Little did Sandra Stosz realize when she began serving in the U.S. Coast Guard 30 years ago that her first voyage at sea—aboard the icebreaker Glacier in Antarctica—would foreshadow a career of breaking through barriers.

 

Next summer, Stosz will become the first woman superintendent of a military service academy (that includes those for the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines) when she takes over the leadership of the Coast Guard Academy. The rear admiral has served as director of reserve and leadership, making her responsible for policy affecting the recruitment and training of more than 8,000 Coast Guard reserve members. 

 

Stosz was promoted to the rank of rear admiral only last month, and in doing so, became the first female Coast Guard Academy graduate to achieve the rank of flag officer.

 

A Maryland native, Stosz entered the academy in 1978 and was a cadet in the third academy class that allowed women. She has twice commanded ships: an icebreaking tug on the

Great Lakes and a medium endurance cutter that patrolled the North Atlantic and Caribbean.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

First Woman to Take Helm of a U.S. Military Academy (MMD Newswire)

Guardian of the Week – RDML Sandra Stosz (by rhopkins, Coast Guard Compass)

She's No Party Animal, but When It Comes to Breaking the Ice, Sandra Stosz Knows No Peer (by Dan Chu, People)