CAPT Rhianna Macon assumed the duty as Commander, Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan on 20 June 2025. She leads 23 Coast Guard units with a force of 500 Active Duty, 200 Reserve, and 1,000 Auxiliary personnel. She leads efforts on Lake Michigan in Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement, Aids to Navigation, Marine Safety, and Homeland Security for the states of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Her authorities include Captain of the Port, Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection, Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator, and Federal On-Scene Coordinator.
Prior to joining Sector Lake Michigan as Sector Commander in 2025, served as the Chief of Incident Management for Coast Guard District 14, leading Search & Rescue (SAR), Marine Environmental Response, and Incident Management programs, systems, staff, and policy across the Coast Guard’s largest and most diverse Area of Responsibility. This AOR covers 14.4 million square miles of ocean and includes Hawai’i, American Samoa, and Guam. Additionally, she managed District 14’s MH-65 rotary and C-130J fixed-wing aviation fleet and provided oversight of Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) Honolulu, directing maritime, aeronautical, and inland SAR operations in coordination with Department of Defense and international partners under 18 agreements.
From 2020 to 2023, Captain Macon served as the Sector San Francisco Response Department Head, leading over 350 active duty and reserve personnel. She provided direct oversight of seven small boat stations and three 87’ patrol boats, ensuring the execution of SAR, marine environmental response, and maritime security within one of the Coast Guard’s largest operational commands. She also served as Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator for the Coast Guard’s busiest SAR unit, responsible for more than 2,500 square miles of coastline and inland waterways across Northern California.
Captain Macon received her commission in 2003 after graduating from Officer Candidate School in New London, Connecticut. Her first assignment was at Marine Safety Office Honolulu. Her past assignments include serving as the Sector Command Center Chief of Sector Honolulu from 2005 to 2008, as a member of the Office of Marine Environmental Response Policy (CG-MER) at Coast Guard Headquarters from 2010 to 2014, and as the Incident Management Division Chief at Sector San Francisco from 2014 to 2017. From 2017 to 2020, she served as the Response Ashore Assignment Officer within the Coast Guard’s Personnel Support Command, where she was responsible for managing over 1,000 Response Ashore operational and staff billets across the Coast Guard.
As an Incident Management professional, Captain Macon is a certified IAEM Emergency Manager, a 2021 graduate of the FEMA National Emergency Management Executive Academy, and holds a Masters in Environmental Management from Duke University. Her personal awards include the Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medals, Coast Guard Commendation Medal, Coast Guard Achievement Medals, and a Commandant’s Letter of Commendation.