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Daniel E. Stepler, Lieutenant Commander, USCG

Government, Instructor Department of Humanities

DStepler

Lieutenant Commander Daniel Stepler is an English instructor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. A permanent cutterman, with over five years afloat, Lieutenant Commander Stepler has served aboard three Coast Guard cutters. His first tour was aboard USCGC Vigilant (WMEC 617) homeported in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Following this assignment, Lieutenant Commander Stepler served as Executive Officer aboard USCGC Drummond (WPB 1324) in Miami Beach, Florida. His most recent afloat tour was as Commanding Officer of USCGC Key Largo (WPB 1323) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. During each of these tours, Lieutenant Commander Stepler operated in the Coast Guard’s Seventh District, conducting counter narcotics, alien migrant interdiction, and search and rescue operations. He also served as Operations Officer, Patrol Forces Southwest Asia and Liaison Officer to COMDESRON-50 in Manama, Bahrain, where he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. Lieutenant Commander Stepler graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2008, earning a Bachelor of Science in Government. In 2017, he earned a Master of Arts in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland, and in 2019, he earned a Master of Public Affairs from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

Education

Master of Public Affairs (Public Financial Administration), Indiana University (2019)
M.A. in English Language and Literature, University of Maryland (2017)
B.S. in Government, United States Coast Guard Academy (2008)

Courses Taught

College Composition
Coast Guard History

Contact Information

Phone: (860) 701-6611
Email: Daniel.E.Stepler@uscga.edu

Sponsor Family Application

Thank you for submitting your application to be part of the Sponsor Family Program. Your application will be processed in the upcoming week. Coast Guard Academy’s policy on background screening now requires all adults (everyone 18 and older living in the home) who volunteer to mentor, teach, coach or sponsor cadets, whether on or off Coast Guard Academy grounds, to be screened every 5 years. They are required to provide personal information (name, birth date and social security number) for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.

The Security Officer at the Coast Guard Academy, CWO2 Gina Polkowski, is overseeing this process. Her email is: Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.

Sponsor Family designations fall into several different categories. Below are the guidelines to help you determine how best to meet the background screening requirement:

If you are Coast Guard active duty you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are a Civilian working for the Coast Guard you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are non-Coast Guard Active Duty, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
If you are non-Coast Guard civilian who has a current security clearance or National Agency check, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
All civilians in the families who are 18 years or older and do not have a security clearance or a National Agency Check are required to be vetted through Mind Your Business, the third party vendor hired by the Coast Guard Academy for the vetting process.

After you complete your application, please e-mail the Sponsor Family Program Coordinator at CadetFamilySponsorProgram@uscga.edu. In your e-mail, you must include the e-mail address and phone number of every adult living in the home. The Sponsor Family Coordinator will then initiate the background check process and you will receive an email with further instructions.

Important things to note:

There is a Sponsor Family Training that is a one-hour training which we ask sponsors to attend once every four years. This training is designed to give you an overview of the program, what is expected of you as a sponsor, and what you can expect from your cadets. This training will also help familiarize you with the cadet regulations onboard CGA. You will be notified via e-mail once the training is scheduled.

The matching process of swabs to families will occur during July and August. Please bear with us and remain flexible through this process. There will be a meet and greet scheduled on Campus, typically in late August. This will give families an opportunity to formally meet their cadet if they have not already done so. Details on this will also be via email.