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Home / Academics / Academic Majors / Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering / Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Faculty and Staff / LCDR Cameron Cooper

Cameron Cooper, M.S., Lieutenant Commander, USCG

Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Instructor Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering

LCDR Cameron Cooper is a 2009 graduate of Coast Guard Officer Candidate School in New London, Connecticut. His first assignment was to Sector Hampton Roads in Norfolk, Virginia where he dually qualified as a Marine Inspector and Investigating Officer. He was subsequently assigned to Sector Charleston, in Charleston, South Carolina as the Senior Investigating Officer and also a Search and Rescue Command Duty Officer. After completing a marine engineering advanced education tour, he served at the Marine Safety Center in Washington, D.C. as the Small Vessel Branch Chief where he oversaw the Coast Guard’s naval architecture review and approval of the structural and stability designs of all U.S. small passenger vessels, towing vessels, and sailing school ships.

Most recently, he served as the Prevention Department Head of USCG Sector Key West from 2021-2024. In that role he oversaw all vessel and facility inspections; marine casualty investigations; waterways management missions; and Aids to Navigation within a 55,000 square mile area of responsibility of the Florida Keys and Florida Everglades. In 2024, he joined the Coast Guard Academy’s Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Department as an Instructor.

Prior to joining the Coast Guard, LCDR Cooper worked as a civilian research assistant at a composite materials laboratory in Raleigh, North Carolina.

LCDR Cooper enjoys sailing, woodworking, and hiking. He and his wife reside in Niantic, Connecticut with their four wonderful young children.

Education

  • Offshore Engineering Graduate Certificate, Florida Atlantic University, 2021
  • Corrosion Graduate Certificate, Florida Atlantic University, 2017
  • M.S., Ocean Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, 2017
  • B.S., Textile Engineering, North Carolina State University, 2009

Professional Affiliations

  • International Association of Marine Investigators (IAMI)
  • International Association of Maritime and Port Executives (IAMPE)

Certifications

  • Master of Motor and Auxiliary Sail, 50GT, Inland, USCG
  • Accredited Maritime Port Executive (AMPE), IAMPE
  • Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, AIGPE
  • Engineer Intern, North Carolina
  • Open Water Diver, SSI

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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