USCGC HOLLYHOCK (WLB 214)

"Flower of the Pacific"

COMMAND

Commanding Officer

Commander Jessica McCollum

Commander Jessica McCollum assumed command of CGC HOLLYHOCK in April 2024. Her prior operational tours focused on Aids to Navigation operations and Fisheries Law Enforcement. She was first assigned as Deck Watch Officer onboard the “Bar Tender,” CGC FIR homeported in Astoria, Oregon from 2010-2012. She later served onboard CGC WALNUT in Honolulu, Hawaii as Operations Officer from 2012-2014, and then Executive Officer from 2018-2020.

CDR McCollum’s staff assignments include Domestic and International Fisheries Policy Analyst in the office of Maritime Law Enforcement at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington D.C. from 2015-2018. Later she served as Current Operations and Domestic Fisheries Officer at the Oceania Coast Guard District (formerly District 14) from 2020-2024.

Originally from Vero Beach, Florida, CDR McCollum graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine and Environmental Science. She completed a Master of Marine Affairs degree from the University of Rhode Island in 2015.

CDR McCollum’s significant awards include the Coast Guard Achievement Medal and Coast Guard Commendation Medal, both with operational distinguishing device.

Bio (pdf) | Photo

Executive Officer

Lieutenant Ryan Burk

Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock Executive Officer Photo Lieutenant Ryan Burk currently serves as the Executive Officer of CGC Hollyhock. LT Burk’s operational tours have focused on Aids to Navigation, Law Enforcement, and Search & Rescue in the Coast Guard’s Oceania District. He was first assigned as a Deck Watch Officer onboard CGC Sequoia (WLB 215) in Apra Harbor, Guam from 2018-2020. LT Burk then served as the Operations Officer onboard CGC Juniper (WLB 201) in Honolulu, Hawai’i from 2020-2022. He later completed a staff assignment in the Office of Navigation Systems (CG-NAV) at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. from 2022-2025.

Originally from Surprise, Arizona, LT Burk graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Following graduation, he completed the Saratoga Fellows Program at the John Jay Institute, graduated from the U.S. Naval War College Fleet Seminar Program, and earned a Master of Divinity degree in Leadership from Liberty University.

Bio (pdf) | Photo

Senior Enlisted Advisor

Chief Petty Officer Joel E. Sarono

CGC HOLLYHOCK Senior Enlisted Advisor - CPO Joel E. Sarono

Chief Petty Officer Joel E. Sarono assumed the duties and responsibilities of Main Propulsion Division Chief aboard CGC HOLLYHOCK in June 2024. In his capacity as the Assistant Engineering Officer, he has overseen CGC HOLLYHOCK’s engineering workforce and equipment since the ship’s reconstitution in 2024. Chief Sarono’s previous assignments include tours afloat aboard CGC STRATTON and CGC POLAR SEA, and shoreside at Station Morro Bay, Training Center Yorktown, and Base Honolulu.

Originally from Buckley, WA, Chief Sarono enlisted in the Coast Guard in 2010. He graduated from Machinery Technician “A” School and has advanced training in mechanics, hazardous material management, and leadership. He also holds an Associate of Arts degree from Green River Community College.

Chief Sarono is the recipient of numerous personal awards, including one Coast Guard Commendation Medal, three Coast Guard Achievement medals, and multiple Good Conduct Medals and Commandant’s Letters of Commendation.

Bio (pdf) | Photo