The Coast Guard proudly honors eight outstanding individuals as the winners of the 2026 Coast Guard Inspirational Leadership Awards. Out of 99 nominees, these active duty, reserve, civilian, and auxiliary leaders exemplify the Coast Guard’s Core Values of Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty and inspire others to achieve greatness. They represent the very best of us from all over the country.
As noted in one of the submissions, the winners are “more than leaders – they are some of the sharpest, highest performing, and most impactful members in the Coast Guard.” They are selfless and influential mentors who genuinely care for their people and inspire their teams to strive for excellence.
“Their enduring impact on readiness, mission success, culture and leader development embodies the spirit of these awards. Their dedication protects lives, secures our waters, keeps our Nation safe and reinforces our reputation as the world’s premiere maritime law enforcement agency,” said Ms. Jennifer Sinclair, Director of Force Readiness Command.
The 2026 winners are:
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CAPT Charles Wilson, Air Station Corpus Christi
CAPT David H. Jarvis Navy League Award for Inspirational Leadership
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AMT1 Sebastiano Musumeci, Air Station Clearwater
SM1 Douglas A. Munro Navy League Award for Inspirational Leadership
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CWO Wayne Bush, Sector Key West
CAPT John G. Witherspoon Inspirational Leadership Award – Active Duty
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LCDR Heidi Rosenberg, Sector Puget Sound
CAPT John G. Witherspoon Inspirational Leadership Award – Reserve
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MEC Michele Brazil, Sector Charleston
MCPO Angela M. McShan Inspirational Leadership Award – Active Duty
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MEC Justin Bumgarner, Southern Command
MCPO Angela M. McShan Inspirational Leadership Award – Reserve
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Mr. James R. Hines, Leadership Development Center
George R. Putnam Inspirational Leadership Award
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FC Douglas Wisman, Flotilla 130-05-02 (Eugene, Oregon)
COMO Charles S. Greanoff Inspirational Leadership Award
Keep reading to learn the incredible stories behind why these trailblazers were selected.
Navy League Awards for Inspirational Leadership
The Navy League presents the Captain David H. Jarvis Award (Officer) and the SM1 Douglas A. Munro Award (Enlisted) to Coast Guard members who have made outstanding contributions to the high standards of competence and leadership traditions in the Coast Guard. As the Munro winner, AMT1 Musumeci will receive a meritorious advancement to Chief Petty Officer.
Congratulations CAPT Charles Wilson – 2026 CAPT David H. Jarvis Navy League Leadership Award Winner!
As Commanding Officer of Air Station Corpus Christi, CAPT Wilson empowered his crews to achieve unprecedented operational success. His unit was the first federal air asset on scene during the catastrophic 2025 Kerrville, Texas floods, heroically rescuing 169 children and executing 57 media engagements that generated 9.8 billion views. One of his rescue swimmers, AST2 Scott Ruskan, received the Legion of Merit – rarely awarded to junior members – presented by the President during the State of the Union Address. Under CAPT Wilson's strategic foresight, his Air Station paced the entire fleet in average monthly flight hours for both MH-65E and HC-144B aircraft.
He also successfully established Coast Guard Forces Rio Grande, executing the first-ever inland intelligence deployment to directly support border control operations. A devoted mentor, CAPT Wilson's profound culture of trust earned his unit a remarkable 96% favorable rating for transformational leadership on the command climate survey. His focus on personnel development directly led to 23 enlisted advancements, the selection of two new Warrant Officers, and the processing of 56 operational awards, including a DHS Unit Commendation.
Congratulations AMT1 Sebastiano Musumeci – 2026 SM1 Douglas A. Munro Navy League Leadership Award Winner!
AMT1 Musumeci continuously operated far above his paygrade at Air Station Clearwater, volunteering for the most demanding aviation missions. During three deployments for the National Transport of Illegal Aliens mission, he supported over 1,500 flight hours, transported 5,100 migrants, and moved 12,590 pounds of mission-essential equipment. He earned a Watch Captain qualification usually reserved for Chief Petty Officers, seamlessly managing repairs across five shops and 70 personnel to achieve a fleet-leading 71% aircraft availability rate.
