Category: IPA

Maritime History and Comic Books with The Shipping Lawyer

February 29, 2024 Written by Sophonie Milord | Photo by Biden School Staff

On this episode of First State Insights​​, ​​Alison Cusack, Founder and Principal Lawyer of Cusack & Co, speaks with Troy Mix, Associate Director of the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration (IPA), about everything from maritime law and how she started in the industry to her new book, A Short History of Maritime, and her firm's digital comic book series, Container Jack, which mixes a dose of entertainment with education about the shipping industry.

Alison Cusack is the Founder and Principal Lawyer of Cusack & Co Pty Ltd, an innovative and forward-thinking maritime law firm based in Melbourne, Australia. In addition to her career as a maritime lawyer, Alison is the immediate past President of the Australian chapter of the Women's International Shipping & Trading Association. She was recently ranked #58 on AllAboutShipping's Top 100 Women in Shipping List for 2023. She's a former Lecturer at Victoria University and the mastermind behind Propel Forward, a shipping 101 course she runs through Cusack & Co Academy.

In 2023, Alison authored A Short History of Maritime: A cheat's guide for landlubbers and the landlocked, which is available for purchase on Amazon. Connect with Alison and Cusack & Co via LinkedInInstagram, and TikTok.

This episode was recorded on November 7, 2023, as a special #FreightFriday edition of First State Insights made possible by the Delmarva Freight Working Group​—an ongoing transportation planning and economic development partnership coordinated by IPA, the Delaware Department of Transportation, and Delaware's three Metropolitan Planning Organizations: the Dover/Kent County MPO, the Salisbury/Wicomico MPO, and WILMAPCO. 

First State Insights is a podcast presented by the Institute for Public Administration (IPA). IPA is a research and public service center within the University of Delaware's Biden School of Public Policy & Administration.

Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License.​

Listen to First State Insights​​

Visit IPA's SoundCloud​ ​page for a full list of episodes, or search for "First State Insights" to listen wherever you get your podcasts.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​


Related News

  • Honoring Civics Educators

    May 19, 2025 | Written by Sophonie Milord
    Three Delaware civics educators awarded Governor’s Award for Excellence in Civics Education
  • IPA Staff Represent UD at CUPSO Annual Conference

    May 12, 2025 | Written by Biden School Staff
    Troy Mix and Sarah Marshall represented the University of Delaware at the Consortium of University Public Service Organizations (CUPSO) annual conference hosted by Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.
  • IPA Senior Fellow Receives the 2025 AOM-PNP Book Award

    May 09, 2025 | Written by Sophonie Milord
    Dr. Jessica E. Sowa, professor at the Biden School and senior faculty fellow at IPA, received the 2025 Academy of Management Public and Nonprofit Division (AOM-PNP) Book Award.
More News