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In a business journal that lists as its primary quarterly focus, ?maritime training and maritime security,? the list for inclu- sion in our ?professional pro Þ le? feature was a short one. At the top of that list was Rear Admiral Sandra L. Stosz, who as- sumed the duties of the 40th Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT in June 2011. As the leader of the Department of Homeland Security?s most visible training institution, she Þ nds herself today on the forefront of education initiatives to improve competence in the Þ eld of maritime security and a renewed effort to regain lost skill sets in the marine safety divisions. An hour spent with this 30+ year Coast Guard veteran leaves no doubt that she is the right person for the job. Fresh from her previous billet as Director of Reserve and Leadership at Coast Guard Headquarters, where she was re- sponsible for developing policies to recruit, train and support approximately 8,100 Coast Guard Reservists, Stosz also spent time as Commanding Of Þ cer of the Coast Guard?s recruit training center in Cape May, NJ. This Coast Guard Academy alumna, with an MBA from Northwestern?s Kellogg School of Management in 1994, knows education. A little less than nine months into her new role, Stosz? efforts are already yield- ing fruit.Balance, Diversity and Value, too Stosz assumed command at New London as the school con- tinuesto increase its minority admissions ? up from 12 percent in 2008 to 24 percent in 2010 ? but she also realizes that this is but one small part of what it will take to continue improve- ments in the Academy?s curriculum and the quality of the of Þ -cers that are eventually produced because of it. Stosz cautions against deÞ ning diversity simply in terms of race and gender. At last June?s Change-of-Command ceremony, Stosz insisted, ?We?ll know the nation has succeeded in its efforts when there are no more Þ rsts like this one and I am remembered as the 40th Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy, not the Þ rst female Superintendent.? In a February 2012 interview with Maritime Professional, she added, ?people have a tendency to think about a diverse student body only in terms of gender or race, but we think about it terms of the wide demographic that we serve. We have cadets from almost every state and protec- torate ? and we have a handful of international cadets, too.? Looking to the larger picture, Stosz strives to demonstrate the value of the academy to the industry and the American public. She explains, ?We know the value of the academy within the Coast Guard, and what we deliver to DHS and the nation and the maritime industry. We need to further cement our public-private relationships, especially with memoran- dums of understandings and that sort of thing. These efforts add value to our product.? Underscoring that commitment, the Academy?s latest training initiative, one certain to please do- mestic waterfront stakeholders, was signed with the American Waterways Organization (AWO) in February. The AWO MOU will operate in much the same way that the coast Guard?s ship rider program for commissioned of- Þ cers allows marine safety personnel to experience and better understand the industry that they regulate. For Coast Guard Academy cadets, the agreement aims to establish, promote, and execute a summer training program that allows cadets to interact with towing companies and ride commercial towing vessels. Stosz further says that it is important to ensure that both the Coast Guard and the towing vessel industry are on the same page as they transition into a towing vessel inspec- tion regime. The MOU is just one more place where increas- ing Coast Guard outreach will facilitate trust and increase the knowledge base of Coast Guard personnel. And, Stosz? people will be at the heart of it.PPro Þ le8QLWHG6WDWHV&RDVW*XDUG$FDGHP\ 5HDU$GPLUDO6DQGUD/6WRV] Superintendent of the United States Coast Guard Academy. by Joseph Keefe Image courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard16 I Maritime Professional I1Q 2012