Jody A. Breckenridge

Vice Adm. Jody A. Breckenridge served as Commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area, from July 2009 to May 2010, overseeing operations of units performing missions across over 73 million square miles throughout the Pacific Basin to the Far East. Additionally, she had oversight of two service level commands — the Deployable Operations Group and the Coast Guard Force Readiness Command.

Previously, Vice Adm. Breckenridge served as the Director, Strategic Transformation Team, where she was responsible for aligning and synchronizing the efforts to transform and modernize the Coast Guard. Simultaneously, she served as Assistant Commandant for Human Resources where she had oversight of the Coast Guard’s HR professionals. From 2006-2007 Vice Adm. Breckenridge served as Commander of the Eleventh Coast Guard District in Alameda, Calif., overseeing Coast Guard operations in the Southwest and the Eastern Pacific. During her tenure, the Eleventh District stepped up its interagency collaboration leading to record drug seizures including the M/V GATUN, the largest maritime interdiction in US history, and the arrest of Francisco Javier Arellano Felix, head of the Arellano Felix Drug Cartel. Her initial flag assignment was as Commander, Maintenance and Logistics Command Pacific, with responsibility for all mission support in the Pacific Theater.

Vice Adm. Breckenridge grew up in Potomac, Md., and joined the Coast Guard in 1976, graduating from the Officer Candidate School in June of that year. Her first tour of duty was in the National Response Center, eventually as Senior Watchstander. Afterwards, she was assigned to the Pollution Response Branch of the Marine Environmental Protection Division at the Coast Guard Headquarters. During that time, she served as a White House Social Aide. For a short time, she worked in the Coast Guard Academy for summer training programs.

In September 1979, Vice Adm. Breckenridge reported to Group Seattle, where she served as the Assistant Port Safety Officer and was then selected as the first Group Operations Officer. Subsequent duty assignments have included the Coast Guard Pay and Personnel Center, Coast Guard Headquarters, postgraduate school at the University of Maryland, Chief of Officer Candidate School at Training Center Yorktown, VA, Executive Officer of Integrated Support Center Seattle, Coast Guard Personnel Command (Chief, Officer Assignments), Industrial College of the Armed Services, the Coast Guard Personnel Command (Assistant Chief and Chief, Officer Personnel Management Division), and Commanding Officer, Coast Guard Recruiting Command. While assigned to the Personnel Command, Vice Adm. Breckenridge represented the Coast Guard on a five-month Department of Defense study titled “The Officer Personnel Structure for the 21st Century.” She also served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Coast Guard Headquarters.

Vice Adm. Breckenridge earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the University of Maryland, and a Masters Degree of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. While attending the University of Maryland, she was elected to the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi and was presented an Excellence in Scholarship award, graduating with honors. In 2007 she was honored with the University of Maryland Distinguished Alumnus Award.