Jim Emmons is executive director of the non-profit Water Sports Foundation (WSF) and is a lifelong recreational boating safety advocate and enthusiast. 

Since 2011, the WSF has orchestrated a series of 41 highly-effective recreational boating safety consumer outreach campaigns worth $9.5 while delivering more than 1.5 billion, laser-targeted boater and paddler safety impressions. 

The projects include custom production of more than 225 boating safety PSAs with the most recent receiving more than 93,000 YouTube views in just four days. The WSF also spearheaded outreach efforts targeting newcomers to boating including Hispanic boaters and the at-risk paddle sports segment. 

The Water Sports Foundation earned multiple recognitions including NASBLA’s Innovation in Outreach award, numerous first-place honors in the IBWSS Communication Awards. 

The WSF’s outreach campaigns have also earned top national awards in cooperation with its producers and partners from Marine Marketers of America and the Sea Tow Foundation, which both honored the WSF’s national public relations campaign with the 2021 Top Marine Marketing and Boating Safety Outreach Award for the public relations category. 

Emmons served two terms on the Coast Guard’s National Boating Safety Advisory Council, most recently as chairman. He also serves on NASBLA’s Paddlesports Committee. Prior to his current post, Emmons served 12 years as president of the Water Sports Industry Association and as the publisher of two boating magazines.

Scott MacGregor (HBOR, BA Geo, B.Ed) is the founder and publisher at Rapid Media. After ten seasons as a whitewater canoeing instructor, raft guide, a 105-day sea kayak expedition, and starting a non-profit paddling school, in ’99 he launched North America’s first whitewater magazine. With the business plan scribbled on a bar napkin, he rented a shack by the river and bought his first Macintosh computer. Twenty years later, Rapid Media is now the world’s leading paddlesports media company and the official media partner of American Canoe Association, Paddle Canada and Paddlesports Retailer. Rapid Media publishes Kayak Angler, Paddling Magazine and Paddling Business, including the Paddling Buyer’s Guide and Paddling Trip Guide annuals. Rapid Media also produces the Paddling Film Festival and Rapid Media TV. 

Mark MacKenzie is Digital Content and Audience Director for Bonnier Corp's Active Interest Network, where he leads all digital content and audience development operations across 12 enthusiast titles. He has a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Arizona and has been covering the marine industry for the last decade.