Vice Admiral Sally Brice-O'Hara assumed her duties as the Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard May 24, 2010. As second in command and Chief Operating Officer, Vice Admiral Brice-O’Hara executes the Commandant’s strategic intent, manages internal organizational governance and serves as the Component Acquisition Executive.
Vice Admiral Brice-O’Hara’s other flag level assignments included: Deputy Commandant for Operations, overseeing the strategic integration of operational missions and the optimization of policy development and mission execution consistent with the Service’s national priorities; Commander of the Fourteenth Coast Guard District and Deputy Commander for East Asia – Pacific Engagement, managing operations across nearly 12.2 million square miles of the Central Pacific Ocean; Director of Reserve and Training where she developed policies to recruit, train, allocate, and support over 12,000 Coast Guard Ready Reservists, and oversaw all Coast Guard training facilities; Commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District, managing operations along the mid-Atlantic sea coast; and Director of Personnel Management, administering an extensive range of Service-wide human resource programs.
At the time of her selection to flag rank, Vice Admiral Brice-O’Hara was the Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard’s only recruit training program, Training Center Cape May. Previous operational duties include Deputy Commander of Activities Baltimore and Alternate Captain of the Port; Commander of Group Baltimore; Commanding Officer of Station Cape May, New Jersey; and Executive Officer of Station New London, Connecticut. Other positions of significance include strategic planning for the Commandant; Planning Officer at Support Center Kodiak, Alaska; an officer assignment detailer; and Assistant Director of Admissions at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
A native of Annapolis, Maryland, she graduated from Goucher College in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology. She received her Coast Guard commission from Officer Candidate School the following year. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, where she was named a Littauer Fellow, and a Master of Science Degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College.
Vice Admiral Brice-O’Hara’s personal awards include a Distinguished Service Medal, five Legions of Merit, a Meritorious Service Medal, six Coast Guard Commendation Medals, a Coast Guard Achievement Medal, and the Commandant’s Letter of Commendation.