Commander Patricia M. Bennett CDR Bennett

Commander Patricia M. Bennett, a native of Harpswell, Maine, graduated with honors from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2003 with a degree in Marine and Environmental Sciences. 

Upon graduation, CDR Bennett served as a Deck Watch Officer and Boarding Officer onboard USCGC MIDGETT (WHEC 726) in Seattle, Washington. In 2003, she was assigned as Executive Officer on USCGC MUSTANG (WPB 1310) in Seward, Alaska. In 2005, she served as the Major Cutter Scheduler and Patrol Boat Manager for the Seventh Coast Guard District’s Enforcement Branch in Miami, Florida. In 2010, she commanded USCGC ADAK (WPB 1333) for Patrol Forces Southwest Asia in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom in Manama, Bahrain. Upon completion of that tour, CDR Bennett served as Commanding Officer of USCGC SANIBEL (WPB 1312) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. After earning her Master’s Degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island in 2014, she served as Deputy Chief of Enforcement and Fisheries Officer for the Fifth Coast Guard District in Portsmouth, Virginia. Most recently in 2018, she served as Executive Officer of USCGC TAMPA (WMEC 902) in Portsmouth, Virginia.

She is a permanent cutterman with more than nine years of sea time and is married to Kristin Foster of Salem, Connecticut.