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Kat McSweeney, BMCM (ret), USCG

Laboratory Technician, Marine Science Marine and Environmental Sciences

Kat McSweeneyAfter retiring from a rewarding 25-year operational career on Active Duty in the U.S. Coast Guard, BMCM (ret) Kat McSweeney attended the University of New Haven where she earned her B.S. in Marine Biology in 2020. She interned as a hatchery technician at a local non-profit ocean farm and hatchery then eventually moved into the ocean farm assistant position; driving boats, growing Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima), and harvesting oysters. Kat joined the U.S. Coast Guard in September 1991 and started her career at the Support Center in Kodiak, AK where she struck (on the job training) the rate of Boatswain’s Mate (BM). She was assigned to a variety of units over the next 20+ years to include the Naval Academy Prep School (NAPS) in Newport, RI; CGC MUNRO (WHEC 724) in Alameda, CA; Aids to Navigation Team (ANT) San Francisco, CA; CGC TYBEE (WPB 1330), CA; Station Destin, FL; CGC JUNIPER (WLB 201), RI; CGC MARCUS HANNA (WLM 1554), ME; Aids to Navigation Team (ANT) Long Island Sound, CT; and Sector Long Island Sound, CT. She was the 7th woman to advance to Master Chief in the history of the Boatswain’s Mate rating. She retired from Active Duty in 2016.

Education

  • B.S., University of New Haven, West Haven, CT, 2021

Honors and Awards

  • CG Commendation Medal with Operational Device
  • CG Achievement Medals with Operational Device (x6)
  • CG Letter of Commendations with Operational Device (x3)
  • CG Good Conduct Medals (x8)

Contact Information

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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