Geoffrey (Geoff) Abbott
Fellow

Dr. Geoffrey (Geoff) Abbott

Member Since 1969

Biography

Five decades public service. 30-yr career Coast Guard officer: commanded R&D Center, led the Performance Excellence Program, Commandant’s Innovation Council Chair, 1st Homeland Security Institute CG/DHS Fellow. Excellence in Government (EIG) Senior Fellow, co-coach, Partnership for Public Service Alumni Board member (20 yrs), led leading ‘from the middle’ workshops. Senior faculty Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness (14 yrs) - for development, delivery, and oversight of SEC leadership programs/workshops/classes. SEC’s EIG Fellows program manager-13 yrs. Launched leadership book "Unauthorized Progress – Leading ‘from the Middle’" (2020); often speak about it: #1 Best-Seller (2 eBook categories); #1 New Release (4 categories). Gifted 4,000 eBooks to federal employees: EIG Fellows; recent Air Force, CG and Merchant Marine Academy graduates. Augmenting CG Academy cadet leadership development (2024-present). Doctorate in Business Administration (Improving Organizational Performance), 2 MIT engineering graduate degrees and a B.S. from the Coast Guard Academy. Professional Engineer, served as a national director of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) and a founding Director of MIT's Military Alumni Assn. Military Awds: Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (4), CG Commendation Medal (2). Others: EIG Senior Fellows Community Awd, Platt Authors Awd, SEC's Veterans' Charity Awd, SAME's Academy of Fellows, NAPA Fellow.

History of Employment

Position Division Organization Start End
Leadership Faculty (Instructor/Facilitator) College of Leadership & Team Development Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) Headquarters; Washington, DC 2011 2025
Senior Fellow (Civilian) Multiple Divisions Honeland Security Institute; Arlington, VA 2006 2011
Senior Fellow (Captain) Operations Homeland Security Institute; Arlington, VA 2005 2006
Chief, Quality & Management Effectiveness/Chair Commandant's Innovation Council (Captain) Chief of Staff's Office Coast Guard HQ; Washington, DC 2002 2005
Commanding Officer (Captain) CG Research & Development Center CG R&D Center; Groton, CT 2000 2002
Executive Assistant to the Assistant Commandant for Systems Directorate (2-star Admiral); (Captain) Systems Directorate (G-S) CG Headquarters; Washington, DC 1998 2000
Commanding Officer (Commander) Civil Engineering Unit Providence CG CEUPROV, Providence, RI 1995 1998
Chief, Facilities Engineering (Commander) Facilities Engineering Division CG Training Center Cape May; Cape May, NJ 1991 1995
Chief, Ocean Engineering Section/Planning Officer/Executive Officer (Lieutenant Commander) Civil Engineering Unit CIvil Engineering Unit Cleveland; Cleveland, OH 1986 1991
Ocean Engineer, Solar Power Project Manager ($2M, earned Professional Engineer license in VA; Lieutenant) Ocean Engineering Division CG Headquarters, Washington, DC 1982 1986
Graduate Student (Lieutenant) Program 13A, Ocean/Naval Engineering MIT - Cambridge, MA 1980 1982
Rescue Coordination Center Duty Officer (Lieutenant Junior Grade) Rescue Coordination Center CG Greater Antilles Section; San Juan, Puerto Rico 1978 1980
Deck Watch Officer/1st Lieutenant (Ensign, USCG) Deck Division Coast Guard Cutter DEPENDABLE; Panama CIty, FL 1976 1978
Senior Faculty Ldrship & Org. Eff. SEC HQ 2025 Current

Expertise

Primary Sector

Federal

Primary Functions

Academic Faculty Change Management Human Capital Intergovernmental Military Service Performance Measurement Risk Management
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