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Victoria M. Gurtler

Class of 2015 B.S., Government

A native of central Wisconsin, LTJG Victoria Gurtler graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and reported aboard the USCGC Tahoma stationed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as a deck watch officer. While onboard, she was promoted to the department head role of First Lieutenant.

On her first assignments

“I completed six patrols with my unit, including two counter-trafficking deployments to the Eastern Pacific Ocean that encompassed two round-trip passages through the Panama Canal. I served as a certified Boarding Officer, Pursuit Mission Commander and Helicopter Control Officer.”

On her studies at the Academy

“As a cadet, I very much enjoyed the classroom dialogue and camaraderie that I had with my classmates and professors. I have a great deal of pride in my prior success as a Government major, and it has undoubtedly chartered a course for my further personal and professional growth as an officer.”

On her Academy preparation

“As a Coast Guard officer, one must be able to accurately and effectively communicate, as well as identify, understand, analyze and handle complicated, and oftentimes dangerous, issues. My experiences as a cadet in the Government division provided me with the requisite analytical tools and skill set to accomplish all of these important officer tasks.”

On a career without limits

“I am currently the most junior ranking officer on the USCG Women’s Leadership Initiative’s Governance Committee, and I am serving in the elected role as Vice-Chair – despite only having graduated from the Academy two short years ago. I credit my experience as a Government major for the confidence in my ability to lead and pursue my career aspirations.”

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.