About TMA BlueTech
Developing the inventors and entrepreneurs of the future
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TMA BlueTech™ is the non-profit industry association and cluster organizer for the San Diego ocean and water technologies community. Its tag line is Promoting BlueTech and Blue Jobs®.
We bring education, policy and technology resources together to promote innovation and economic development in the Blue Economy. We create a strong “Blue Voice” via unique events, information sharing, national and international outreach, networking, research, and workforce development.
We believe that in order to promote sustainable, science-based Ocean and Water industries, the BlueTech community must collaborate with all members of our society. Diversity and inclusion is critical to the success of the planet and the BlueTech industry. As an organization, we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool that possess the required skills, experience and education to succeed. We support efforts of our member companies and partners to select from a diverse candidate pool. As part of our ongoing efforts, we encourage diversity within our internal practices, the voices we feature and amplify, and the partners with whom we engage. We encourage presenting companies to help provide a diverse speaking panel during BlueTech Week.
Promoting the economic development in the Blue Economy allowing it to flourish and provide the foundation for sustainable growth, and international outreach which fortifies global networks spanning the breadth and depth of the oceans.
TMA BlueTech promotes collaboration in the region combined with active national and international outreach.
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Matt Classen joined TMA BlueTech as the Executive Director in September 2021. He has worked with small, medium, and multinational organizations in a wide variety of sectors in areas as diverse as communications, corporate strategy development, project management, sports sponsorship, organizational change management, and corporate culture development. One of his proudest professional highlights was co-producing an award-winning documentary that was filmed in both the US and Myanmar. He sits on the board of directors of two nonprofits, is a dual citizen of the US and Germany and speaks four languages.
Virginia Casey is TMA BlueTech's Program Manager and has over 25 years of experience as a communication professional in both the nonprofit and international sectors. Virginia brings experience in advocacy, lobbying, and community outreach to managing BlueTech's events and government relations efforts and is excited to help build awareness of the Blue Economy's vital role in our future. In her spare time, Virginia enjoys playing padel, participating in a local running club, and enjoying life in San Diego again after many years in much less inviting climates.
Michael Jones is Board Chair of TMA and TMA Foundation. He founded TMA in 2007 after noticing that San Diego has a strong cluster of maritime technology companies. His background is finance and international relations, having spent 8 years as a commercial lender and 31 years as an investment banker. He is an angel investor, member of the Board of Directors of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, and a member of the Board of Governors of the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS). Michael speaks five languages and travels extensively.
Martin Kwon joined TMA BlueTech this year as a student intern through the Korea WEST program. He is a senior at Dongyang University studying Airline Service and Business Administration. He has studied Marketing and Tourism in course classes and is greatly interested in the Maritime industry. He has a passion for learning about sustainable energy and international trade matters.
