The first President of Western New York Maritime Charter School Board of Trustees was Mr. Albert Scott who passed away in July of 2007. This school is the product of Mr. Scott's vision to provide a school for young adults which also teaches discipline, responsibility, and self-reliance.
Mr. Phillip A. Elia was a founding father of the Maritime Charter School. His vision that he shared with Mr. Albert Scott led to the creation of our school. He was a U.S. Navy veteran and New York Army National Guard retiree who served in Iraq and earned the Bronze Star. Phil passed away on April 19th, 2015. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Another founding father of the school, Mr. Conorozzo was employed at Buffalo State College's Research Foundations as a grant developer for the School of Professions where he also taught in the Graduate School. He served as the Treasurer, Vice President and the President of the Board of Trustees of WNYMCS from July 2008-June 2016. Mr. Conorozzo was a lifelong resident of Buffalo. He passed away in June of 2016 and his steadfast and prudent leadership has been sorely missed by the school community.
Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Lawrence Astyk retired from the Marine Corps after 28 years of active service and returned to his native Buffalo in 2003 to start the next chapter in his life. In December of 2004 he accepted the position of Senior Naval Science Instructor for what was at the time the new WNY Maritime Charter School. The early years of the school were rife with many challenges and during this time he ensured that the NJROTC program took hold in order to act as an anchor for the school. During the 2006-2007 school year, LtCol Astyk was asked to bring his leadership to the entire school as Commandant, a position he held until October of 2016. During his tenure his transformative leadership changed the culture of the school resulting in nationally recognized academic success, multiple charter renewals, a stellar image in the community, and a charter revision resulting in an expansion to add a middle school to the now persistently successful high school. His decision to retire in October of 2016 to focus on his family left a school ready to continue to move forward in his absence and his work will ensure that Maritime will stand poised to meet and exceed its mission for years to come.
Catherine Oldenburg's tenure at WNY Maritime Charter School began in 2008 as Vice Commandant and continued as Commandant, where she displayed a deep commitment to the cadets and candidates of Maritime. As Commandant, she was instrumental in overseeing the school's operations and supporting the development of innovative strategies to improve academic outcomes, increase student engagement, and promote a culture of excellence throughout the schools. Following in the footsteps of those before her, she continued with the traditions in which Maritime was founded in 2004 upholding the 4 cornerstones which include Academic Excellence, Character Development, Physical Development, and Leadership Development.
