Rear Admiral Zeita Merchant serves as Assistant Commandant for Workforce Management where she oversees all aspects of military and civil service personnel management to meet Coast Guard mission requirements, including assignments and hiring, workforce policies, and pay and benefits. Prior to this assignment, she served as the Commander, Personnel Service Center where she was responsible for executing the Coast Guard’s human resource and talent management policies for over 45,000 members of the active duty and reserve workforces.
Rear Admiral Merchant is a career operations ashore officer with tours across multiple units with a concentration in marine safety and security operations. Most notably as Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York and Captain of the Port, her unmatched operational expertise in large-scale, multi-jurisdictional incident responses solidified her status as one of the Coast Guard’s top Certified Emergency Managers and Crisis Response leaders.
Rear Admiral Merchant’s operational excellence spans directing operations across Lake Michigan and along the Western Rivers as Commanding Officer, Marine Safety Unit Chicago. She also served as Executive Officer, Marine Safety Unit Texas City, Chief of Port Operations at Sector Miami and as a Marine Inspector and Port Operations Officer at Marine Safety Office New Orleans. Beyond operational roles, her strategic insight has been pivotal serving as Special Assistant to the 27th and 28th Vice Commandants, an U.S. Congressional Fellow, and an Executive Strategic Planner.
Rear Admiral Merchant's academic achievements include a Doctor of Business Administration, Master of Quality Systems Management, Master of Public Administration, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Her commitment to academic excellence is further exemplified by her fellowships at both Harvard Kennedy School of Government's Belfer Center and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Seminar XXI National Security and Foreign Affairs.
Rear Admiral Merchant's accolades include two Legion of Merit, multiple Meritorious Service Medals, Coast Guard Commendation and Achievement Medals, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medals, Commandant's Letters of Commendation, and prestigious civic honors including two honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees. She is also the Coast Guard’s 2018 Captain David H. Jarvis Inspirational Leadership Award winner and an Honorary Chief. Rear Admiral Merchant's legacy extends beyond operational prowess with her dedication to philanthropy, volunteerism, and mentorship of future leaders, solidifying her inspirational role within the military landscape and leaving an enduring impact on the Coast Guard and the Nation.