Our Team
Roger Camp, Chief Executive Officer
Roger Camp is the President & CEO of the American Shipbuilding Suppliers Association (ASSA), appointed unanimously by the executive committee at the January 2024 Board of Directors meeting. With a wealth of experience and seasoned leadership, Camp serves as the Senior Director of Business Development - Naval at Hanwha Defense USA, Inc. He was previously the Director of Strategic Development for Surface Warfare and Missile Defense at General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS). In this role, he spearheads initiatives for both domestic and international defense programs, focusing on Surface Warfare, Missile Defense, and Advanced Research.
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Camp's dedication to strengthening the domestic shipbuilding supplier base is evident in his commitment to pursuing new initiatives and business partnerships that benefit ASSA members and the shipbuilding industry as a whole. His belief in the essential nature of shipbuilding designers and suppliers as critical national security assets underscores his strategic vision for the organization.
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Prior to his current role, Camp held positions of increasing responsibility, including Senior Manager for Air and Missile Defense Programs at Raytheon Co., and supporting Navy Command & Display and Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) programs at General Dynamics. His extensive naval background includes service aboard four different surface ships and leadership roles at NATO Headquarters.
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Camp holds a Master of Science degree in Business Administration from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Vanderbilt University. He has also completed specialized studies in International Politics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and as a Joint Advanced Warfighter Specialist at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
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With a proactive approach to addressing industry challenges and a dedication to advocating for the domestic shipbuilding industrial base, Camp is poised to lead ASSA into a future of continued growth and influence within the maritime sector.
Chris Cikanovich, Chairman
Christopher Cikanovich is President of CEI Consulting Services. Chris has over 30 years of experience in the defense and aerospace business. His span of experience covers all aspects of business, including Marine Systems; Electronic Warfare; Intelligence Systems; Information Security; Systems Integration; Radar Systems and International Programs to flying as a test and evaluation pilot on the F-16 Radar program. Recently, Chris was a Program Executive for Rolls-Royce Advanced Programs, responsible for the Research, Development, Test and Implementation of new technologies for the Naval and Marine business. Chris graduated from the US Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree with further studies in Engineering, Aeronautics and International Business.
Since his retirement from the U.S. Coast Guard in July of 2011, Paul Roden has served as Vice President of Washington Operations for the Fairbanks Morse Engine Company (FME), a manufacturer and service provider for many U.S. Armed Forces propulsion diesel engines. Today he leads Lighthouse Point Government Relations. From July 2008 to July 2011, Captain Roden served as the Coast Guard’s Chief of Naval Engineering, where he was responsible for policy development and budget management. Roden graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science in marine engineering. He later attended the University of Michigan where he earned a Master of Science in naval architecture, marine engineering, and mechanical engineering. Additionally, Roden obtained a Master of business administration from Indiana University. Throughout his career, Captain Roden has been an active member of engineering professional societies.
Paul Roden, Vice Chairman
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Carl Fisher, Vice President of Membership
Carl is the Founder and First President of theAmerican Shipbuilding Suppliers Association and is a 1977 graduate of the US Naval Academy. He is currently the Government Sales Manager of Thrustmaster of Texas, Inc. Previously, he served as Senior Director of Business Development, Marine for Marotta Controls. Prior to joining Marotta Controls, Carl was the Vice President of Business Development at L3 Maritime Systems, supporting L3's Navy surface ship machinery control and power management technologies. Prior to his L3 years, Carl was the Director of Business Development at General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems Division, responsible for marketing and successful contract award of such technologies
as EMALS/AAG, Railgun, Integrated Fight-Through Power (IFTP) and other advanced Navy technologies.
Dana Beyeler, Board Member
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Dana A. Beyeler is Senior Vice President - Defense Engagement for the Ellwood Group, Inc., a private industrial company with over 2200 employs and annual revenues of over $1 billion. He is also currently a member of the Industry Trade Advisory Committee – ITAC -7 Steel (ITACs) and the NDIA representative to the NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG). Beyeler held the position of VP Sales & Marketing for Ellwood National Forge Co. (ENF) since it was established in January 2003 as a division of the Ellwood Group, Inc. ENF produces and markets products globally for a wide range of highly specialized applications, including hard target penetrators, artillery components, pipe molds, turbine rotors, pressure vessels, sub-sea oil drilling platform components and other relatively high length/width ratio products with a bored interior diameter. Prior to joining Ellwood National Forge, Beyeler was with National Forge Company for over 25 years, eventually earning the position of VP of Marketing. Dana also served on the Western Pennsylvania District Export Council and was a member of U.S. Commerce Secretary Daley’s Business Development Mission to India in 1997. Beyeler also served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps on active duty 1973 – 1976 and as an Inactive Reserve Officer until separation in 1986. He received a BA in Economics and Business from Muskingum College and a M.B.A. from St. Bonaventure University.
William "Bill" Dimas, Board Member
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Bill has over 35 years of experience in Business Development, Engineering Management and
Project Management in the design and development of systems and components for aerospace, industrial, naval, spacecraft and weapons applications.
Bill has been with Marotta Controls for 28 years in multiple roles. He currently leads Marotta’s
Business Development team for the Naval System Business Unit and is also the Technical
Director for Marotta’s Pneumatic Weapons Ejection (PWE) Systems.
During his tenure at Marotta Bill has led teams that have successfully qualified new product lines that helped Marotta evolve from a component to a systems level supplier, reaching new markets and customers that have fueled Marotta’s growth. These products include the Automatic Source Transfer Valve System (ASTV) used on AEGIS combat systems, the “M-PACT” range of High-Pressure Pure Air Generating Systems (PAGS) for the F/A-18 and P-8A Poseidon aircraft and several missile related Control Actuation Systems.
Prior to joining Marotta Bill was a Senior Project Engineer at Valcor Engineering and Engineering Manager at Teledyne Farris Engineering.
Bill has a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of
Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Boston University.