Captain Joseph H. Hart serves as the Deputy Sector Commander and alternate Captain of the Port for U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco. In this key leadership role, he helps direct multifaceted Coast Guard missions across a strategic and dynamic area of responsibility that includes the ports of San Francisco, Oakland, and surrounding port complexes, ensuring the safety and security of these vital hubs of commerce and national security.
Captain Hart brings a wealth of operational and strategic prevention expertise to San Francisco, honed through a series of demanding assignments. His career is marked by leadership in the nation's most complex maritime environments, most notably as the Chief of the Prevention Department at Sector New Orleans. There, he commanded the Coast Guard's largest prevention department, leading over 200 personnel in safeguarding one of the largest port complexes in the United States.
His leadership is informed by high-level policy and staff experience, including serving most recently as the Executive Assistant to the Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy at Coast Guard Headquarters. Furthermore, Captain Hart’s unique qualifications include developing national policy as the program manager for the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, complemented by hands-on experience with commercial drilling contractors through the Coast Guard’s industry training program.
Captain Hart earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Troy University in 2023. He is a 2005 graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Logistics and Intermodal Transportation. He also holds a Second Mate's License of Unlimited Tonnage.
Captain Hart is married to his wife, Aileen, and they have one daughter, Jolene.