Meet the Executive Board
Dion Nicely
Dion K. Nicely, President of Veterans Maritime, is a former Coast Guard officer who spent over 12 years on active duty, serving on four vessels, including one tour as Commanding Officer of a Patrol Boat in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since receiving an Honorable Discharge as a Lieutenant Commander in 2012, Mr. Nicely has focused on the commercial maritime sector as an adviser, owner, charterer, broker and investor. Most recently, Mr. Nicely was director of logistics and transportation for a midstream company; his responsibilities included the commercial and operational management of all terminals, rail cars, pipeline and maritime assets, with an average daily inventory of 500K barrels of crude and other products in transit. Mr. Nicely holds a BS in Management with honors from the United States Coast Guard Academy and an MBA from University of Virginia.
Eli Ginsberg
Eli Ginsberg is the Americas Account Director with Lloyd’s List Intelligence, an Informa Company. He is responsible for brand relations and clients across North and South America, working with customers on optimizing development and mitigating risk through the integration of maritime data services. Lloyd’s List Intelligence provides companies in the maritime industry with thorough data analytics and market research services. Eli previously worked as a Sale and Purchase Broker for Jacq. Pierot Jr and Sons, Inc., where he focused on dry bulk acquisitions and research. He holds a BA in International Relations from American University, with a focus on emerging markets.
Han Deng
Han Deng is a senior associate at Reed Smith in the Transportation Group. She specializes in cross-border and domestic shipping finance. Han has experience representing major financial institutions, owners, lessons and operators in connection with debt finance transactions, including syndicated and bi-lateral secured loan facilities, ECA backed loan facilities, leasing, work-outs, debt restructurings and related collateral exercises. Han also has experience representing equity investors and other parties in cross-border and domestic corporate and commercial transactions involving shipping, including joint ventures,
vessel sale and purchase, vessel construction programs, and other similar transactions, often involving New York, Delaware, Liberian and Marshall Islands legal advice. Han is fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese.
Maxi Adamski
Maxi Adamski is an associate in the Asset Finance Group of the international law firm Watson Farley & Williams LLP based in the firm’s New York office. Her practice focuses primarily on cross-border and domestic shipping finance transactions. She regularly advises financial institutions and private and publicly listed shipowning companies on all aspects of loan and security documentation, including negotiation and documentation. Maxi also advises on matters of Marshall Islands and Liberian maritime law. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University and a J.D. from Fordham University.
Nicholas Kaasik
Nicholas Kaasik is an associate in the Maritime and Transportation Finance Group at Seward & Kissel LLP. He regularly represents banks and other financial institutions as lenders and agents, as well as ship owners as borrowers, in connection with secured financings in the shipping and international trade industries. Nicholas also regularly represents parties in connection with vessel sale and purchase, shipping joint ventures, and in mergers and acquisitions of companies in the maritime industry. Nicholas received a B.A., magna cum laude, from SUNY College at Geneseo and a J.D. from Cornell University Law School. Nicholas has been a member of YSPNY since 2015.
Stephen Lyman
Stephen Lyman joined IHS Maritime & Trade in 2019 as the Senior Marketing Strategist. Formerly he held the position of Director of the Seamen’s Church Institute’s (SCI) International Seafarer Center in Port Newark, NJ. Stephen has nearly two decades of experience in different operational roles in the non-profit sector. He holds dual Bachelor degrees in Operations Management and Sociology from Montclair State University and a Masters degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Non-Profit Management from Rutgers. Stephen is a Leadership Newark alum, has completed the Shipping 101, and Port Executive courses and is a certified Ship Welfare Visitor from the Merchant Navy Welfare Board. Stephen also co-chaired the Workforce Development Implementation Team developed by the Port of NY & NJ’s council on Port Performance.
Peter Lynch
Peter is a Director at AMA Capital Partners focusing on investment banking advisory and principal investing within the energy, infrastructure, transportation, and maritime shipping sectors. Recently, he has been involved in restructuring engagements related to offshore, tanker & dry bulk companies, a global liner company and a U.S. flag shipping company. He previously worked at Canaccord Genuity, a mid-market investment bank, focusing on debt finance and restructuring. Prior to 2014, he gained significant maritime commercial operations and financial advisory experience at Marsoft, McQuilling Partners, and Mediterranean Shipping Company.
Peter holds a BSBA in Finance from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and is a Series 63 & 79 registered representative for AMA Securities LLC, a broker-dealer affiliate of AMA Capital Partners.
Christopher Salmonese
Chris is an oil tanker broker at Poten and Partners, Inc and has over 10 years experience in the commercial shipping sector. Prior to his brokerage career he worked at OSG Ship Management in various roles, sailing as 3rd Officer on their US Flag tanker fleet, followed by operations and chartering/freight trading positions in New York, Singapore and London.
Chris holds a BS in Logistics and Intermodal Transportation Management from the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, as well as a MBA in Oil and Gas from Middlesex University, London.