President Obama has nominated Rear Adm. Sandra Stosz to be deputy commandant for Mission Support after she completes her tour as superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy this summer.
If confirmed, Stosz would be promoted from rear admiral to vice admiral.
The position is based at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Mission support is responsible for management of Coast Guard assets from acquisition through decommissioning. The deputy commandant leads the 17,000-person DCMS organization, "providing a single point of accountability to operational commanders," according to the Coast Guard's website. Human resources, engineering and logistics and acquisition for the entire service all fall under the deputy commandant's purview, according to the website.
Stosz's nomination is "subject to the advice and consent of the Senate," the Coast Guard announcement said.
In a statement, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he's worked with Stosz in her role as academy superintendent "including on issues of vital importance such as military sexual assault. I've been impressed with her professionalism and know she will serve the Coast Guard and our nation well in this new role. I hope and expect that she will receive a swift confirmation."
The first woman to lead any U.S. military academy, Stosz would also become the first female to assume the DCMS post. She was a member of the third class of cadets at the academy that included women and is the last female member of that class to remain on active duty.
Vice Adm. John Currier was the first person to assume the post, which was created a few years ago. Rear Adm. Marshall B. Lytle III is currently serving as acting deputy commandant for Mission Support.
This past September, the academy confirmed that the service had selected Stosz for continuation. Stosz said then that she was both surprised and pleased by the announcement. Her continuation was seen as a break from Coast Guard tradition as superintendents of the academy typically retire after completing their tour there.
Stosz started her tenure in June 2011 as the 40th superintendent of the academy. Before reporting to the academy, Stosz served as the director of Reserve and Leadership. In that position, she was responsible for developing policies to recruit, train and support more than 8,000 Coast Guard reservists.
Stosz graduated in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in government and received a master's in business administration from Northwestern University's J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management in 1994.
Her career in the Coast Guard spans more than 30 years.
