. Over the last eight years, the company has improved accessible and affordable sock options for tens of thousands of children and families in North America and Europe.
Christian’s teaching philosophy is grounded in high standards, clear communication, curiosity, and the belief that people learn in different ways. He strives to help students understand both the “what” and the “why,” connect classroom learning with real world practice, and develop safe, competent mariners and thoughtful, capable leaders serving the maritime industry, the Commonwealth and the world for decades ahead.
Education: BS, Marine Transportation, MMA; Expected completion of Master's degree in EM Spring 2026, MMA; Unlimited USCG Masters License.
