Buddy Custard is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alaska Chadux̂ Network (ACN). ACN is an industry-led nonprofit corporation that provides petroleum tank storage facilities and vessel operators with U.S. federal and State of Alaska oil spill prevention and response regulatory compliance in the U.S. Arctic and Alaska regions. He possesses extensive knowledge and skill working maritime operations from both the public and private sectors, including serving as an officer with the U.S. Coast Guard for over 30 years and as a senior manager with Shell Exploration & Production Company while operating in the U.S. Arctic Outer Continental Shelf.

Buddy has developed vast expertise on Arctic and Alaska maritime issues, ranging from environmental protection, search and rescue, emergency response, exploration drilling, homeland security, marine transportation system, and the significant challenges of operating in Alaska and the Arctic. He has initiated numerous programs supporting environmental protection in Alaska, such as the Western Alaska Tanker Lightering Best Practices Committee.

Buddy serves as a member of the National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee, President of the Aleutian Islands Waterways Safety Committee, and is also the Chairman, Board of Directors for the American Red Cross of Alaska.

He is a graduate of Colorado State University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife biology. Buddy also earned a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College and is a graduate of the Homeland Security Executive Leaders Program, Center for Homeland Defense and Security, Naval Postgraduate School.