Denise Krepp

Private Consultant, Professor

K. Denise Rucker Krepp is a homeland security, transportation, and energy expert who began her career as an active duty Coast Guard officer in 1998. After September 11th, Ms. Krepp was part of the team that created the Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Trailblazers: The Five African-American SPARs of World War II

By Denise Krepp 2019-07-26 14:53:03

During World War II, over 11,000 women served in the U.S. Coast Guard Women’s Reserve. Collectively, they were known as SPARs. Five of them were African-American - Dorothy Winifred Byrd, Julia Watson Mosley Shields, Olivia Hooker, Aileen Anita Cooke Moore and Yvonne Cumberbatch. Little is known about these women. Who were they, what did they do during the war, and what happened to them after it ended? With help from the librarians at the National Archives, I set out to...

Actions You Can Take To Reopen the Coast Guard

By Denise Krepp 2019-01-23 16:23:34

The federal government has been partially closed for thirty-three days, and the shutdown will continue until at least mid-February. The following is a list of steps you can take to help reopen the Coast Guard and put food on the table during the interim. This list is based on my experience as a former Coast Guard officer, a currently elected local official and a lobbyist. Don’t Assume Knowledge Don’t assume that your elected officials or local press know how many...

Olivia Hooker: A Veteran’s Story

By Denise Krepp 2018-10-17 19:15:00

On Veterans Day, we will join together as a country to thank the men and women who have and are serving our country in uniform. Dr. Olivia Hooker is one of the veterans that we will thank, and her story is one of exceptional courage and determination. Dr. Hooker served on active duty as a yeoman from March 1945 to June 1946. She was the first of only five African American women to serve in the Coast Guard during World War...

Helping MARAD Promote the Maritime Industry

By Denise Krepp 2018-07-30 20:20:02

Not all agencies share the U.S. Maritime Administration's mission to promote the nation's maritime industry. Three of the largest federal departments have long resisted MARAD's efforts to enforce cargo preference rules, which require federally-financed cargoes to be carried aboard U.S.-flag ships - and without public support, this situation could easily continue. When I became MARAD's chief counsel in 2009, I was asked to lead the team responsible for drafting rules that would penalize other federal agencies for not complying with...

The Revenue Cutter Service and the Civil War

By Denise Krepp 2018-05-07 13:56:00

The Maritime Executive recently published an essay about the Revenue Cutter Service operations during the Civil War. The service is an ancestor agency of today’s Coast Guard, and like other American institutions, it was split apart by the conflict. Some RCS vessels served the Union, while others stationed in the South were handed over to the seceding states. This split didn’t happen overnight: it was precipitated by actions taken by a former Secretary of the Treasury. The story starts...

Interior Department Awards Maritime Heritage Grants

By Denise Krepp 2017-07-21 12:43:49

On July 7, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced the recipients of the 2016 Maritime Heritage Grants. Twenty-seven entities located in thirteen states were awarded $1.7 million in grant funding. Recipients include the Naval Historical Foundation, which will use the grant dollars to digitize documents related to the American Revolution. Primary source documents regarding leading naval heroes like John Paul Jones will be at your finger tips. Curious about the Battle of Valcour Island? You won’t have to leave...

EU Leads the Way for Ship Recycling

By Denise Krepp 2017-05-24 20:28:55

Ask someone in the United States what happens to ocean-going ships at the end of their service life and they’ll likely describe National Geographic pictures of ships on beaches in some foreign country, with sandal-clad workers using hammers and cutting torches to take them apart. However, these recycling methods are destined to become a relic of the past. The future will be one where workers wear appropriate safety equipment. It will also be one where ships are not simply driven onto a beach....

What Happens to Vessels Named After Heroes?

By Denise Krepp 2016-12-21 20:35:06

In less than a month, Donald Trump will become President of the United States, Elaine Chao will replace Anthony Foxx at the Department of Transportation and General Mattis will stride through the Pentagon corridors as Secretary of Defense. As a former Obama administration political appointee, it's my hope that the three of them rapidly reverse a shameful eight-year policy that has allowed vessels named after Medal of Honor recipients to be destroyed in foreign facilities. Like most of you, I...

Transparency Needed in Government Ship Sales

By Denise Krepp 2016-06-02 15:09:59

Last week, I shared with readers that the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the agency that auctions off obsolete government vessels, does not track the international wires used to pay for them, a requirement of federal law. The Department of the Treasury is the agency that collects the money, and we've recently learned that they don't examine the source of this foreign funding either. On February 18, 2016, Jon Ottman, a maritime historian, submitted a Freedom of Information Act request...

MARAD: Following Maersk's Lead on Ship Recycling

By Denise Krepp 2016-02-23 18:31:13

Last week, Maersk announced that it will be working with shipyards in Alang, India, to create responsible recycling programs. I'm disappointed that Maersk vessels will be dismantled in India instead of the United States. At that same time, however, I'm impressed with Maersk's clear ship recycling policy and its plan to implement it. This clarity is something that is sorely lacking in the United States and it's my hope that the U.S. Maritime Administration takes a page from Maersk's playbook....