As the 23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard, retired Adm. Thad Allen served as the branch’s highest-ranking member from 2006 to 2010.
The 39-year Coast Guard veteran currently serves as a senior at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he provides thought leadership and client engagement for the justice and homeland security business.
He also contributes to other initiatives in energy, defense and international markets.
In September, he addressed the Potomac Officers Club at a luncheon while a senior fellow at the RAND Corporation.
During his term as commandant, he directed the federal government’s response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill as national incident commander. In 2005, he led the government’s responses to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita as the principal federal official.
Other senior leadership assignments included Chief of Staff of the Coast Guard, Atlantic Area Commander, Commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District (Southeast U.S. and Caribbean Region) and Coast Guard Director of Resources.
He graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in management. He also holds two master’s degrees, one from George Washington University in public administration and another from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in management science.
Raytheon and Government Security News recognized Allen in November 2011 with a distinguished leadership award in public safety, GSN’s highest public safety award.
In his videotaped acceptance speech, he advocated for giving first responders access to the same kind of interoperable communications citizens have in their everyday lives.