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Home / Academics / Academic Majors / Management / Management Faculty and Staff / Dr. Joseph D. Brown

Joseph D. Brown, Ph.D.

Instructor Department of Management

Dr. Joseph BrownDr. Joseph D. Brown, CAPT (Ret.) USCG graduated with a degree in Marine and Environmental Science from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1998. After graduation, he served as a Deck Watch Officer and the Assistant Operations Officer aboard the CGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11) in Seattle, Washington. In 2001, he was assigned to Marine Safety Office San Diego, California where he performed the duties of Port Safety and Security Officer, Assistant Chief of Port Operations, and Marine Inspector. CDR Brown completed his master’s degree in organic chemistry in 2007 from San Diego State University where he did research on cancer drug development. CDR Brown then served as a rotating military faculty from 2006-2010 during which time he was active in cadet professional development as a Yacht Safety Officer, Head Pistol Team Coach, and a member of the American Chemical Society. In 2010, he transferred to Marine Safety Unit Morgan City as the Assistant Response Department Head and then Response Department Head. During his time there, he oversaw the response to over 6,000 oil spills including heading up the team that evaluated the Deep Water Horizon wreckage to ensure it was oil free and would not become a potentially polluting wreck for future generations to deal with. In 2011, CDR Brown was selected to join the Academy’s Permanent Commissioned Teaching Staff in the chemistry section. He completed his Ph.D. from the University of Rhode Island in 2015 where he worked on the synthesis of new MRI contrast agents. His research interests focused organic synthesis and trace drug detection. In 2023, Dr Brown retired from the USCG and earned a MS in Financial Planning and took a new position as a financial planner at Ahead Full Wealth Management. In the Fall of 2023, he joined the staff of the Management Department to teach personal finance to cadets. Dr. Brown lives in Westerly, RI with his wife, Melissa, and three children, Joseph, Isabella, and Cecilia.

Education

  • Bachelor of Science in Marine and Environmental Sciences, United States Coast Guard Academy, 1998
  • Master of Science in Organic Chemistry, San Diego State University, 2007
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry, University of Rhode Island, 2015

Courses Taught

  • Personal Finance
  • Personal Financial Planning

Contact Information

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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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

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