During a ceremony at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters on Wednesday, October 22, Kevin W. Krick was presented with the U.S. Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award by the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Thomas H. Collins. The Distinguished Public Service Award is the highest public service recognition award that the Coast Guard may bestow.

Krick, who serves as a Presidential Appointee to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) in the capacity of Special Assistant, was recognized for his contribution to the development of the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA) regulations. MTSA, signed on November 25, 2002, by President George W. Bush, is a landmark piece of legislation that is designed to protect the nation’s ports and waterways from a terrorist attack. The regulations, which were published on October 22, represented the culmination of nearly a year’s worth of work by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Transportation (DOT). "These regulations represent a new era of cooperation within the federal government," said Maritime Administrator Capt. William G. Schubert. "Kevin was instrumental in having us reach that level of cooperation and making MTSA a reality."

The Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service was presented to Krick for outstanding service from November 2002 to October 2003 in the extraordinary achievement represented by the successful completion of regulations to implement key portions of MTSA. According to the citation, his efforts as the MARAD Executive Steering Committee representative ensured this comprehensive, historic project accurately addressed the concerns of DOT as the Coast Guard transitioned to DHS and kept the project on its seemingly unattainable one-year deadline. Krick, formerly of Reading, PA, lives in Bethesda, MD with his wife Natasha and two sons, Miles and Caleb.

During a ceremony at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters on Wednesday, October 22, Richard J. Lolich was presented with the U.S. Coast Guard Meritorious Public Service Award by the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Thomas H. Collins. The Meritorious Public Service Award recognizes substantial contributions to the mission of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Lolich, who serves as Program Manager in the Office of Ports and Domestic Shipping at the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) was recognized for his contribution to the development of the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA) regulations. Lolich was detailed to the U.S. Coast Guard by MARAD to assist in drafting the MTSA regulations. MTSA, signed on November 25, 2002, by President George W. Bush, is a landmark piece of legislation that is designed to protect the nation’s ports and waterways from a terrorist attack. The regulations, which were published on October 22, represented the culmination of nearly a year’s worth of work by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Transportation (DOT). "Having Richard at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters during this process ensured that the commercial aspects of our marine transportation system were well addressed and mesh seamlessly with our Nation’s security needs," said Maritime Administrator Capt. William G. Schubert.

The Meritorious Public Service Award was presented to Lolich in recognition of his outstanding service from February 2003 to October 2003 in the extraordinary achievement represented by the successful completion of regulations to implement key portions of the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. According to the citation, his tireless dedication as a member on the final rules team and the primary MARAD technical advisor resulted in the establishment of strong cross-agency maritime security requirements for over 10,000 U.S. vessels, 8,000 foreign-flagged vessels, 5,000 marine-related facilities, and all U.S. ports. He directed the rapid review of industry comments related to U.S. mariners’ concerns and developed guidance on how facilities must balance security measures with the essential coordination of mariner shore leave.

Lolich previously received the Bronze Medal from MARAD for his work on MTSA. Lolich and his wife, Kathy, live in Arlington, Virginia, and have three children.