DIRAUX
Commander Steven A . Koch , Jr ., USCG
CDR Steven Koch is currently assigned as the Director , First District Auxiliary- Southern Region where he leads and supports over 2600 Auxiliarists spanning four states across Sector New York and Sector Long Island Sound areas of responsibility .
CDR Steven Koch arrived as the Director following his assignment as Deputy Commander , Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound where he served as the Alternate Captain of the Port , Officer-in-Charge of Marine Inspection , Federal Maritime Security Coordinator , and Federal On- Scene Coordinator for Connecticut and Long Island , NY .
His operational assignments include serving as the Deputy Commander and Operations Officer , International Ice Patrol in New London , Connecticut and Sector New York , where he served as the Chief , Port State Control Branch and then Assistant Chief , Port Safety and Security Division , supervising personnel conducting port state control and facility examinations , container inspections , and explosive ordnance load out operations within the Port of New York-New Jersey . Other operational tours include Sector Long Island Sound where he served on the Contingency Planning Staff and then as Chief , Incident Management Division and as a marine inspector , marine investigator , and Sector Intelligence Officer at Marine Safety Office / Sector New Orleans .
CDR Koch has served as an instructor at the United States Coast Guard Officer Candidate School in New London , Connecticut where he was responsible for the professional and military development , and academic instruction of multiple officer commissioning programs .
A native of Quincy , Massachusetts , CDR Koch received his commission through the Direct Commission Officer program in 2002 . He holds a Bachelor of Science in Marine Safety and Environmental Protection from Massachusetts Maritime Academy and a Master ’ s in security management from American Military University . CDR Koch ’ s personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal , the Army Commendation Medal , four Coast Guard Commendation Medals with “ O ” device , two Coast Guard Achievement Medals with “ O ” device , the Commandant ’ s Letter of Commendation , and multiple service and unit awards . He has earned permanent Prevention and Response Operations-Ashore insignias and was selected as the 2011 Leadership and Development Center Instructor of the Year . CDR Koch is married to the former Isabelle Mary Leigus of Durham , Connecticut , and currently resides in Madison , Connecticut . They have twin seven-year-old boys , Carter and Evan .
6 OVER THE BOW USCGAUX FIRST DISTRICT SOUTHERN REGION - SUMMER 2023