Thad W. Allen, MPA ’86, recently replaced Michael Brown as the on-site head of hurricane relief operations on the Gulf Coast. Praised by Michael Chertoff, homeland security director, and Senator Susan Collins (Me.), as an effective and respected leader, Vice Admiral Allen is described as “sharp and incisive, an avid reader who provides clear direction.”

Allen, 56, has spent the majority of his professional life with the United States government. Early in his career, he participated in some 15,000 search and rescue missions in the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean. On September 11, 2001, Allen led all Coast Guard operations east of the Rocky Mountains. In the days following the terrorist attacks, he secured ports and waterways and ensured that local responders in the New York area had the necessary vessels, aircraft, and personnel. For these efforts, Allen was promoted to chief of staff in May 2002.

As Vice Admiral, Allen is third in command, and is credited with leading the Coast Guard’s smooth transition in 2003 from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Homeland Security.

Allen graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1971 and holds a second master’s degree from MIT. In 2000, he received the Alumni of the Year award from GW’s Department of Public Administration. On December 2, 2005, he was the keynote speaker at GW’s School of Public Policy and Public Administration’s symposium entitled Katrina: It Reshaped the Gulf Coast – How Will it Reshape Washington?