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My Coast Guard
Commentary | March 24, 2021

Deckplate Leader of the Week: Chief Petty Officer Austen Shannon

By From Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard’s Facebook page

Our deckplate leader of the week is Chief Petty Officer Austen Shannon, a storekeeper from U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile!

Shannon is the property and finance division chief. She honors our profession by equally respecting our shipmates in every paygrade and by understanding that every uniformed member has a critical role in supporting training and mission execution.

The type of pride and inclusion that she exhibits is extremely effective in fostering a workplace climate that clearly values our diverse work force.

As a property and finance professional, Shannon briefs an area mess of over 80 chiefs on important policy and procedure updates within her professional realm. This vital information is relevant to how each chief manages their shop’s operational and training funds along with Coast Guard owned high valued assets.

Her actions not only help maximize funds execution and accountability, they help keep her fellow chiefs safe from any fraud, waste or abuse charges.

With the on-going pandemic disrupting vital career milestones for our enlisted members, Shannon goes above and beyond to keep her shop informed of important updates that effect their professional growth and mental health.

Shannon has assisted junior members navigate the challenges some face in complying with the Coast Guard body composition program. When the Coast Guard waived its mandatory semi-annual compliance check of this program, Shannon sensitively engaged members to ensure they continued on a successful path to achieve a positive outcome for the next compliance time frame.

Then when the May service wide exam was delayed until November, she developed a plan to ensure her personnel who desired to compete for advancement were aware of these changes and had a plan to succeed in November.

Thank you chief for your leadership and dedication! 

Do you have a chief who you would like to recognize? Please contact Chief Petty Officer Crystalynn Kneen.