Thomas J. "Beau" Bethune IV is General Counsel and Vice President of Corporate Affairs/Corporate and Maritime Security at Blessey Marine Services, Inc. in New Orleans, Louisiana. Employing over 700 people across the United States, Blessey owns and operates more than 80 inland push boats and 165 inland tank barges that move liquid and pressurized petroleum cargoes along the Intracoastal Waterway from Brownsville, Texas to Pensacola, Florida throughout the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys, and across Lake Michigan. Beau manages all aspects of Blessey's legal activities, including contracts with petroleum/chemical producers and shippers, commodities brokers, third party vendors, and shipbuilders; litigation activities; local, state, and federal government relations efforts; general advices regarding U.S. Coast Guard issues, government compliance, human resources, as well as financial and business recommendations to Blessey's ownership team.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Vanderbilt University, a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Tulane University, and a Juris Doctor and a Bachelor of Civil Law from Louisiana State University. Beau also holds a Diploma from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Prior to joining Blessey in 2011, Beau clerked in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and practiced maritime law representing both ocean going and inland river vessel owners and several members of the International Group of P&I clubs. A member of the Maritime Law Association, Beau has presented programs on inland river industry issues to the World Bank/U.S. Treasury Department Infrastructure Investment Program (Ukraine), the Tulane University Admiralty Law Institute, the HMEIC, the Tulane Law School, the American Law Institute, the ABA Tort Insurance Practice Series, and the annual meetings of the Meritas global alliance, among others. Beau is current Chairman of the Louisiana Association of Waterways and Shipyards (LAWS) and maintains active engagement in American Waterways Operators (AWO) and Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI). In recent years, Beau has researched and published numerous articles covering architectural preservation of historic New Orleans homes on behalf of the Preservation Resource Center. Beau and his family live in New Orleans.