PORT ANGELES – Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles welcomed a new commander Friday at a ceremony on the base’s grounds at the end of Ediz Hook, which also featured music from the Navy Band Northwest.

Following remarks by Rear Admiral Charles E. Fosse, commander of the Coast Guard’s 13th District, the role was officially passed to Commander Kelly Higgins, who comes to Port Angeles from Air Station San Francisco and Forward Operating Base Point Mugu, California, where she served as first officer and operations officer.

This is also a return for her, as she previously completed a combat-ready flight in Port Angeles after completing her naval flight training in Pensacola, Florida, a Coast Guard press release said.

Outgoing Captain Brent Schmadeke has served as station commander since assuming his position in 2022. This was his third deployment to Port Angeles, having previously served as aircraft commander in 2005 and operations officer in 2016.

Schmadeke will next serve as director of the Office of Auxillary and Boating Safety, based in Washington, DC. He will work primarily from home and reside in Sequim with his wife, Kate, and children, Alexandria and Ezekiel.

For Higgins, who is from Portland, Oregon, it is also a return to the Pacific Northwest. She is accompanied by her husband Greg and their two children, Izzy and Jack.

Higgins holds the Coast Guard’s highest qualification as a flight examiner and flight instructor and also holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a Master of Public Administration from George Washington University, a press release said.

Her awards include the Capt. Edward R. Williams Award for Leadership and Diversity from the National Naval Officer’s Association, the Award for Heroism from the Pacific Northwest Coast Guard Foundation, a Meritorious Service Medal, a Coast Guard Commendation Medal, and a Coast Guard Achievement Medal.

Higgins is the second woman to lead the Port Angeles station, the first being Commander Joan Snaith, who served as commander from 2020 to 2022.

As commander of Air Station Port Angeles, Higgins is involved in the Coast Guard’s air response for Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Washington coast, a news release said.

The station also works with National Park Service rangers and local police as well as other Coast Guard departments in the region on search and rescue missions.

“The air base works operationally with and provides logistical support to other Coast Guard units on the Olympic Peninsula, including boat stations Neah Bay, Port Angeles and Quillayute River,” a press release said. “As well as Coast Guard cutters Active, Adelie, Swordfish, Osprey and Blue Shark.”