Furthermore, he stepped up as the unit's liquid oxygen (LOX) facility manager—a highly hazardous role normally held by a civilian—qualifying 16 members and earning recognition for running the best-managed LOX farm in the service. AMT1 Musumeci also made history by becoming the first enlisted aircrew member of an operational unit to earn the ATC Mobile Aircrew Flight Examiner qualification. In this role, he completed 107 flight events totaling 245 hours, qualifying 10 HC-27J pilots and growing the pilot corps by 171%.
CAPT John G. Witherspoon Inspirational Leadership Awards
This award recognizes an active duty and a reserve officer who best exemplifies the Coast Guard's core values of honor, respect and devotion to duty.
Congratulations CWO Wayne Bush – 2026 CAPT John G. Witherspoon Inspirational Leadership Award Winner (Active Duty)
Over his 28-year career, Chief Warrant Officer Bush has embodied the Coast Guard’s core values through a tireless pursuit of mission excellence. Serving as an investigator at Sector Key West, he led 267 marine casualty investigations that resulted in over $2 million in proposed civil penalties. He championed a culture of accountability by innovatively using subpoena authority to uncover unreported positive drug tests among credentialed mariners, an achievement since adopted as an industry best practice.
Showing profound care for his shipmates, he fundamentally transformed his command's culture by building a formal mentorship program from the ground up, personally training 19 mentors to guide 53 junior members. He established a vital Peer Support Group with the unit chaplain, delivered crucial suicide prevention training to Coast Guard and Navy personnel, and created a Leadership Advisory Council to empower the deck plate to solve command climate issues.
Congratulations LCDR Heidi Rosenberg – 2026 CAPT John G. Witherspoon Inspirational Leadership Award Winner (Reserve)
When an unanticipated transfer left a critical vacancy, LCDR Rosenberg stepped up to lead Sector Puget Sound’s largest and most operationally complex Reserve Department. Operating across the nation's fifth-largest port complex and 12 Department of War facilities, she flawlessly guided her team through a massive surge in demand for facility inspections. During Operation ARCTIC FOX, her disciplined oversight resulted in 14 security spot checks, 12 Port State Control examinations, 11 Annual Compliance Exams, and 170 container inspections.
Mentorship defined LCDR Rosenberg's 18th year of service. She implemented a comprehensive training plan that yielded more than 300 qualification signoffs and guided multiple members through rigorous incident command boards. She also completed 102 days of Active Duty for Operational Support as the sole Reserve representative on a high-level working group addressing billet structures. Drawing on her deployment experience and a master's degree in industrial/organizational psychology, she brings immense empathy and strategic focus to her leadership style.
MCPO Angela McShan Inspirational Leadership Award
This award recognizes an active duty and reserve Chief Petty Officer who best exemplifies the Coast Guard's core values of honor, respect and devotion to duty.
Congratulations MEC Michele Brazil – 2026 MCPO Angela McShan Inspirational Leadership Award Winner (Active Duty)
As the Boarding Team Supervisor at Sector Charleston, MEC Brazil serves as the driving force behind the success of her team and the development of future leaders. She effortlessly collaborated with dozens of partner agencies through the Charleston Regional Coordinating Mechanism, directly enabling 229 joint boardings, 105 security patrols, and the inspection of 1,420 shipping containers. Her tactical expertise was further highlighted when she led an Atlantic Area Security Forces Team during a 27-day deployment to Puerto Rico, maintaining continuous security on a sanctioned crude oil tanker.
