About Us
Our Mission
Our day-to-day Mission is to help people safely enjoy the Great Lakes, with a long-term, aspirational Vision to end drowning in the area.
Who We Are
The Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium is a growing nonprofit community of BEST practice, connecting and serving safety experts & water enthusiasts, educating the public on safer ways to enjoy the water, and encouraging leaders to take bold action to make their shoreline safer for residents and visitors.
Our 1,000+ members include lifeguards & other first responders, community leaders, park rangers, research scientists, meteorologists, parents, teachers, journalists, survivors, victims’ loved ones, and other drowning prevention advocates, from all eight Great Lakes states and Ontario.
No one here is in it for fame or fortune. It may be a part of our job or a calling to serve, but we are volunteers doing good by going above & beyond to help keep people safe around the water.
We work together, freely sharing what we know, supporting research and innovation, offering expert consultation and valuable resources, and accelerating progress toward our mission & vision.
Leadership Team
Board
Drew Ferguson
Executive Director & Board President
Megan Dodson
National Weather Service – Northern Indiana
Board Secretary
Jamie Racklyeft
University of Michigan
Founder, Acting Board Treasurer
Mary Ann Best
Community Advocate, Gary, Indiana
Board Member
Leslie Dorworth
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
Board Member
Bob Dukesherer
National Weather Service – Michigan
Board Member
Dan Metcalfe
County of Essex, Ontario
Board Member
Leadership Team
Pam Ford
Safe Kids, Greater South Haven, Michigan
Kim Kreiling
Coastal Management Program, DNR, Illinois
Susan Och
Township Supervisor, Leland, Michigan
Scott Ruddle
Lifeguard/Paramedic at Middlesex–London, Ontario
Ben Russell
Firefighter/Emergency Medical Responder, Hart, Michigan
Caty Simcek
Great Lakes Water Safety Pioneer
Matt Warner
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
Why We’re Here
Drowning is the #1 cause of injury death in children 1-4, and #2 in all kids under 15.
On average, there are 10 drownings every day in the U.S. – and they are all preventable.
Families and friends live day-to-day with the never-ending grief of losing a loved one to the big lakes, and we want that to end.
How We Help
Everything communicates. Even not communicating.
Our water safety experts & advocates want everyone to know what we know, so we freely and continually communicate our consistent water safety messages in every way we can, and educate others about the dangers of the water and how to avoid them.
We also have recommendations for shoreline community leaders, and beach & park workers on simple steps to help keep your residents & visitors safe around the water.
Member Organizations
Our fast-growing water safety community has more than 1,000 members representing dozens of organizations, working together and freely sharing what works, to accelerate the pace of our collective progress. Here are just a few of our member organizations and partners.
Let us know if you would like to see your logo here.
