Coast Guard marine safety unit to get first female leader

When Cmdr. Lindsay N. Weaver takes charge of the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Unit in Pittsburgh on Friday, she will return to what attracted her to the service in the first place.

Weaver, 40, had her choice of military academies after graduating from high school in New York City. She chose the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., because she wanted to protect the nation's waters and the people who use them.

“I thought it was the most noble mission,” she said.

The Coast Guard's responsibilities in Pittsburgh include protecting 328 miles of river from pollution and more than 32 million tons of cargo that travel the rivers annually. The unit inspects commercial vessels to make sure they are safe to navigate and conducts search-and-rescue operations.

It maintains a major presence on the rivers during public events, such as baseball's 2006 All-Star Game, when the unit provided 24-hour patrols.

Weaver said she would begin by “fostering relationships with our agency partners and industry ... to close any gaps in our operational and response posture.”

James McCarville, executive director of the Port of Pittsburgh Commission, which operates the port along with the Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers, said Weaver impresses him as a community-oriented person with a bright future.

“I think that the Coast Guard understands that Pittsburgh is a good training place for people on the way up,” he said.

Weaver of Marshall is the first woman to command the Pittsburgh unit. As of April, about 18 percent of the Coast Guard's officers are women. A spokeswoman for Coast Guard headquarters in Washington did not return calls seeking comment.

Weaver replaces Cmdr. Richard Timme, who will move to Washington to attend the National War College. She comes to Pittsburgh after serving as military aide to Vice Adm. Sally Brice-O'Hara during her two-year stint as vice commandant, or second-in-charge, of the Coast Guard.

That is the only time in Weaver's 17 years as a Coast Guard officer that she has worked outside her specialty, she said. She holds a bachelor of science degree in marine safety from the academy and a master's degree in public health from Tulane University in New Orleans.

The Pittsburgh unit falls under the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard's Ohio Valley office in Louisville, the district office in New Orleans and the Atlantic Area Command in Portsmouth, Va.

Pittsburgh's friendly people make it a good home, Weaver said.

“Everything I've seen so far is great,” she said.

Brian Bowling is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-325-4301 or bbowling@tribweb.com.