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LT Susie Dannessa

Hi! My name is Susie Dannessa and I am the Mid-Atlantic Regional Admissions Officer. I am so excited to work with you as you discover the Coast Guard Academy and navigate the application process.

Born in Cleveland, OH and raised outside of Chicago in suburbia, I graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) in 2015 with a B.S. in Marine Engineering. Later, I also earned my M.S. in Marine Engineering from Kings Point as well. While at USMMA, I was also a 4-year varsity swimmer; an activity I still enjoy today.

Upon graduation from USMMA, I commissioned into the Coast Guard via the Direct Commission Officer Maritime Graduate (DCO MARGRAD) Program. Assignments during this active-duty contract included Naval Engineering Department Head at Base Charleston and an afloat assignment onboard USCGC JOSHUA JAMES. While assigned to the JAMES, I earned both my underway Officer of the Deck (OOD) and underway Engineer of the Watch (EOW) qualifications, in addition to serving as the Electrical Division Officer and Combat Information Center Division Officer.

At the conclusion of my afloat assignment on the JAMES, I chose to transition into the Coast Guard Reserves to sail on Merchant Mariner Credentials onboard commercial vessels. For the next 6 years I sailed as a Merchant Marine Officer and engineer, aboard a myriad of commercial/cargo and federal training ship vessels.
Lastly, before returning to active duty to serve as an admissions officer at the Coast Guard Academy, I was a faculty member within the Marine Engineering Department at Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Even as a reservist, the Coast Guard has been an important pillar in my life. I have a wonderful husband, who is also a fellow active-duty member of the Coast Guard, originally hailing from the great state of Alabama. I look forward to working with all of you and Roll Tide!

Contact Information

LT Susie Dannessa
Cell: 630-706-0147
Email: Susanne.M.Dannessa@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.