Home / Academics / Academic Majors / Marine and Environmental Sciences / Marine and Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff / LCDR Nolan Salyer

Nolan Salyer, M.O., Lieutenant Commander, USCG

Instructor, Marine Science Marine and Environmental Sciences

LCDR Nolan Salyer earned a B.S. in Marine and Environmental Science from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) in 2015. While at USCGA, he was a two sport athlete, competing on the Academy’s football and wrestling teams. He also completed a summer internship aboard the Research Vessel Nautilus, where he navigated the vessel while conducting Remotely Operated Vehicle operations in the Gulf of Mexico. His first assignment after graduation was as a Deck Watch Officer aboard USCGC MORGENTHAU in Honolulu, Hawaii. During this time, LCDR Salyer was a Boarding Officer through three fisheries patrols in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. LCDR Salyer then transferred to the USCGC AQUIDNECK in Manama, Bahrain where he served as the Executive Officer, conducting Department of Defense missions in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Following AQUIDNECK, LCDR Salyer served as Commanding Officer of the USCGC TERN in San Francisco, California where he and his crew conducted Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement, and Alien Migrant Interdiction Operations (AMIO) in California coastal waters. While in San Francisco, TERN responded to some of the first COVID-19 positive cases, conducting medical evacuations from the Cruise Ship GRAND PRINCESS. LCDR Salyer was then selected to attend graduate school at the University of Rhode Island where he studied the effects of point source pollution on benthic fauna. LCDR Salyer hails from Angoon, Alaska but now lives in Stonington, CT with his wife, Amanda, and their dog, Noodle.

Education

Master of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, 2022
B.S., Marine and Environmental Science, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 2015

Courses Taught

Oceans I: Air and Sea
Marine Ecology
Marine Biology

Contact Information

Phone: (860) 444-8653
Email: Nolan.K.Salyer@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.