News: ABYC Announces Award Recipients at Annual Meeting
Awards recognize leaders advancing recreational boating safety and standards.
2026 award winners and presenters, from left, Ed Sherman, Tim Murphy, Bob MacNeill, Kimberly Horn, David Marlow, Sandy MacNeill, John Adey and Christina Paul.
The American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) honored industry leaders and longtime volunteers during its awards ceremony Jan. 12 in Charleston, presented at ABYC’s annual meeting on the opening day of Standards Week. The meeting brings together industry experts and boating safety advocates to highlight the year’s boating safety advances and recognize volunteers helping move standards forward.
C.T. “Skip” Moyer Leadership Award: Ed Sherman
Named for ABYC’s former president, the C.T. “Skip” Moyer Leadership Award was established in 2002 and is presented to the ABYC member who best exemplifies the leadership qualities of ABYC’s past presidents through hard work, personal sacrifice and contributions to boating safety.
This year’s recipient, Ed Sherman, is a former ABYC education director, an author of books on electrical systems and outboard engines, and a contributor to multiple technical articles. He also helped develop ABYC’s first marine technician certification program.
Tim Murphy, ABYC education director, presented the award and said: “Truly transformative leaders are rare. During his time at ABYC, Ed transformed not merely the Education Department writ small but the whole field of marine trades education in America. For anybody working in the marine trades — we are all living in the world Ed built.”
Bolling Fortson Douglas Award: Kim Horn
ABYC created the Bolling Fortson Douglas Award, named for a legendary marine surveyor and longtime supporter of ABYC standards, to honor a female ABYC member who exemplifies Douglas’ passion and dedication to making boating safe, reliable and enjoyable.
Horn, a senior compliance specialist with Boston Whaler, has developed and maintained digital compliance templates, components matrices and test report workflows that help manufacturers meet ABYC, U.S. Coast Guard, ISO and NMMA requirements. She also educates teams on best practices and, through Brunswick’s Women on Water program, organizes initiatives to help more teammates get on the water with confidence.
Dave Marlow, Brunswick senior director of product integrity, presented the award and said: “Kim has become a cornerstone of the standards and compliance culture—translating complex regulatory requirements into practical, durable processes that lift quality and safety across boat brands. Your work advances ABYC’s mission in tangible ways—safer boats, clearer standards, and teams that know how to apply them.”
Augusto “Kiko” Villalon Lifetime Service Award: Bob and Sandy MacNeill
The award, previously known as the Lifetime Service Award, was renamed following an ABYC Board of Directors resolution in memory of the late Augusto “Kiko” Villalon.
ABYC President John Adey presented the award to Bob and Sandy MacNeill. “Traditionally this award has been presented to an individual, however, my experience with Bob is that I rarely utter his name without it being followed by Sandy,” Adey said.
Bob MacNeill has held executive roles at Chris-Craft, Carver, Viking, Outboard Marine Corporation and other companies. He also served as president and later chair of the board at the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology and ran two consulting businesses: Robert MacNeill Yacht Design and International Marine Consulting Associates with Charlie Game. He is a member emeritus of the ABYC technical board.
“Bob, always supported by Sandy, has spent his career bettering boating safety,” Adey said. “An avid boater himself, he turned his observations and professional life into comments and discussions on a standards level to keep people safe on the water.”