Mr. Jerome Popiel assumed duties as Incident Management and Preparedness Advisor, Ninth Coast Guard District, in 2011.

Prior to this assignment, he served as Search and Rescue Program Manager and Chief, Command Center, Ninth Coast Guard District, where he was responsible for the command center’s coordination and oversight of Ninth District responses to multi-mission incidents in the eight-state Great Lakes region.

Mr. Popiel previously served as Assistant Vice President, Operations, for The Great Lakes Towing Company, Cleveland, Ohio, and acting General Manager for Tugz International, Port Everglades, Florida. Mr. Popiel’s awards include the Coast Guard’s national 2010 George R. Putnam Award for Inspirational Leadership; Coast Guard’s national 2003 Search and Rescue Controller of the Year; Commander’s Award for Civilian Service; Coast Guard Commendation Medal; two Coast Guard Achievement Medals and numerous unit and team awards.