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Home / Mission / Leader Development Process
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Leader Development Process

Leader development at the Coast Guard Academy is intentional, collaborative, continuous, and integrated with the entire cadet experience. The program is complemented and supplemented by the Loy Institute for Leadership. Distinctive in higher education, the Loy Institute supports the delivery of an innovative framework for personal growth, and high-impact co-curricular leader development programs for cadets, faculty, and staff.

Cadets progress toward commissioning as an officer by adopting and mastering leadership roles that are progressively more demanding. Through groundbreaking research and high-quality, consistent interactions, leadership becomes a tangible skill set that is fine-tuned and tested for lifelong results. You won’t find this anywhere else.

Guide to Officer and Leader Development (GOLD)

GOLD is the model used by cadets and those who guide and develop cadets. GOLD establishes a common language for leader development and defines the roles of faculty and staff.

LEAD

LEAD is the strategy for applying leader development to the real world. As you assume new roles and responsibilities, LEAD principles will help you master them. LEAD stands for:

Learn from theory.

Experience through practice – Once you’ve learned the theory, put it into practice. This action-based approach puts you in a situation where you have responsibility and take ownership of carrying out tasks, jobs, or missions.

Analyze using reflection – What went well? What could you have done better? Analysis through self-reflection helps leaders develop self-awareness and improve performance.

Deepen understanding from mentoring – At this stage, you share what you’ve learned with others to reinforce learning.

Leader of Character Competencies

We believe leadership is an acquired skill, consisting of specific competencies. The Coast Guard Academy leadership development process is designed to help you achieve these competencies and strengthen them as you acquire experience.

Competencies: Leading Self

  • Accountability and Responsibility
  • Aligning Values
  • Followership
  • Health and Well Being
  • Self-Awareness and Learning
  • Personal Conduct
  • Technical Proficiency

Competencies: Leading Others

  • Communicating Effectively
  • Team Building
  • Influencing Others
  • Mentoring
  • Respect and Diversity Management
  • Taking Care of People

What Cadets Say about the Program

“Taking initiative to lead by example, and taking responsibility for not only your actions, but those of your subordinates.”
“Using your position and influence in the corps of cadets to inspire subordinates to want to perform at the best of their abilities.”
“Knowing the right thing to do, doing it, and showing it to others through your actions.”
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Contact Information

Cadet Training Officer
CDR David Stutt
(860) 444-6350
David.W.Stutt@uscg.mil

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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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