CAPE MAY – Chris Shoemaker of Cape May has been elected President of the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC) Board of Trustees, taking over from former President Mary McKenney, whose three-year term expired Dec. 31, 2016.
“The great thing about MAC is that we don’t have one vision for Cape May – it’s a shared one,” he said. “We believe that if we promote Cape May and work with our community partners, everyone benefits. Everyone has skin in the game.”
Shoemaker brings a wealth of experience to the board in the areas of finance, banking and relationship building. He is an Investment Advisor with Sturdy Financial Services* in Cape May Court House, developing and implementing wealth management strategies for families, individuals, non-profits and businesses, whose team manages over $125 million in client assets, advising on tax-aware investing, retirement income planning, generational wealth transfer, financial planning and estate planning. *Securities and insurance products offered through Cetera Investment Services LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.
Previously, he was Divisional Sales Director for Morgan Stanley Investment Management in New York; Financial Advisor for UBS in the Greater Philadelphia area; an Assistant Portfolio Manager & Institutional Sales Associate for Rorer Asset Management in Philadelphia; and a Portfolio Accountant for Society Hill Capital Management in Philadelphia. Shoemaker earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance at Villanova University and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government from George Washington University. He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy for five years.
Shoemaker is very active in the community. He has served as an Advisory Board Member to the Cape May County Technical School District for the past seven years. He has served on the MAC board since January 2013 as a Trustee, and then as Treasurer from January 2014 to December 2016. He has been a member of the Cape May Rotary Club and even agreed once to be auctioned off at a “bachelor auction,” presented by the Mermaid Guild of Cape May, which raised funds for the Community Food Bank of South Jersey.
Shoemaker’s roots in Cape May are significant. “My father, George, flew out of Naval Air Station Wildwood (NASW) during World War II in between tours as a Navy dive bomber pilot in the Pacific,” Shoemaker said. “A decorated war hero, there is an exhibit on him at NASW Aviation Museum. He met my mother, Astrid Von Doettling, at the Cape May Presbyterian Church. She grew up in Stuttgart during the war and emigrated from Germany to the United States in the ’50s after the Russians went into Hungary. Everyone thought Germany was next.”
Shoemaker’s father had a commercial fishing supply business at Cold Spring Dock for 37 years and retired from the Navy as a Captain, Air Wing Staff Commander at NAS Lakehurst, N.J. Shoemaker’s step-grandfather was AC Lyle, who led the 4th of July parade in Cape May for decades.
“He lived across from the Physick Estate, and little did I know while I was playing there as a child that I would be so involved in the Physick Estate as an adult.”
Shoemaker lives on Cape Island with his wife Erin, Golden Retrievers Zoey and Gracie, and an assortment of animals. They own the Cape May Farmstead, site of the original 1,000-acre farm for the Admiral Hotel that was built and designed by NZ Graves, owned by Henry Washington Sawyer for a time in the late 19th century.
Shoemaker looks forward to leading MAC into the future: “I’m really looking forward to my new role at MAC – great staff and volunteers, a strong and diverse board and the mission to amplify Greater Cape May. I believe that if you set a positive stretch goal for an organization, provide motivation and direction along the way, and have fun while you’re doing it – the sky is the limit.”
The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC) is a multifaceted not-for-profit organization committed to promoting the preservation, interpretation and cultural enrichment of the Cape May region for its residents and visitors. MAC membership is open to all. For information about MAC’s year-round schedule of tours, festivals and special events, call (609) 884-5404 or (800) 275-4278, or visit MAC’s website at www.capemaymac.org.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
