Board of Directors

Steve Davis … started sailing at seven years old in northwest Michigan. Raising his 15-month old son as a single parent in Lake Tahoe, he began sailing the J24 race circuit beginning with the Nationals in Miami and culminating at the World Championships in San Francisco. He became a USCG licensed 100-ton master (sail and power) in Tahoe and served as a charter captain in the British and U.S. Virgin Islands as well as a delivery captain along the Pacific coast. His publishing work began as writer and editor for K-12 educational textbooks and moved to boating as managing editor of Dockwalk, a superyacht captain and crew publication before stepping up to editor-in-chief of Southern Boating magazine. He has served as a judge for the BWI writing contest for the last five years.

Pete McDonald… 

Currently, Pete is the executive editor of Boating Magazine, having twice served long stints on staff. He started at Boating in 1998 and worked there until 2009, then spent two years freelancing before rejoining the Boating staff in 2011. As a freelancer, he wrote for over a dozen top titles and also published a fly fishing book called The Blitz: Fly Fishing the Atlantic Migration in 2011.

Pete has been active in BWI since 1999, serving as an Innovation Award Judge at the Miami International Boat Show, and volunteering as a writing contest judge almost every year. In addition, he has won 17 BWI writing awards over the years.

Kelsey Bonham…  is the associate editor of BoatU.S. Magazine, specializing in coverage of personalities, the marine environment, and new tech and products. She grew up sailing the Chesapeake Bay aboard a wooden ketch before restoring her own steel sailboat and transiting up and down the Intracoastal Waterway during a college gap year, earning her 25-ton Master’s license along the way. She has also worked aboard charter vessels and for various instructional programs, and has judged the NMMA Innovation Awards. When not writing, you can find her sailing her new boat in Narragansett Bay or fixing something on it.

Ron Ballanti… is a freelance writer and photographer and president of Strike Zone Communications, a marketing communications agency based in Chatsworth, CA specializing in the boating, marine electronics, fishing and outdoor markets. He has been a regular editiorial contributor to marine publications for more than 25 years, including Boating, BoatU.S., Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing, Anglers Journal, Soundings, Western Outdoor News, Pacific Coast Sportfishing and others.Ballanti has routinely chaired and judged BWI Writing Contest categories and has earned nine Writing Awards. He is currently serving on the BWI Scholarship Committee.

Arnie Hammerman… is a lifelong boater who has made a career out of his passion for the water and boats. He is an active contributor, writing articles and testing boats for numerous publications globally. He has worked in marine media for 30 years including stints at titles that include Yachting and is the former publisher of both Power & Motoryacht and Angler’s Journal. In 2025 he launched Best4Boats.com a growing new digital media outlet where he creates and distributes content pertinent to boaters, and enthusiasts of all things related to the water and oceans.

Mike Longman… is a Contributing Editor at BoatU.S. Magazine, and a lifelong waterman who grew up surfing, diving, and fishing on Florida’s east coast. After graduating from the University of Florida, he and his brother bought and refit a 24-foot shoal draft cruising sailboat, which they sailed extensively throughout the Florida Keys. A passion for boat restoration ensued, with the latest being a 22-foot center-console he fishes out of Sebastian Inlet. With 15 years working in the marine industry, including
mechanical, marketing, and communications positions at leading companies, Mike leverages his diverse background to distill complex topics into entertaining and encouraging stories that resonate with boaters of all experience levels.

Alan Jones… has been a marine journalist for 27 years and during that time he’s tested more than 1,000 boats and has been the on-camera talent in more than 600 video walkthroughs. After a 24-year stint as executive editor for Boating WorldMagazine, he’s now a freelancer, writing for magazines such as Boating and Soundings Trade Only and also writing blogs for numerous websites.
Jones writes on a wide variety of topics including boats, engines, lifestyle, breaking technology, watersports, fishing, travel, humor, gear tests, the business of boating, and industry trends.
A former president of Boating Writers International, Jones has been a judge for the NMMA’s Innovation Awards on numerous occasions. A longtime Florida man, he currently lives in Jacksonville, Florida, and spends his spare time chasing redfish on the St. Johns River.

Ben Stein… is editor of Panbo.com covering the marine electronics industry. He also serves as electronics editor for Power & Motoryacht and Passamaker magazines and is a regular contributor to Soundings. After 15 years in financial services technology, he left the corporate world to pursue his passion in boating. A USCG 100 Ton Master and ABYC certified marine electrical technician, Ben has completed the Great Loop and cruised actively for many years. Ben serves as co-chair of the judging process for NMMA’s Innovation Awards.

Zuzana Prochazka… is a freelance boating/travel journalist and photographer as well founder of Zescapes, an operator of bareboat flotilla vacations at exotic destinations around the world. She serves as charter editor for SAIL magazine, and is a regular contributor of technical and destination articles for Marine Electronics Journal, Southern Boating, Multihull Sailor, Spinsheet, Boats.com, Pacific Yachting, Yachting Times and others.  Her work has also appeared in Passagemaker and Canadian Boating magazines as well as on various online publications including Boats.com.

A USCG 100 Ton Master, Zuzana has cruised, and chartered in many parts of the world and serves as an international presenter on charter destinations and technical topics. She is the Chair of the New Product Awards committee, judging innovative boats and gear, a former BWI board president.