Trump Administration Names USMMA Alumnus Sang Yi as Acting Head of MARAD

 

For the third time since March, the Trump Administration has named a new person to helm the U.S. Maritime Administration, which has been without a confirmed leader since the departure of Adm. Ann Phillips in January.

After nominating former U.S. Navy submariner Capt. Brent Sadler to the post in March, then replacing Sadler's name with former Maersk Line executive Capt. Stephen Carmel in May, the administration has now announced the appointment of congressional aide and USMMA alum Sang H. Yi as Acting Maritime Administrator. 

Capt. Carmel's name remains on the list of nominees pending committee consideration in the Senate, and he awaits confirmation. 

Yi has 15 years of experience as a staff member and advisor to various House committees. He worked for the Committee on Oversight & Government Reform, the Natural Resources Committee , and - for the last two years - the Committee on Homeland Security. Before that, he was a councilman for the City of Fairfax, Virginia for four years, and he worked at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for five years at the start of his career. His first role at NGA was as a maritime analyst. 

Yi is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and he commissioned as an officer in the Navy Reserve. (He remains a reserve lieutenant commander, according to his LinkedIn biography.) He also holds an MA from the U.S. Naval War College and a JD from  George Washington University Law School.