Paducah Propeller Club Names Annual Award Recipients

The Paducah Propeller Club will celebrate National Maritime Day and honor award recipients Randy Chamness and Julie Harris during a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. May 16 at the Seamen’s Church Institute’s Center for Maritime Education in Paducah, Ky.

Randy Chamness, vice president of vessel operations for American Commercial Barge Lines, is the club’s maritime person of the year.

Julie Harris, retired executive director of the River Discovery Center in Paducah, is the port person of the year.

Chamness began his career on the river in 1993 as a deckhand and earned his first license from the Coast Guard in 1997. He has held a master of towing since then. He became a Lower Mississippi River pilot for a few years before being promoted to captain, then came shoreside as a port captain in December 2011. He was promoted to director of river operations for the Lower Mississippi and then to vice president of vessel operations-north region in January 2023.

In addition, he has contributed to industry committees. Chamness spent two terms as chairman of the Lower Mississippi River Commission, from 2020 to 2022 and 2024 to 2025. He began serving as ACBL’s representative on the River Industry Executive Taskforce in 2025. Due to his contributions to industry, he received the Certificate of Merit from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2023.

“It is beyond humbling to know I was nominated for this award, but to actually receive this award is a huge honor,” Chamness said.

Over the years, Chamness has served as a guest speaker for various Propeller Club “ports,” the name for the club’s chapters, on occasion. He said he has always enjoyed his interactions within the organization.

“Being a member in Paducah, I am not able to attend every meeting. However, when I do, I find the speakers are very relevant to our region and have always been impressed with how organized they are,” he said.

Harris spent 20 years working in advertising in the Atlanta, Georgia, region before moving with her family to Paducah in 2000. She began her time as executive director of what was then the River Heritage Museum before the museum opened, with no exhibits or programming. Harris worked closely with exhibit designer Matt Rothan, who had created some of the well-known exhibits at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, to create the museum’s interactive exhibits. She spent more than 22 years overseeing the museum, which later became the River Discovery Center.

During her time as museum director, the center chartered the region’s only Sea Scout troop and launched the award-winning Adopt-a-Towboat program, which received national attention for connecting students with the river industry. The museum also partnered with Ingram Barge Company for the Ingram Skipper Program, which brings more than 900 9- to 11-year-olds to the museum for a glimpse of life on the river, and started an annual Career Day for high school students that partnered with local towing companies, the Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard, Seamen’s Church Institute and West Kentucky Community and Technical College. Harris also began offering uniquely curated museum experiences for bus tour groups and passengers aboard river cruise vessels visiting Paducah.

“The Propeller Club has had a tremendous impact on me during my time as the executive director of River Discovery Center,” Harris said. “From attending meetings, to events and serving as a board member, the networking opportunities have been invaluable. I have had the privilege of connecting with so many professionals in the industry. Since I first began attending meetings back in the early 2000s, I’ve learned a great deal about the river industry: knowledge that has guided much of my work at the River Discovery Center. Many of the people I met through the Propeller Club have gone on to volunteer at the museum, serve on our board or committees, and helped spread awareness about the important work we do to educate the public about the vital role of the barge and towing companies in our region.”

Harris said she deeply appreciates receiving the award and is honored to do so. She also credited a family friend, Bill Dyer, who ran the towing company that became Tennessee Valley Towing, for telling her river stories in her youth and sparking interest in the industry.

“When I returned to Paducah well into my career and became executive director of what was then the River Heritage Museum — now River Discovery Center — I quickly recognized how important it was to help our community understand the life and work taking place on our rivers and why it matters so deeply,” she said. “Paducah exists because of its location at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee rivers, and that geography continues to shape our identity and economy today. That realization marked the beginning of my own journey to learn about the river, and, in turn, to create engaging educational experiences for people of all ages, helping them appreciate how the rivers continue to impact our lives every single day.”

Following presentation of the awards, the ceremony will conclude with a wreath-laying ceremony, paying tribute to mariners who have lost their lives in the line of duty.