After dedicating 42 years to offshore safety, pollution prevention, marine operations, and responsible offshore energy development, John Cushing is retiring from Federal service. During his impressive career with the Coast Guard and the Dept. of the Interior, John earned the respect of energy professionals throughout govt and the offshore industry.
John’s impressive academic achievements include engineering degrees from the Coast Guard Academy and MIT. This training launched the career that followed.
Among other duties during his 24 years as a Coast Guard officer, John worked on cutters, was a marine inspector, served as a structural and stability engineer, managed the Commercial Vessel Safety Program, was Chief of the Vessel & Facility Operating Standards Division, and served as Executive Director of the National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee (NOSAC), the most important ongoing industry-govt forum for addressing offshore safety issues.
Following his military retirement, we were fortunate to recruit John to the OCS regulatory program, which is part of a DOI bureau that, rather remarkably, has had 4 different names (acronyms: MMS, BOEMRE, BSEE, and MMA) during John’s 18-year tenure.
At Interior, John applied his training and experience to provide engineering support for both the offshore oil and gas and wind programs. He rose to Chief of the Inspection Policy Branch, which managed the national inspection program, helicopter contracts, medical standards, and related offshore safety functions.
John has been similarly proactive during his “leisure time.” He is an avid hiker, kayaker, cyclist, ice hockey player, and more! This physical activity is not surprising given that his mother was among the pioneering women runners in the Boston Marathon. At 87, she continues to be enjoy hiking in the Central Massachusetts hills!
It was an honor to have worked with John and gotten to know him better. Congrats on a great career! Keep on rolling!
Enjoy the pictures that follow:
