SECTOR LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER COMMAND STAFF

Captain Ryan S. Rhodes

Captain Ryan Rhodes previously oversaw the Capability Deployment and Integration Division in the Office of Shore Forces (CG-741) at Coast Guard Headquarters where he was a Capability Manager and Headquarters Planning Coordinator for the service's largest operational field commands - the Sectors, Activities and Marine Safety Units. His responsibilities also included the program management of the Coast Guard's Command Centers, maritime Interagency Operation Centers, and all policy pertaining to the Shore Force Enterprise.

Prior to his assignment at Coast Guard Headquarters, Captain Rhodes served as the Deputy Sector Commander at Sector Upper Mississippi River. As Deputy Sector Commander, he provided daily oversight for all Coast Guard operations in all or parts of an eleven state area. This included over 2,200 miles of commercially navigable waterways on the Upper Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois rivers and their tributaries. He led 274 Active Duty, Reserve, and civilian personnel and over 1,300 Auxiliary members. His duties included serving as Alternate Captain of the Port, Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator, Federal Maritime Security Coordinator, Federal On-Scene Coordinator for oil spills and hazardous materials releases, and Acting Officer-in-Charge of Marine Inspection.

Captain Rhodes’ other assignments included: Counternarcotics and Law Enforcement assistance Project Officer at U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany; Command Center Chief at Sector Charleston; Surface Action Officer and Tactical Action Officer at Joint Interagency Task Force South in Key West, FL; Logistics Officer at Port Security Unit 307 in St. Petersburg, FL; Assistant Operations Officer, Law Enforcement Officer and Group Duty Controller at Group Key West. He also served four years of active duty in the Army prior to accepting a direct commission into the Coast Guard in July 2000.

Captain Rhodes received a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Central Florida as a distinguished Military Graduate, Master of Art degree in Business and Organization Security from Webster University, and Master of Science degree in Adult Occupational and Continuing Education from Kansas State University. Additionally, Captain Rhodes is a Graduate of the Army’s Command and General Staff College.

Captain Rhodes has earned the CG Advanced Boat Forces Insignia, CG Port Security Insignia, and Army Parachutist Badge. His awards include CG Meritorious Service Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medals, CG Commendation Medals, Navy Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medals, CG Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medals, and the CG Commandant’s Letter of Commendation. Captain Rhodes has two daughters that he is very proud of, Sydney and Kelsey.

 Deputy Sector Commander

Commander Becky Walthour

Commander Becky Walthour assumed her current position as Deputy Sector Commander of Sector Lower Mississippi River in July of 2018. As Deputy Sector Commander, she serves as the Alternate Captain of the Port, Federal Maritime Security Coordinator, Federal On-Scene Coordinator, and Acting Officer in Charge of Marine Inspection. She also has Active Search Suspension and Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator authority and is responsible for all Coast Guard missions being conducted by 225 Coast Guard men and women from 10 locations and aboard 6 cutters throughout Western Tennessee, Western Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Northern Louisiana. Major missions for the Sector include commercial vessel inspections, pollution response, waterways management, aids to navigation, maritime security, law enforcement, and search and rescue coordination.

Prior to her arrival at Sector Lower Mississippi River, Commander Walthour served as USCG Atlantic Area’s Vessel Activities and Investigations Chief where she had direct oversight of Commercial Vessel Safety Programs, both foreign and domestic, across five Coast Guard Districts, Twenty-Six Sectors, as well as USCG Activities Europe. Additional prevention assignments have included Marine Safety Detachment Supervisor in Vicksburg, MS where she led all Sector Lower Mississippi River missions on more than 1000 river miles of the Mississippi River and its tributaries, Chief of Waterways Management and Facilities, Chief of Domestic Inspections, and Marine Inspector and Investigator all while assigned to Sector Delaware Bay, in Philadelphia, PA.  Commander Walthour’s career has also included a tour as a Coast Guard Officer Recruiter based out of Washington D.C., as well as a tour on the CGC MAPLE (WLB-207) as a Deck Watch Officer out of Sitka, AK.

Commander Walthour is a native of Newport News, VA and graduated form Virginia Tech with a Bachelors of Science in Education in 1997. After teaching for 3 years Commander Walthour entered the Coast Guard through Officer Candidate School in 2001. In 2005 Commander Walthour earned a Master’s of Science in Quality Systems Management.

Commander Walthour’s personal awards include the Coast Guard Marine Safety Insignia, Meritorious Service Medal, Coast Guard Commendation Medal, and four Coast Guard Achievement Medals with Operational Distinguishing device along with numerous other unit and campaign awards.

Command  Senior Enlisted Leader

Senior Chief Operations Specialist

Shane Carroll

Senior Chief Shane Carroll assumed the duties of Command Senior Chief of Sector Lower Mississippi River on June 8^th, 2018 where he serves as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader with a primary responsibility to advise the Sector Commander on issues and initiatives pertaining to all Coast Guard members and their families throughout the Sector. Most recently, Senior Chief Carroll served as the Sector Buffalo Command Center Supervisor in Buffalo, NY.

Originally from Orting, WA, Senior Chief Carroll enlisted in October 2002, and served aboard the Coast Guard Cutter CHASE (San Diego, CA) for one year before attending Operations Specialists “A” school in Petaluma, CA. Other assignments include: Group/ Air Station Astoria (Astoria, OR), Sector Honolulu (Honolulu, HI), Coast Guard Cutter MOHAWK (Key West, FL), Communications Area Master Station Pacific (Pt. Reyes, California), and Sector Detroit, (Detroit, MI).

Senior Chief Carroll is a proud graduate of the Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers Academy and the Coast Guard Senior Enlisted Leadership Course. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human Resource Development, Magna Cum Laude, from Hawaii Pacific University.

Senior Chief Carroll’s personal awards include: a Meritorious Service Medal with “O” device, a Coast Guard Commendation Medal, three Coast Guard Achievement Medals with “O” device, and three Commandants Letter of Commendation with “O” device.

He is married to the former Jennifer Lynn Evens and they are the very proud parents of two children: Isla, age four and Cole, age two.