Press Releases
ALEXANDRIA, VA (June 27, 2022) –The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) today announced six additions to its Board of Directors. Louis Chemi (Freedom Boat Club), Carly Hysell (Garmin International), Wade Middleton (Careco TV), Bryan Seti (Yamaha Motor Corporation), Shelley Tubaugh (Grady-White Boats) and Kendra Wecker (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) bring more than a century and a half of combined experience in the fishing and boating industry and state agency realm to RBFF’s board.
“All six of these respected leaders bring a wide breadth of experience, knowledge and leadership to the board,” said RBFF President & CEO Dave Chanda. “Their insights and perspectives will be vital as RBFF looks to continue its efforts to increase fishing and boating participation across the country.”
Learn more about these new board members:
Louis Chemi
A lifelong angler, Chemi has spent two dozen years working in the fishing and boating industry for the likes of Raymarine, Inc. and Navico, Inc. In his current role, he is responsible for leading the expansion of Freedom Boat Club’s franchise business and providing ongoing support to more than 70 current franchise groups. He has also served as a board member for the American Sportfishing Association and the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA).
Carly Hysell
Hysell leads Garmin’s public relations efforts across its five business segments—fitness, outdoor, aviation, marine and auto—as the Associate Director of Public Relations. During her tenure, she has been instrumental in dozens of key product launches for the company that has helped strategically place Garmin as a leader in all the markets it serves. As a marine professional, she has become a respected member of the industry through her support and participation in various industry media events, fishing tournaments and tradeshows, and in 2020 she was named one of Boating Industry magazine’s “Women Making Waves.”
Wade Middleton
Middleton is the President and Co-owner of Careco TV and Careco Multimedia-Entertainment which have been recognized as one of the nation’s largest outdoors media production, marketing, and airtime syndication companies. With decades of experience at various levels in the outdoor industry as well as media-content production he has been both an on-air talent and producer of a variety of television programs and events. He is also the co-owner of The National Walleye Tour, Texas Team Trail, Inshore Fishing Association and serves as the director of operations and creator of The Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship and the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship.
Bryan Seti
Currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia, Seti has spent nearly two dozen years with Yamaha Motor Corporation. In his position as General Manager of the Yamaha WaterCraft Group, he oversees the sales and marketing of Yamaha WaveRunners and boats across the United States. He has previously been recognized as a leading executive in the boating industry by Powersport Business magazine and served as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Grow Boating, the marketing arm of the NMMA.
Shelley Tubaugh
Tubaugh currently serves as the Vice President of Marketing for Grady-White Boats which manufactures premium quality fiberglass outboard powered coastal and offshore sportfishing boats. During her 34 years with Grady-White, she has held many leadership roles throughout the company, including customer relations, purchasing, human resources, marketing, and sales. She has held leadership and/or committee member roles with the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the American Boatbuilders Association, Sound Rivers and is a lifetime member of the North Carolina Coastal Conservation Association.
Kendra Wecker
As the Chief of the Division of Wildlife, Wecker oversees the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ efforts to manage and conserve fish and wildlife populations. Protecting recreational access for all Ohioans is her top priority, and through her Access for All project, wildlife areas in the state have been adapted through a lens of equity and inclusion. Under Wecker’s leadership, the Division has launched the Landowner Hunter Access Partnership, the HuntFish OH mobile app, and the Ohio Biodiversity Conservation Partnership. During her 30-year tenure with the ODNR, she has received multiple awards, including Wildlife Conservationist of the Year from the League of Ohio Sportsmen.
A full list of RBFF’s Board of Directors is available online.
ABOUT RBFF
RBFF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase recreational angling and boating participation, thereby protecting and restoring the nation's aquatic natural resources. RBFF's 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 to build awareness of boating, fishing, and conservation and educate people about the benefits of participation.
The campaign websites feature how-to-videos and an interactive state-by-state map that allows visitors to find local boating and fishing spots, helping boaters and anglers of all ages and experience levels learn, plan, and equip for a successful day on the water.
RBFF also offers its industry stakeholders many tools including a Fishing License & Boat Registration Plugin to connect their customers with the information they need in just one click, as well as an embeddable Places to Fish & Boat Map to help their customers discover places to fish and boat near them.
