We’re excited to announce Terry Federer will be joining Metro as our new Marine Division Director, beginning Oct. 31.
Federer is an accomplished, team-focused leader and maritime educator who is passionate about creating career pipelines and building strong relationships with his team and industry partners. He has a diverse background in the marine industry and currently possesses a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Merchant Mariner Credential as a 1600-ton Master and Unlimited Mate.
Federer has been a lifelong mariner. He grew up in Northern Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior and spent much of his youth working in shipyards and marinas. He brings a deep understanding of passenger vessel operations with over 20 years of experience as a Captain for Kenai Fjords Tours and Major Marine Tours in Seward, Alaska, where he was responsible for the safe operation and maintenance of the vessels and managing and training the crew.
He also spent 10 years as the Department Director at the Alaska Maritime Training Center (AMTC) as a USCG-approved instructor and assessor. During his time at AMTC, he helped develop programs to serve the needs of the community and diversify the workforce as much as possible through high school mariner programs in under-represented and underprivileged areas of Alaska. This experience gave him an extensive understanding of the training requirements that today’s mariners need for the safe and secure operation of passenger-carrying vessels, as well as the USCG regulations and requirements for vessel compliance and manning. During his time in Alaska, Federer was also a consultant for the National Park Service, and he was asked to captain a vessel for President Barack Obama and his leadership team during their visit to the 49th state.
In 2021 and his family moved to Bellingham, where Federer worked as the Business Development Manager with All American Marine, which helped him gain a better understanding of the USCG regulation and requirements for new vessel builds. We know his wealth of experience and knowledge will greatly benefit our King County Water Taxi service.
Michelle Allison is Deputy General Manager of King County Metro.