Manson K. Brown (born 1956) is an American retired U.S. Coast Guard Vice Admiral (VADM) and public official. His top military decoration is the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal. In 1994, he became the first recipient of the Coast Guard Captain John G. Witherspoon Award for Inspirational Leadership. In 2012, he was honored with the Golden Torch Award by the National Society for Black Engineers. In 2014, he was honored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People with the Meritorious Service Award, an honor annually bestowed to a service member in a policy-making position for the highest achievement in military equal opportunity. Off duty, he is an active road cyclist.
Manson K. Brown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction | |
| In office March 18, 2015 – January 2017 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Succeeded by | Neil Jacobs |
| Deputy Commandant for Mission Support | |
| In office May 25, 2010 – May 30, 2014 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Manson Kevin Brown[1] 1956 (age 67–68) Washington, District of Columbia, U.S. |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service |  United States Coast Guard |
| Years of service | 1978-2014 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands | Deputy Commandant for Mission Support Coast Guard Pacific Area Fourteenth Coast Guard District MLC, Pacific |
| Battles / wars | September 11 attacks Global War on Terrorism Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Awards |  Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Achievement Medal Legion of Merit Meritorious Service Medal Coast Guard Commendation Medal Coast Guard Achievement Medal Iraq Campaign Medal |
| Spouse(s) | Herminia Brown |
| Relations | 3 children |
Early life and education
editBrown was born in Washington, DC in 1956.[2] He graduated in 1978 from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He also holds Master of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and National Resources Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He is a registered professional civil engineer.
Career
editU.S. Coast Guard
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VADM Brown’s commands include Coast Guard Pacific Area, the Fourteenth Coast Guard District, Maintenance and Logistics Command Pacific, Sector Honolulu, and Group Charleston. From 1999 to 2002, he served as the Military Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, including duty as the Acting Deputy Chief of Staff for six months after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In May 2003, he served as the Chief of Officer Personnel Management at the Coast Guard Personnel Command. From April to July 2004, he was temporarily assigned as the Senior Advisor for Transportation to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, Iraq. Working in a combat zone, he oversaw restoration of Iraq’s major transportation systems, including two major ports.
Previous tours of duty include Assistant Engineering Officer aboard the icebreaker Glacier, Project Engineer at Civil Engineering Unit Miami, Deputy Group Commander at Coast Guard Group Mayport, Engineering Assignment Officer in the Officer Personnel Division at Coast Guard Headquarters, Facilities Engineer at Support Center Alameda, and Assistant Chief, Civil Engineering Division at Maintenance and Logistics Command Pacific. He commanded operations at every level, culminating as Commander of Coast Guard Pacific Area in Alameda, California where he oversaw all Coast Guard operational activities throughout the Pacific Rim. Building on his technical competence as a registered professional civil engineer, his last assignment on active duty was as Deputy Commandant for Mission Support in Washington, DC, where he oversaw all aspects of human resources, engineering, information technology, acquisition, and logistics support for Coast Guard operations and people throughout the globe. VADM Brown retired from the Coast Guard in May, 2014.[3]
Commerce Department
editVADM Brown was sworn in as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction on March 18, 2015. In this role he strategically drove administration policy, programming, and investments for all NOAA observing systems, including in situ instruments and satellites, and the process of converting observations to predictions for environmental threats related to weather, climate, water, oceans, and space weather. He served as NOAA Deputy Administrator and Chair of NOAA’s Observing Systems Council.[4] His service ended on January 20, 2017 with the end of the Obama Administration and Brown retired from NOAA.[5]
Awards and decorations
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See also
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References
edit- ^ Congressional Record — Senate (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. March 22, 1978. p. 8130. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- ^ "Manson Brown (1956- ) •". January 28, 2018.
- ^ T. Rees Shapiro (May 15, 2014) [2014-05-14]. "Vice admiral retires as top-ranking black officer". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.[please check these dates]
- ^ "NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Manson K. Brown". Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
- ^ "MANSON BROWN (1956- )". January 28, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
This article incorporates public domain material from Vice Admiral Manson K. Brown (PDF). United States Coast Guard. Archived March 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine