Protecting U.S. waterways while earning a UofL degree

On Aug. 4, the United States Coast Guard celebrates its 234th birthday, which includes a recognition of its precursors: the Revenue Marine, the Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Life Saving Service. In honor of this milestone, UofL's Center for Military-Connected Studentsintroduces us to Cody Robinson, a senior noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Coast Guard and a student in UofL's online Organizational Leadership and Learningthrough the College of Education and Human Development.

As a chief marine science technician, Robinson is responsible for enforcing maritime safety and security regulations across the United States. His missions range from pollution response to the inspections of port facilities and foreign and domestic vessels, along with ensuring proper documentation, safety procedures and other requirements are met.

A Beaver Dam, Ky. native, Cody enlisted in the Coast Guard in 2007. He is currently stationed at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia, Pa. Throughout his military career, Robinson has served throughout the nation including: Galveston, Texas where he served on the Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless, the lower Mississippi River region in Memphis, Tenn., the Ohio Valley in Louisville, Ky., northern New England in Portland, Maine and the Puget Sound area in Seattle, Wash.

In 2010 he deployed in support of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill support, where he was tasked with locating and cleaning oil from the ocean's surface using an on-board skimming system. One of his favorite memories in the Coast Guard was on the Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless during operations in the Caribbean Sea. He recalls standing watch when the boat would go dark and all lights were turned off, the water was completely still and he witnessed "a perfect canvas for a moon lit sky full of bright stars."

Robinson is surrounded by a family of Cardinals; his wife, father, sister, and brother in-law all earned degrees from UofL. He hopes the organizational tools and management techniques learned through his UofL education will help him succeed in senior leadership roles within the Coast Guard.

He said the Organizational Leadership and Learning program is perfect for working adults because, "in each class you are provided with a new organizational tool you can immediately implement or try out at your workplace."