OXNARD : Maritime Museum Appoints Director

The Ventura County Maritime Museum has appointed Mark Bacin as its new executive director, effective Jan. 1.

Increasing the Oxnard museum’s growth and visibility in Ventura County is a primary goal, Bacin said, and he will work to increase membership and raise money for exhibitions.

Bacin retired from the Navy in August after more than 20 years as an officer. His tour of duty included a three-year term as an executive officer aboard a guided missile cruiser in the Pacific.

For the last five years, Bacin has lived in Oxnard, serving as chief of staff for the Naval Surface Warfare Center at the Navy base in Port Hueneme. He has been active with the museum almost since its inception in 1991.

“I think that [Bacin] has the potential for building cooperative relationships with other museums in Ventura County in very helpful ways,” said retiring director Jerry Miller.

The museum, which hosts about 17,000 visitors a year, houses permanent collections depicting the history of Channel Islands Harbor and Port Hueneme, the only deep-water port between Los Angeles and San Francisco.