DEPUTY COMMANDER
Cmdr. Caren Damon
Commander Caren Damon assumed Deputy Sector Commander of Maryland-National Capital Region (NCR) in June 2023 and leads over 500 individuals of the Coast Guard’s total workforce. CDR Damon oversees eight multi-mission stations, three aids to navigation teams, and a cutter, executing all maritime safety, security, and environmental missions in the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries, and offshore Atlantic Ocean. CDR Damon also serves as the Alternate Captain of the Port, Federal On-Scene Coordinator, Officer in Charge of Marine Inspections, and Federal Area Maritime Security Coordinator, as well as Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator and Active Search Suspension Authority.
Preceding this assignment, CDR Damon served as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Commandant for Personnel Readiness. This assignment forged a unique opportunity for CDR Damon to lead the 27th Commandant’s Continuity Team and Action Plan Execution Team to drive the first female Service Chief’s strategic vision for the Coast Guard. Prior to Headquarters, CDR Damon served as the Chief of Maritime Law Enforcement and Homeland Security at Sector Houston-Galveston, Texas directly supervising over 80 personnel operating four cutters and five Level 1 ports, waterways, and coastal security stations. Additionally, CDR Damon chaired the Department of Homeland Security’s Regional Coordinating Mechanism Law Enforcement Sub-Committee, comprised of 54 federal, state, and local agencies exercising a whole-of-government approach to national security.
CDR Damon graduated from Old Dominion University with a M.S. in Instructional Design Technology and a Certificate in Modeling and Simulation and went on to serve as Chief of the Design and Development Branch at the Coast Guard’s Performance Technology Center in Yorktown, Virginia. In this role, CDR Damon managed the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of new and existing human performance interventions, using electronic performance and training technologies in arenas determined to have the most significant return-on-investment.
CDR Damon’s earlier operational assignments include Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Texas City, Texas, as the Response Department Head, Coast Guard Sector New York as a Command Duty Officer and Assistant Chief of Incident Management, and Chief of Incident Management at Sector Sault Ste. Marie where she oversaw the transition of the once Group/Marine Safety Office (MSO) to an all-hazards, all-threats Sector. As a prior Marine Science Technician, CDR Damon served in the Port Operations Department at Group/MSO Philadelphia, PA and MSO Valdez, Alaska.
CDR Damon grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland. She’s married to ENG2 Nathan Scott Damon, and they have two children, Carly (16) and Cole (13). Prior to enlisting in the Coast Guard, CDR Damon graduated from Coastal Carolina University with a B.S. in Marine Science and Biology.
CDR Damon’s personal awards include two Meritorious Service Medals, five Coast Guard Commendation Medals, four Coast Guard Achievement Medals, the Volunteer Service Medal. In addition to other awards, she wears the Response Ashore and Marine Safety Insignias