Kelly Denning

Kelly served over 26 years in the United States Coast Guard, most recently as Sector Commander for New Orleans where she oversaw all Coast Guard missions in an area of responsibility that included the Louisiana Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River System from Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico and out to the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Additionally, she served as Incident Commander for several events including severe weather, mass rescue operations and two of the nation’s largest maritime oil spills. She sailed for six years on various sized ships responding to both Hurricane's Katrina and Rita, enforcing fishery laws and regulations, conducting counternarcotics operations, and participating in exercises on maritime security and law enforcement with other nations throughout the Caribbean and Central/South America, in Africa, through the Mediterranean and into the Black Sea. Staff assignments found her working closely with Canada in Seattle and Boston to plan and execute full scale exercises that focused on maritime safety/security, maritime search and rescue and pollution response. She also was the lead planner for hosting the first ever U.S.-led North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum in Boston for 15 nations that focused on maritime safety/security, search and rescue, law enforcement, fisheries regulations and environmental stewardship and served as the search and rescue and law enforcement expert on the offshore wind farm team that established the Coast Guard's posture across an emerging, necessary industry greatly impacting the marine transportation system. Over half of her career was spent on the Gulf Coast and she is very happy to have finally settled in New Orleans and is proud to call the "Crescent City" home.  

SKILLS:

Certified Emergency Manager (CEM)
Type 1 Incident Commander (IC1)
Certified Master Exercise Practitioner (MEPP)
Certified Maritime Port Executive (MPE)
Master Mariner license, 100 ton with towing endorsement

AFFILIATIONS:

International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM)        
International Association of Maritime Port Executives     (IAMPE)    
Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA)
Women In Maritime Operations (WIMO)
Propeller Club Board Member (New Orleans Chapter)        
Navy League Member