MSU VALDEZ COMMAND
COMMANDING OFFICER
Commander Sarah Kristine Rousseau
CDR Sarah Rousseau earned her commission at Officer Candidate School in 2005 and has since crafted a career in Marine Safety and strategic planning. She reports to Valdez from the Office of Emerging Policy at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC, where she was responsible for developing executive-level strategic content, such as the U.S. Coast Guard Strategy and Climate Framework. Previously, as the Waterways Management Division Chief of Sector Houston-Galveston, she oversaw Waterways, Facilities Inspections, CGC CLAMP, CGC HATCHET, two Aids to Navigation Teams, and a Buoy Yard in the nation’s busiest port. Prior to her tour in Houston, she gained valuable experience working alongside port partners such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and port authority, in the Coast Guard’s Industry Training program. Before that, she was a Program Analyst for the Prevention and Maritime Response portfolios in the Office of Performance Management and Assessment in Washington, DC. Other previous operational tours include the Marine Safety Detachment, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; Marine Safety Unit, Port Arthur, Texas; and CGC TAHOMA.
In addition to Marine Safety qualifications, she boasts Contingency Planning and Incident Command System qualifications, with several Type I incidents under her belt including Operation Allies Welcome, the Gulf Coast Hurricane Season of 2020, and the 2nd 80s Fire Incident of 2019, the largest petrochemical spill in history.
CDR Rousseau earned her Master’s in Public Administration from Syracuse University in 2014 and her Bachelor’s in Sociology from Winthrop University in 2002.
In her free time, CDR Rousseau enjoys hiking with her dog, Atchafalaya, and bagging all of the national parks. If it’s too cold to be outdoors, you’ll find her planning her next foreign trip to fulfill her lifelong endeavor to visit a new country every year. So far, she’s on #30, including every continent except Antarctica. Additionally, she spends much of her time mentoring at-risk youth through various programs like Big Brother, Big Sister.
Bio | Photo
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Lieutenant Commander Bryson Jacobs
Hailing from Wildomar, CA, Lieutenant Commander Jacobs graduated with high honors from the U. S. Coast Guard Academy in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and from the University of Maryland in 2011 with a Master of Science in Fire Protection Engineering. His past assignments include being a student engineer aboard CGC HEALY (WAGB-20), a machinery plan review engineer at the Marine Safety Center in Washington, DC, and a marine inspector and port state control supervisor for Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach. Most recently, he served as an instructor of mechanical engineering at the U. S. Coast Guard Academy where he specialized in teaching prospective officers the principles of Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, Basic Naval Architecture, Vessel Stability, and Maritime Systems.
Lieutenant Commander Jacobs is a licensed professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia and holds patents for designs of medical ventilation units intended for inexpensive rapid fabrication and distribution in the event of a respiratory disease pandemic.
His personal awards include three Coast Guard Commendation Medals, a Commandant’s Letter of Commendation Ribbon, four Arctic Service Medals, and the 2007 Coast Guard Academy McAllister Award.
An avid outdoors enthusiast along with his wife, Rebecca, and two young daughters, Theora and Talise, he and his family can often be found finding ways to explore and enjoy the spectacular scenery, topography, and natural fruits of Valdez and Thompson Pass.