Back at home, MEC Brazil leveraged her background as a Maritime Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA) instructor to create unparalleled training pipelines. She qualified over 30 members and guided her team to a flawless 100% compliance score during their annual law enforcement inspection, prompting the MLEA to seek out her expertise for a high-priority pilot program establishing new service-wide use-of-force standards. Because of her exceptional career and advocacy for junior personnel, she was commissioned to Chief Warrant Officer on June 1st.
Congratulations MEC Justin Bumgarner – 2026 MCPO Angela McShan Inspirational Leadership Award Winner (Reserve)
Serving as the Command Chief for Coast Guard Reserve Unit U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), MEC Bumgarner leads from the front and empowers his people to achieve their full potential. With only four days' notice, he accepted critical 90-day orders to support high-priority national defense missions. During this rapid deployment, he directly supported major operations in the Western Hemisphere, including the capture of Nicolas Maduro during Operation Absolute Resolve and facilitating Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT) boardings of "ghost ships" carrying illicit oil.
A third-generation military member who also serves as a civilian law enforcement supervisor in Florida, he immediately elevated his unit's readiness by conducting evaluation training and revitalizing the command's Enlisted Person of the Year program. As a superior athlete, he also stepped up as the unit's first Command Fitness Leader, motivating all 30 members of his command to successfully pass their first fitness test in years.
George R. Putnam Inspirational Leadership Award
This award recognizes a Coast Guard civilian employee who best exemplifies the Coast Guard's core values of honor, respect and devotion to duty.
Congratulations Mr. James R. Hines – 2026 Mr. George R. Putnam Inspirational Award Winner!
Drawing on his 30 years of prior active-duty service, Mr. Hines serves as a Master Training Specialist at the Leadership Development Center (LDC), responsible for preparing Commanding and Executive Officers for two of the most consequential roles in the Service. Over the past year, he delivered world-class education to over 220 Prospective Afloat Leaders, 30 International Maritime Officers, and 60 Bridge Resource Management students. He guides future leaders through critical topics including Sexual Assault Prevention, Anti-Hate/Harassment, and Command Accountability.
Demonstrating unwavering devotion to duty, Mr. Hines returned to work as an exempted employee during a historic 76-day government shutdown to ensure command training continued uninterrupted, logging over 250 instructional hours on the ship simulator. He was instrumental in shaping critical training content for 600 command members globally, and created realistic simulation videos to accelerate the integration of uncrewed systems (UxS) aboard cutters. His personal contributions directly improved the operational performance and leadership qualities of personnel across the LDC.
COMO Charles S. Greanoff Inspirational Leadership Award
This award recognizes the most outstanding Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla Commander.
Congratulations Flotilla Commander Douglas Wisman – 2026 COMO Charles S. Greanoff Inspirational Leadership Award Winner!
Mr. Wisman’s servant-leadership and direct member engagement resulted in an extraordinary 72% participation rate among the 33 members of his Eugene, Oregon Flotilla. Establishing measurable goals early on, he inspired his team to log an astounding 10,580 mission hours in a single year, averaging 320 hours per member. He personally contributed more than 790 hours to operational readiness and earned the prestigious AUXOP device. During a real-world tsunami incident, he relied on his background in emergency management to coordinate a rapid Auxiliary response by activating a phone tree of available coxswains.
As the leader of the District Color Guard, he organized and supported 10 ceremonial events, including funerals and Veterans Day observances. He also significantly elevated the Auxiliary's public visibility by coordinating boating safety outreach events, sportsman shows, and vessel examinations, which directly resulted in the recruitment of four new members. His exceptional performance earned him a Commandant's Letter of Commendation, the Public Education Award, and the Sustained Service Award.
These eight extraordinary leaders prove that true leadership is defined not by rank or title, but by action, empathy, and an unwavering commitment to the mission and people. By translating the Coast Guard's Core Values into tangible results—from life-saving rescues and critical operational deployments to groundbreaking mentorship programs—they continue to pave the way for the next generation of Coast Guard professionals. Their achievements remind us that outstanding leadership is the ultimate anchor of our readiness and the driving force behind our maritime success.
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