Captain Tom Shipp is in the Boating and Waterways Section of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and has been responsible for the Boating Safety Unit for eight years. In that role he works with general boating safety issues, boating accident reporting, boating safety education/outreach issues, the Boating Advisory Council, and the Recreational Boating Safety grant. Tom began his boating safety career by teaching canoeing/kayaking/sailing at summer camps before college and as a lifeguard/water safety instructor during college. Prior to his FWC career he was an environmental biologist. He has been an FWC law enforcement officer for 16 years. As an Officer he spent three years on the coast working primarily in the marine environment and then three years working inland counties focusing more on the wildlife and freshwater environments. He was a Lieutenant in FWC’s Policy and Planning Section for two years before promoting to Captain.