Captain Nicole Rodriguez Assumes Command of Sector Houston-Galveston, U.S. Coast Guard
At a U.S. Coast Guard change-of-command ceremony on April 17, Captain Keith Donohue relinquished his command of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston and retired after 28 years of service. Relieving Donohue and becoming the new commander is Captain Nicole Rodriguez. She assumes command after serving two years as deputy sector commander. It was a historic moment as Rodriguez is the first woman to serve in the lead role for Sector Houston-Galveston.
The 8th Coast Guard District is responsible for U.S. Coast Guard operations spanning 26 states, including the Gulf of Mexico coastline from Florida to Mexico, the adjacent offshore waters and outer continental shelf, as well as the inland waterways of the Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee River systems. It also oversees 247 miles of waterways from Freeport to Lake Charles, making up 25% of the total U.S. tonnage carried by ships and 20% of the U.S. Marine Transportation System in dollar value. It includes the largest petrochemical facility with four of the nation’s top ten largest refineries; three of the nation’s four Strategic Petroleum Reserve facilities; six of the top 25 busiest ports in the U.S., the fourth busiest cruise ship port in the U.S.; two military outload ports; and the fifth largest container terminal in the U.S.
The Sector employs 1562 active duty, civilian, and reserve personnel across the Sector, three Marine Safety Units, five Multi-Mission Small Boat Stations, two Aids to Navigations Stations, and six Coast Guard Cutters to ensure the safety and security of the area. Sector Houston- Galveston's area of responsibility is a strategic and economically vital part of the nation’s economic security. The Greater Galveston Bay and Golden Triangle Port Complexes encompass five of the 20 busiest ports to include the ports of Houston (largest port in the nation with 268 million tons/year), Beaumont (4th single largest), Lake Charles (12th), Texas City (15th), Port Arthur (17th), Freeport, and Galveston as well as 247 miles of Gulf Intracoastal Waterways. Together these ports and waterways account for 25% of the total U.S. tonnage by ships and contribute over $1 trillion to nation’s economy. Because of the size of the industry in area, there are two separate Captain of the Port zones Houston and Port Arthur. Since the start of 2019, the Sector has responded to three Type 1 Incidents that included a facility fire, hurricanes, and vessel collisions and a transportation security incident. Additionally, these crews performed 375 Search and Rescue cases, protected $7,343,096 of property, and continuously strengthened relationships with partners across the AOR through jointly coordinated efforts for the secure transport of maritime cargo, protection of maritime resources, and responses to manmade and natural disasters.
Captain Rodriguez previous operational assignments include Commanding Officer of MSU Lake Charles from 2021- 2023 where she served as Field Commander representing MSU Port Arthur in execution of Captain of the Port, Officer in Charge of Marine Inspection, Federal On-Scene Coordinator, and Federal Maritime Security Coordinator authorities overseeing maritime operations over an 8,400 square mile area of responsibility in Southwest Louisiana. She also served as Commanding Officer of Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge from 2013- 2016 where she served as Field Commander in support of the Coast Guard’s maritime safety, security and environmental protections missions for an area spanning over 230 river miles.
Other operational tours include Chief of Prevention for Sector Houston- Galveston where she oversaw foreign and domestic vessel compliance, port facility safety and security, ports and waterways management, aids to navigation, and marine causality investigation; Chief of the Investigations Division for Sector Baltimore; and marine inspector and port operations officer for Group/Marine Safety Office Los Angeles-Long Beach.
Previous staff tours include assignment as Chief of Inspections and Investigations for the Eighth Coast Guard District headquarters in New Orleans, where she was responsible for the District’s marine safety, security, and stewardship initiatives for 26 states including the inland waterways system and Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, she served as Program Reviewer for the Coast Guard’s Human Resources directorate, the Offices of Shore and Boat Forces, and Search and Rescue Directorate while assigned to the Office of Budget and Programs at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Captain Rodriguez is a prior recipient of the Congressman James Sener Award for Excellence in Marine Investigations and is certified as a Maritime Port Executive. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from James Madison University and a master’s in public administration from The George Washington University.