Rear Adm. Sandra Stotz
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The U.S. Coast Guard Academy is scheduled to hold a change of command ceremony Monday, June 1 at 11 a.m. on the Washington Parade Field.
Coast Guard Vice Commandant Peter V. Neffenger will preside over the ceremony.
Rear Adm. Sandra L. Stosz, the first female superintendent of any of the five federal service academies, will be relieved by Rear Adm. James E. Rendon, who served as Assistant Superintendent at the Academy from 2010 to 2012. His last assignment was Director, Joint Interagency Task Force West, an organization charged with planning and conducting counter-drug strategy throughout the Pacific.
Under Stosz’s command, the school made significant gains in diversity and continued to be ranked as the number one college in the northeast by U.S. News and World Report. Rendon takes over as the school recently commissioned the Class of 2015, the most diverse graduating class in Academy history with 33% underrepresented minorities, on May 20.
Stosz, a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, has been nominated for promotion to vice admiral by President Barack Obama. In her next assignment as Deputy Commandant for Mission Support, she will be responsible for the processes and strategies to sustain the Coast Guard’s cutters, aircraft, boats, shore infrastructure, information technology, and people.
The change of command ceremony is a time-honored tradition that formally affirms the continuity of command – the transfer of total responsibility and authority from one individual to another.
The ceremony affords Academy personnel, guests and the community at large to recognize the achievements of the Academy community, while at the same time welcoming aboard the prospective superintendent.
In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Leamy Hall Auditorium. This event is open to the public and media. Guests requiring handicapped parking must contact the Academy Police Department at 860-444-8598.
