Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating is pleased to announce that long-time supporter and Board Member, Matt Schaaf has accepted the senior staff position as its new Director of Operations. Matt began his tenure at CRAB as a volunteer Skipper before joining its Board of Directors in 2018 and in 2020 was elected Treasurer of the Board. Executive Director Paul Bollinger, Jr. said, “I’m very happy to have Matt bring his knowledge and passion for CRAB to our team. Matt has relevant management and operations experience that will be immediately valuable to CRAB. He also will be very involved in creating new programs at the CRAB Adaptive Boating Center, opening next year on Back Creek.”
Matt was formally the Executive Vice President at ds+f, a full-service branding agency. For more than 20 years, Matt worked to build and grow the business to serve a diverse mix of local, national, international, and Fortune 500 clients. In this role, Matt was a key contributor as ds+f gained Inc. 500 status as well as winning numerous industry design awards. As Executive Vice President, Matt worked with clients while directing the financial and operations side of the business. Before ds+f Matt spent seven years in restaurant management. Matt attended Shepherd University in West Virginia.
A 20+ year resident of Annapolis, Matt has served as a CRAB skipper since 2015. He also is an avid alpine skier and ex-instructor, motorcyclist, power boater, and racing sailor. David Hankey, the President of CRAB’s Board of Directors commented, “Knowing Matt as a Board Member for several years, we feel lucky to have a person with his energy and commitment in support of CRAB’s mission to provide people with disabilities, recovering warriors, and youth from underserved communities the thrill and freedom of sailing on the Chesapeake Bay.”
