Coast Guard Academy Welcomes First Female Superintendent

The Coast Guard Academy makes history today, as the first female superintendent to command any service academy begins her term. WNPR’s Harriet Jones spoke with Rear Admiral Sandra Stosz.

Colors are raised early Friday as usual at the Coast Guard Academy, but this is far from being a routine day for the New London institution. It becomes the first military academy in the nation to be commanded by a woman.

“I was very fortunate to be able to come through these gates 33 years ago in 1978.”

In fact Sandra Stosz graduated as a member of just the third class at the Academy to admit women.

“And I went right off to sea. I was fortunate to be able to go the Coast Guard cutter Glacier which accommodated women and I spent my first year sailing the four winds and seven seas.”

In all Stosz spent 12 years at sea, including the command of two cutters. She also ran the Coast Guard’s boot camp at Cape May, New Jersey, and was most recently was in charge of the reserves. She says now at she wants to give the Academy a greater role in the service.

“I am very eager to be able to even strengthen the connections of the Academy as a national asset back to our Coast Guard, we’ve got amazing capabilities and capacities here in leadership and diversity and maritime policy.”

And as for being the first woman to command a service academy…

“You know, I do acknowledge and respect the fact that I’m a role model, and I’m proud of that, but I see this not so much as a milestone but really as a part of a natural progression as the Coast Guard moves forward to provide the equity and the opportunity to our diverse population.”

She says she looks forward to being able to mentor other women in the service so that she can realize her ultimate ambition.

“It will be very exciting that people look at someone like me not as the first female superintendent, but as the 40th superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy.”

For WNPR, I’m Harriet Jones.