Guardian of the Great Lakes: Michael Cavanagh ’03

Throughout his 18-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard, Michael Cavanagh ’03 has responded 到美国本土上的无数飓风，毛伊岛野火的后果，海啸 美属萨摩亚，海地地震，一艘货船倾覆，还有两起 pipeline spills. 他还为包括总统在内的活动提供特别安全保障 Barack Obama’s inauguration.

“对我来说，有两个驱动因素:我想保卫国家，我想 服务和回馈国家，但我也想帮助别人，”他说. “这是 一个独特的机会，作为一个军事部门，能够直接帮助公民 their own backyards and in their homes.”

现在，作为第九海岸警备区执法部门的负责人. Cavanagh 负责辽阔的大洋上海事执法的各个方面 Lakes region and the St. Lawrence Seaway.

“We’re the guardians of the Great Lakes. Busiest from Memorial Day through Labor Day, we do a lot of search and rescue. We have active recreational boating activity on 五大湖和许多没有经验需要我们帮助的人.”

他目前的角色也要求他领导他的分支机构处理复杂的问题 同时尊重与加拿大共同边界的国际主权.

“例如，如果船上有一名活跃的枪手，我们该怎么办 Canadian 一边, but we’re on the U.S. 一边? Are we able to have our boat crews respond and save lives? So, (we’re) trying to figure out issues like that, and how to do it legally without causing an international incident.”

卡瓦纳是俄亥俄州克利夫兰人，在一名律师的帮助下进入了火博体育学院 Kettering grant. He celebrated his 20th Skidmore Reunion this past June.

“我立刻就爱上了这个校园，爱上了这个学校，这种感觉 of being there. 我最终爱上了在那里的四年——那是我人生中最美好的时光 我的生活. I still have good, lifelong friends from the College.”

Cavanagh majored in government (now political science)，并特别喜欢在不同学科之间跳转以探索不同的能力 courses and being challenged by Skidmore professors.

Associate Professor of Political Science 鲍勃•特纳 促使我意识到州和地方政府的批判性思维水平 I hadn’t even con一边red before,” Cavanagh says.

他还很怀念在学生会的工作和参与的过程 discussions that played out during sessions.

“看到人们认真对待它，练习和磨练他们的技能，真是太棒了 尊重辩论的技巧，我认为这是人们现在更需要的东西 永远——充满激情和尊重地说话，而不是互相反对 侮辱.”

这是火博体育创造性思维的问题，但也是火博体育终身学习者的问题. 这是我在火博体育任职期间一直困扰着我的事情 大学——你永远不会停止学习，你应该总是渴望获得更多的信息， and you should always be looking to unwind those complex issues. So that’s a parallel 与美国海岸警卫队合作，不断提高和学习.

Michael Cavanagh '03

在当时的凯霍加县专员简·坎贝尔的克利夫兰办公室实习 prepared Cavanagh for a career in local government after graduation. He went to work 坎贝尔竞选克利夫兰首位女市长，并担任市长 under her after she was elected.

“我这样做了几年，很享受，但这并不是我想要的 for, so I enlisted in the Coast Guard Reserve in 2005.”

第二年，他参加了海岸预备役军官候选人灌输 Guard Academy and received his commission. He was almost immediately activated in 为卡特里娜飓风提供了援助，并担任了财政部长的职务 more than $264 million recovery operation.

卡瓦纳在海岸警卫队总部法律办公室开始了他的现役生涯 Enforcement in Washington, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant. From there, he 他被调到长岛湾的一个行动部门，在那里担任紧急事务主管 management and force readiness. A special assignment as a program reviewer took him back to Coast Guard Headquarters in D.C., where he crafted strategic communications 国土安全部、白宫和国会的支持 defend the Coast Guard’s budget.

卡瓦纳的下一个任务是去另一个作战单位，这次是在北卡罗来纳州. 在那里，他担任事件管理部门负责人，领导对飓风的反应 多里安和伊萨亚斯，以及涉及复杂的环保作业 multiple grounded large commercial fishing vessels.

获得过一枚功勋奖章，七枚海岸警卫队嘉奖奖章， 三枚海岸警卫队勋章，两枚指挥官奖状，还有 无数的单位和服务奖，卡瓦纳仍然发现每天带来的 这是一个学习和成长的新机会，尤其是在他驾驭当前角色的过程中 as Ninth Coast Guard District commander.