Captain Mark I. Kuperman

As Sector Commander, CAPT Kuperman serves roles as the Captain of the Port, Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator, Federal Maritime Security Coordinator, Officer in Charge of Marine Inspection, and Federal On-Scene Coordinator. He is responsible for 355 active duty, 114 reservists, 16 civil servants, and 600 Auxiliarists. His area of responsibility (AOR) comprises the Eastern Great Lakes, including 570 miles of shoreline from Massena, NY to Vermilion, OH, as well as a 455-mile border with Canada. This AOR comprises Lake Ontario, 80% of Lake Erie, the NY Finger Lakes region, Niagara Falls, the Erie Canal System, and covers three U.S. States. He oversees 14 Coast Guard subunits, comprising 11 Stations, 1 Aids to Navigation Team, 1 Marine Safety Unit, and 1 Marine Safety Detachment. The Sector responds to nearly 1,000 Search and Rescue (SAR) cases annually, making it the second most active USCG Sector for SAR. The Sector also performs nearly 3,000 vessel boardings a year and supports over $35 billion dollars in economic activity from ships passing through the gateway to all U.S. Great Lakes. The Sector closely collaborates with a wide variety of key U.S., Canadian, Tribal, and public/private stakeholders to ensure safe, efficient, and shared use of vital waterways. Previous assignments include Deputy Chief of Operations, PACAREA (PAC-3SF) where he supervised MSRT-West, 4 MSSTs, all USCG CG Port Security Units (8), all CG Dive Lockers (3) and West Coast canine explosive detection teams, comprising 1,700 AD & Reserve personnel. Prior to PACAREA, he was the Deputy Commander and Alternate COTP/FOSC, Sector Anchorage, in the CG’s largest, most remote AOR, spanning 39K miles of Western Alaska & Arctic coastline. While assigned, he oversaw establishment of the Marine Safety Task Force under Operation Arctic Shield. Prior to Alaska, he was CG Program Manager for the Maritime Force Protection Program, the service’s largest reimbursable program and the CG interface for USN nuclear weapons security. He also spearheaded the first Counter Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) legislation for USCG. He has also served in billets as District 13/RCC Seattle Command Center Chief, as Sector Jacksonville Incident Management Division Chief and Station/Patrol Boat Manager, and at USCG Atlantic Area (Portsmouth, VA) as the CG Re-deployable Assistance & Inspection Detachment (RAID) Program Manager, deploying teams to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He is a MSST 91101 (Seattle) plank-owner and is one of the first MSST Deployable Team Leaders. His initial officer assignment was to Group/MSO Philadelphia, where he was a fully qualified Investigating Officer. Prior to commission, he was an Air Station Atlantic City AST Airman, following an initial enlisted tour as Station New Haven, CT boat crew. CAPT Kuperman holds a B.A. in English from Binghamton University, an M.S. in Health Sciences (Disaster and Emergency Response) from Trident University, and an M.A. in Global Strategic Studies from Johns Hopkins University. He is a team recipient of two CDR Joel Magnusson Awards for USCG Innovation. He has been a District and a Sector Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator (SMC) and has been qualified as a Command Duty Officer at the Group/MSO, Sector, and District levels. He is a certified Type III (ICS) Incident Commander. His personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (3), Coast Guard Commendation Medal (2), Navy/USMC Commendation Medal, and Coast Guard Achievement Medal (7). He is married to Christine Kuperman; they are the proud parents of three terrific children, their two oldest are USCG and USAF; the youngest is a volunteer firefighter.