On The Move: We Work The Waterways Grows With Vivian Reese

We Work the Waterways has been growing rapidly in recent months. In April 2025, it became an independent nonprofit. The national conversation about reviving American shipping shipbuilding and the maritime sector — sparked by executive orders from the White House and bills in Congress — meant that its mission of promoting maritime and maritime-adjacent careers to young people was now front and center in many people’s consciousness. It was vital that those people become acquainted with WWW and its mission.

In August 2025, Vivian Reese came to work with WWW as an intern. She was recently offered a permanent full-time job with the group.

Reese came to WWW fresh out of Mississippi State University, with a major in marketing and a minor in supply chain logistics. She grew up in Atlanta and had fallen in love with the Mississippi State University campus. “All my friends were double-majoring in supply chain logistics,” she said. She interned with WWW during her entire senior year at Mississippi State, and she was offered a marketing fellowship

immediately following graduation from late May to early September. Reese had worked with WWW board member Nikki Fondren on sorority recruiting and organizing, gaining valuable experience in teamwork and project management.

Like most folks who didn’t grow up in a maritime family, Reese initially knew little about that world. But she has embraced it enthusiastically. “I used social media to educate myself,” she said, as well as attending the Inland Marine Expo and Workboat events. Fondren said, “The most interesting thing to me about the maritime world is the variety of jobs. They can be a springboard to almost anything!” She looks forward to traveling to more maritime conferences and events.

Although face-to-face interactions at events like the WWW’s Interaction Days will always remain important, much initial engagement happens online today, and that is where Reese and the WWW team have dramatically expanded their impact, developing the WWW website and various online tools.

Fondren said, “Over the following months, we watched (Vivian) ask better questions, take on more responsibility and take initiative. We watched her confidence build, her industry knowledge deepen and her professionalism grow with every project she touched.”
“I’m so grateful for Errin (Howard, WWW founder) for taking a chance on me,” Reese said.