Semper Paratus — Always Ready. Adm. Thad W. Allen was familiar with that motto and standard of excellence as a young boy. As the son of Wilma and Clyde Allen, a retired Coast Guard chief damage controlman and World War II veteran, he basically grew up in the United States Coast Guard.
When it came time to pursue his undergraduate education, Adm. Allen had applied to several universities and had appointments to both the Naval Academy and the Coast Guard Academy. Thinking he was too small to play Division I football and would have a better chance to play in a Division III school, he chose the Coast Guard Academy. It worked: He was on the varsity team as a freshman and was captain his senior year. And the rest is history.
The retired admiral is being honored with the Dixy Lee Ray Award for a lifetime of high-impact and distinguished accomplishments in environmental protection, including outstanding management of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Established in 1998, the award recognizes significant achievements and contributions in the broad field of environmental protection.
Adm. Allen completed his distinguished Coast Guard career as its 23rd commandant, retiring from that position in June 2010. In May 2010, President Barack Obama selected him to serve as the national incident commander for the unified response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico—a position he held concurrently while finishing his tenure as commandant of the Coast Guard. Adm. Allen was charged with oversight of all response efforts to cease the flow of oil and mitigate the effects of the disaster. Working closely with the federal coordinator, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. departments of Homeland Security, Defense, Interior, Commerce, and Health and Human Services, he sought to bring a global effort to response endeavors.
Prior to his assignment as commandant, Adm. Allen served as Coast Guard chief of staff. In 2005, during his service in that position, he was designated principal federal official for the U.S. government's response and recovery operations throughout the Gulf Coast region in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Other Coast Guard assignments included commander, Atlantic Area and Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic—where, in 2001, he led the Coast Guard's Atlantic Area forces following the September 11 attacks. He previously served as commander, Seventh Coast Guard District, where he oversaw all operations in the southeastern United States and in the Caribbean.
After more than 39 years of service with the Coast Guard, Adm. Allen joined RAND Corporation as a senior fellow in October 2010. At RAND, a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision making through research and analysis, his focus is on disaster recovery operations and emergency preparedness.
Allen is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and a member of the American Society of Public Administration, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Partnership for Public Service.
His numerous awards and decorations include the Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal with gold star, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal with two gold stars, and the Legion of Merit, as well as The George Washington University's AlumniAchievement Award (2006) and the Colin Powell Public Service Award (2010).
Adm. Allen received his bachelor's degree at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., in 1971. He earned a master's in public administration at The George Washington University in 1986; and a master's in management at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1989. In 2011, Adm. Allen received honorary doctorates from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., and the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.
The retired admiral is being honored … for a lifetime of high-impact and distinguished accomplishments in environmental protection including outstanding management of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
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