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Home / Academics / Academic Majors / Management / Management Faculty and Staff / CDR Jeff Janaro

Jeff Janaro, JD, MPA, MLA, Commander, USCG

Management, Instructor Department of Management

Jeff Janaro

Commander Jeff Janaro serves as a faculty member in the United States Coast Guard Academy’s School of Leadership and Management. He previous assignment was as the Academy’s Staff Judge Advocate (General Counsel). His prior legal assignments were as the Coast Guard’s Chief of Defense Services in the Office of Legal Assistance and Defense, as Deputy, Response Law Division in the Office of Maritime and International Law, and as an embedded trial defense counsel with the Navy JAG Corps at the Washington Navy Yard.  

Prior to entering the Coast Guard Legal Program, Commander Janaro served in four Coast Guard Cutters, commanding USCGC ALBACORE and USCGC FLYINGFISH. Other afloat assignments include serving as Deck Watch Officer and Law Enforcement Officer aboard USCGC ESCANABA, and as Operations Officer and Navigator of USCGC EAGLE, “America’s Tall Ship.” His assignments ashore were as a navigation instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy and logistics officer at Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound.  

Commander Janaro earned his Juris Doctor with honors from The George Washington University Law School and is a member of the Florida Bar. He holds a Master of Liberal Arts (International Relations) from Harvard University, a Master of Public Administration from Strayer University, and a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He was a National Security and Foreign Policy Fellow in the 2020-2021 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI Program and is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.  

Commander Janaro and his wife, Sarah, reside in Connecticut with their two young daughters.  

Education

  • Bachelor of Science in Management, United States Coast Guard Academy, 2004
  • Master of Public Administration, Strayer University, 2009
  • Juris Doctor, The George Washington University Law School, 2017
  • Master of Liberal Arts (International Relations), Harvard University, 2018

Courses Taught

  • Managerial Accounting
  • Business Law
  • Employment Law

Professional Certifications, Affiliations, and Memberships

  • Licensed Attorney, Florida Bar
  • Council on Foreign Relations, Term Member, 2018-Present
  • I.T. Seminar XXI National Security and Foreign Policy Fellow, 2021
  • Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, Carnegie New Leader, 2018
  • Foundation for Defense of Democracies, National Security Fellow, 2017
  • Royal Institute of Navigation, Associate Fellow, 2017

Honors and Awards

  • S. Naval Justice School, LT Richard Lin Leadership Award, 2017
  • Coast Guard Public Affairs, Chief Journalist Alex Haley Award, 2014
  • S. Naval Academy, Professional Studies Teaching Excellence Award, 2010

Selected Publications and Presentations

  • Co-author, A Virtual Reality: Preserving the Right to Appear “In Person” Before an Administrative Separation Board; University of Richmond Public Interest Law Review 11th Ed (2022)
  • Leadership Lessons from America’s Tall Ship, Brazil Maritime Review (2020), U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) Proceedings (Jan. 2019)
  • Could the U.S. Win in the Arctic?, USNI Proceedings (July 2019)
  •  U.S. Naval Institute on Mentorship (Chapter Contributor, Naval Institute Press, 2017)
  •  There Is No Second Cold War: Despite Record-Low Sea Ice Levels There Is No Race For The Arctic, The Journal on Terrorism and Security Analysis, Syracuse University (11th Ed., Spring, 2016)
  •  Leadership Development on Board the EAGLE, USNI Proceedings (November 2015)

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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