Press Releases

ALEXANDRIA, VA (July 1, 2020) – The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation’s (RBFF) Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Stephanie Vatalaro, was recently named one of Boating Industry’s Women Making Waves. The list recognizes female leaders who are making great contributions to the success of the marine industry as we push to the future.

The list of 25 Women Making Waves was selected from more than 100 nominees and goes to celebrate the growing number of women who are making an impact on the industry. The women on the list have “given everything they have and more to the marine industry and have accomplished so much, with a pledge to continue pushing the industry forward,” wrote Boating Industry.

“One thing that’s become evident this year is that we have tremendous people working at RBFF,” said RBFF President & CEO Frank Peterson. “Stephanie’s commitment to fishing and boating and RBFF’s mission is evident in the work she does every day. We are honored to have such talent on our team.”

“Vatalaro has been with RBFF for 13 years, where she has ascended to Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications. During her time, she has led award-winning PR and Marketing efforts through RBFF’s consumer-facing Take Me Fishing™ brand.

“While the marine industry may seem like a man’s world at first glance, there are many amazing women in the industry who are invaluable to its success,” said Vatalaro. “I hope I can inspire more women to continue to make lasting impressions on the industry with bold, impactful leadership.”

This is the third year Boating Industry has honored female leadership in the marine industry with Women Making Waves. All 25 awardees can be found in Boating Industry’s announcement.

About the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF)
RBFF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase participation in recreational angling and boating, thereby protecting and restoring the nation's aquatic natural resources. RBFF's recently announced 60 in 60 effort strives to attract 60 million anglers to the sport by the end of 2021. To help recruit, retain and reactivate participants, RBFF developed the award-winning Take Me Fishing™ and Vamos A Pescar™ campaigns creating awareness about boating, fishing and conservation, and educating people about the benefits of participation. These campaigns help boaters and anglers of all ages and experience levels learn, plan and equip for a day on the water. The campaign websites, TakeMeFishing.org and TakeMeFishing.org/es, feature how-to videos, information on how to get a fishing license and boat registration, and an interactive state-by-state map that allows visitors to find local boating and fishing spots.