Education: BME, Villanova University Coast Guard Leadership and Management Course

Commander (Ret) Kearney retired from the US Coast Guard in July 2001 after 24 years service. During his career, he was awarded three Commendation Medals, two Achievement Medals, a Commandant Letter of Commendation and various unit and service decorations. He is a 1975 graduate of Villanova University with a degree in mechanical engineering.

His last Coast Guard assignment was Executive Officer (Chief Operating Officer) of Marine Safety Office/Group Philadelphia, a 250-member command responsible for port safety and security, waterways management, search and rescue, marine inspection, environmental protection, maritime law enforcement, merchant marine investigation, and military readiness. The port of Philadelphia is the second largest crude oil port in the US and is comprised of the Delaware River and Bay and the coastal areas of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

As Executive Officer he held the titles of Alternate Captain of the Port, Alternate Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection, Alternate Federal On-scene Coordinator for oil and hazardous materials spills, and Deputy Group Commander.

Since retirement from the Coast Guard, Commander Kearney has been a defense and homeland security consultant.  He was a key resource for the port security assessment of the Port of South Louisiana.  He has performed port facility security assessments on a variety of types of facilities including petroleum terminals, power generating stations, and cargo terminals.  He has performed vessel security assessments on crude carriers, OBOs, product tankers, bulk freight ships, and roll-on roll-offs.  He has been an instructor in various security courses.

Commander Kearney was a key responder to the 2004 ATHOS I oil spill in the Delaware River.  After managing the ship decontamination resources to quickly get contaminated ships cleaned and released from the polluted zone, he managed two equipment staging areas in the 1700 person, $176 million, six-month response.

As a defense consultant, Commander Kearney has performed analyses and studies for large companies including Raytheon and Lockheed-Martin as well as smaller companies looking to gain entry into the defense and homeland security markets.  In 2005 he was the plant representative in Gödöllö, Hungary for the Iraqi Army’s rebuilding of 77 T-72 Main Battle Tanks and 4 T-55 recovery vehicles.  Working with the Iraq Ministry of Defense, the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq, NATO, the Hungarian Ministry of Defense, and a subcontractor, he ensured that the six-month project was completed at an accelerated pace so that the tanks would be on the streets of Iraq providing security for the December parliamentary election.

Commander Kearney has been instrumental in establishing and building a maritime waste oil management and audit business.  This is an emerging business practice in which his team possesses excellent expertise and unique experience.

Prior Coast Guard assignments included Chief of Investigations in the port of Baltimore and in New York, Long Island Sound, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Responsibilities included investigating marine casualties to determine the causes and recommend corrective actions, as well as prosecuting negligence and violation of law by mariners before an administrative law judge. Over the years, Commander Kearney was selected to head several high interest investigations including the accidental discharge of carbon dioxide systems with loss of life on two cargo ships, SS LASH ATLANTICO and MV CAPE DIAMOND, and the sinking of the fishing vessel BETH DEE BOB with the loss of the entire crew (http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/moa/docs/bdb.pdf). He assisted in the investigations of the disappearance of the SS POET, the sinking of the passenger vessel EL TORO II with loss of life, and the grounding of the oil tanker MORMACSTAR in New York harbor.

In 1994, Commander Kearney was selected for the Coast Guard's industry training program and worked with the American Waterways Operators and their member tug and barge companies, Reinauer Transportation Company in New York and Maritrans in Philadelphia. He served aboard the tug Hudson that delivered a barge of aviation fuel to Plattsburgh Air Force Base and made the last-ever commercial voyage between New York City and Lake Champlain.

Commander Kearney also served as Pollution Response Officer and Assistant Port Safety Officer in New York. As such he was responsible for the field command posts during the infamous period of 1989-90 where there was one incident after another, including the Exxon Bayway pipeline leak, the fracture of the oil barge E-25, the rupture of the 12.5 million gallon oil storage tank at Northville Linden Terminal and the explosion/fire and salvage of the tankbarge CIBRO SAVANNAH.

In addition to a tour at the Third Coast Guard District's Marine Safety Division, Commander Kearney was also a marine inspector in Philadelphia, and an engineering officer on the medium endurance cutter, USCGC ALERT.

Commander Kearney has held positions in private industry including designing the steam distribution system for Budd Company's Polychem Division. Previous employment included the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority. He is a licensed Merchant Marine Officer as well as a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.

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