Governance & Transparency

Governance & Transparency

At Headwaters & Marine Stewards® (HMS), we believe educational equity requires absolute financial efficiency. Institutional maturity and fiduciary stewardship govern every aspect of our operations, ensuring that every underwriting gift and foundation grant translates directly into open-access, zero-login coastal science curriculum for public schools and homeschool families.

1. Formal Legal & Tax Status

Headwaters & Marine Stewards is an independent public charity recognized at both the federal and state levels. We maintain an open depository of public filings for underwriters, foundation partners, and the communities we serve.

  • Federal Tax Status: 501(c)(3) Public Charity (Contributions are tax-deductible under IRC § 170)
  • Federal EIN: 41-2696973
  • State Registration: Registered Charitable Trust with the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Charitable Trusts Unit
  • State Business ID: NH Secretary of State #1010318
  • National Accountability Rating: Candid (GuideStar) Platinum Seal of Transparency

2. Board of Trustees & Fiduciary Oversight

Our Board of Trustees provides independent governance, fiscal oversight, and operational accountability. In compliance with New Hampshire RSA 7:19-a governing charitable trusts, all voting board members serve as uncompensated independent trustees.

  • Kate Beckett – Chair of the Board & Co-Founder
    Former Director of Graduate Programs, Tufts University; Academic Affairs Lead, Miami Dade College; Texas Instruments Malcolm Baldrige Award Team.
  • Steve Huebner – Director of Field Operations & Trustee
    Senior Onboarding Specialist at Amadeus; Former Cartographer for the State of New Hampshire.
  • Rob Stevens – Director of Systems & Innovation & Trustee
    Enterprise Solutions Architect at Amadeus; Former Senior Systems Consultant at Unum.
  • Jerry Marceau – Director of Stewardship Technology & Trustee
    Enterprise Systems Administrator, University of New Hampshire (25+ yrs); Master of Public Administration (MPA).
  • Steven Gray – Director of Shoreline Community & Economic Stewardship & Trustee
    Associate Broker, RE/MAX Shoreline; 40+ years in regional land, waterfront advisory, and civic leadership.
  • David Miller – Executive Director (Non-Voting Ex-Officio)
    Enterprise Systems Architect; MAT in Geoscience; Licensed FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot & Research Vessel Mariner.

Adopted Governance Policies: The Board of Trustees maintains and adheres to formal written policies governing Conflict of Interest (with annual disclosure affidavits), Whistleblower Protection, and Document Retention & Destruction.

3. Capital Efficiency: The “Lean Science” Model

Traditional marine research outreach often relies on multi-million-dollar research vessels, heavy physical facilities, and ongoing enterprise software licensing—generating high administrative overhead that limits scale. HMS operates on a different financial thesis: Extreme Capital Efficiency.

By conducting targeted seasonal field campaigns using agile, low-maintenance assets (R/V HMS Buttercup and sUAS Archimedes), we capture empirical field science data at a fraction of standard institutional costs, and translate it into zero-login digital learning modules that scale at near-zero marginal cost.

HMS Lean Science Model Infographic 🔍 Click image to enlarge

The Anatomy of a $2,500 Underwriting Micro-Grant

When an institutional partner or corporate underwriter provides a $2,500 micro-grant, zero funds are lost to administrative bloat or vessel depreciation:

  • The Capital Investment: A single, fully transparent $2,500 underwriting grant.
  • The Field Execution: Fully funds the high-resolution photogrammetry flights and water-column chemistry transects required to build a localized, empirical estuarine investigation.
  • The Lifelong Impact: Produces a permanent, open-access Digital Twin and companion $3–$5 DIY classroom “green box” blueprint, serving thousands of public school and homeschool students indefinitely at zero cost to the schools.

Underwriting Compliance & Attribution: In full alignment with IRS Qualified Sponsorship Payment rules (IRC § 513(i)), corporate underwriters and foundation supporters receive prominent, non-commercial institutional acknowledgments (analogous to PBS or NPR underwriting) directly within published classroom investigations, technical reports, and open data portals.