Mary Beth Stutzman – Development Manager, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Mary Beth is the Development Manager for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary located in Alpena, Michigan. This is the nation’s first freshwater sanctuary and focuses on protecting a nationally significant collection of shipwrecks in Lake Huron. She is bringing the work of the Foundation to this local region to garner public support to enhance and continue valuable advancements in shipwreck research, artifact preservation, and educational outreach.

Mary Beth brings with her an extensive knowledge of the Northeast Michigan region, expertise in community fundraising, and regional communications and outreach experience.  She comes to the Foundation from Alpena Regional Medical Center where she spent five years in the Marketing & Development Department as the Public Relations Specialist. In addition to Public Relations management, she was responsible for marketing a variety of hospital services throughout the region and assisting with special projects, including a $15 million Electronic Medical Record Project and coordination of the hospital’s Tobacco-free Campus initiative. Prior to her public relations role, Mary Beth served four years as a reporter for the daily paper The Alpena News and was a state officer in the Michigan FFA Association. 

An Alpena Native, Mary Beth received her AA with a concentration in Journalism from Alpena Community College where she served as Editor of the student run newspaper The Polemic. She received her BA in Organizational Communications with a minor in psychology from Michigan State University where she was a member of the Undergraduate Communications Association, and completed coursework in Ireland through the Irish Writers Program.