Thad Allen Thad William Allen ( born January 16 , 1949 ) is a retired United States Coast Guard admiral who served as the 23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard . Allen is best known for his widely praised performance directing the federal response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast region from September 2005 to January 2006 , and for his 2010 work as National Incident Commander of the Unified Command for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico . Robert J . Papp , Jr . succeeded him as Commandant on May 25 , 2010 , in a change of command ceremony . Allen officially retired from the U . S . Coast Guard on June 30 , 2010 , but for 36 days continued in his role as Deepwater Horizon National Incident Commander . He is a Senior Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton . Early life and education . Allen was born in Tucson , Arizona , the son of retired Coast Guard Chief Damage Controlman Clyde and Mrs . Wilma Allen . His father is a World War II veteran . Allen is a 1967 graduate of Palo Verde High School in Tucson . His family moved frequently during his childhood with his father ' s assignments . He attended the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London , Connecticut , where he was a standout football player , graduating in 1971 . He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from George Washington University and a Master ' s degree in Management ( S . M . ) from the MIT Sloan School of Management as a Sloan Fellow . Career . Operational assignments . In his four decades of service , Allen has held operational command both at sea and ashore , conducting missions to support the maritime safety , security and environmental stewardship interests of the nation . He served aboard USCGC " Androscoggin " ( WHEC - 68 ) , and USCGC " Gallatin " ( WHEC - 721 ) and commanded USCGC " Citrus " ( WLB - 300 ) . He performed dual roles as Commanding Officer of Group Long Island Sound and Captain of the Port , and he commanded Group Atlantic City and LORAN Station Lampang , Thailand from 1974 to 1975 . He also commanded the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami and the Atlantic Area in Portsmouth , Va . Flag officer . Allen ' s first assignment as a flag officer was as Director of Resources at Coast Guard Headquarters then Commander , Seventh Coast Guard District , where he directed all operations in the Southeastern United States and Caribbean . Following that assignment he served as Commander , Atlantic Area and U . S . Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic . In this capacity he oversaw all Coast Guard operations on the U . S . East Coast , Gulf Coast , and Great Lakes in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks . Allen served as the Coast Guard ' s Chief of Staff from May 2002 until May 2006 . As Chief of Staff , Allen was third in the Coast Guard ' s command structure , and was commanding officer of Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington , D . C . Allen is a member of the Coast Guard Academy Board of Trustees . He was also the director of the bureaucratic transition of the Coast Guard from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Homeland Security . Hurricane Katrina . On September 5 , 2005 , while serving as Coast Guard Chief of Staff , Allen was appointed deputy to Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael D . Brown by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff , and placed in charge of Hurricane Katrina search - and - rescue and recovery efforts . Former colleagues interviewed after the announcement praised Allen as well - suited to the task . On September 9 , 2005 , Allen was given full command of the Bush administration ' s Hurricane Katrina onsite relief efforts . Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff elevated Allen following the removal of Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael D . Brown from that position . Allen announced on January 25 that he would be relieved of this responsibility on January 27 , 2006 . Commandant . Allen assumed the duties of the 23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard on May 25 , 2006 . He was appointed to a four - year term by President George W . Bush and confirmed by the Senate . Admiral Robert J . Papp , Jr . succeeded him as Commandant on May 25 , 2010 , in a change of command ceremony . Deepwater Horizon oil spill . On April 30 , 2010 , Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that Allen would serve as the National Incident Commander for the federal government ' s response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico . Even after his end of service as Commandant on May 25 , 2010 , Allen continued to serve as National Incident Commander , first as an Admiral on active duty , and then later as a DHS official . Retirement . On June 30 , 2010 , Admiral Thad Allen officially retired from the U . S . Coast Guard . His official portrait , painted by artist Michele Rushworth was unveiled at that time at Fort Lesley J . McNair . He continued to serve as the Deepwater Horizon National Incident Commander until October 1 , when that position was disestablished . Later that month , Allen joined the RAND Corporation as a senior fellow . On November 28 , 2011 , Booz Allen Hamilton named Thad Allen a Senior Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton . Allen joined the firm ’ s Justice and Homeland Security business and will lead development of thought leadership and client engagement regarding the direction of law enforcement and Homeland Security . Personal life . Allen resides in Chevy Chase , Maryland , with his wife Pamela A . Hess , whom he married in October 1975 . They have three children and two grandchildren . He was elected a National Academy of Public Administration ( United States ) Fellow in 2003 . Awards and decorations . Allen ' s civilian awards include the 2006 Strategic Vision Award by the Global Strategy Institute ( GSI ) of the Center for Strategic and International Studies ( CSIS ) . In 2009 , he was awarded the Admiral Of The Ocean Sea Award ( AOTOS ) from the United Seaman ' s Service and the 2009 Business Achievement Award given by Beta Gamma Sigma , the academic honor society affiliated with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business . He was nominated for this award by the United States Coast Guard Academy . Allen , in May 2013 , also received a Ph . D . in public service honoris causa from the George Washington University .