{"id":185424,"date":"2026-02-10T13:34:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T13:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nauticalcharts.noaa.gov\/updates\/?p=185424"},"modified":"2026-02-10T13:34:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T13:34:08","slug":"coast-survey-2026-change-of-command-van-westendorp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nauticalcharts.noaa.gov\/updates\/coast-survey-2026-change-of-command-van-westendorp\/","title":{"rendered":"Coast Survey Change of Command: Welcoming Rear Admiral (lower half) van Westendorp, the 32nd Director of Coast Survey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

\u201cSince 1807, Coast Survey has been keeping mariners safe and maritime commerce flowing. It\u2019s an honor to be a small part of its history.\u201d – Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., NOAA Administrator and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This January, NOAA staff, partners, and friends gathered to witness the change of command and assumption of the 32nd Director<\/a> of the Office of Coast Survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOAA Corps<\/a> Rear Admiral (lower half) Chris van Westendorp accepted command of the Office of Coast Survey, relieving Rear Admiral (lower half) Benjamin K. Evans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"A
The moment Rear Adm. van Westendorp assumed command of Coast Survey. From left to right: Rear Adm. Ben Evans, Assistant Administrator for the National Ocean Service Nicole LeBoeuf, NOAA Administrator and Commerce Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., Rear Adm. Chris van Westendorp, and Director of the NOAA Corps and Assistant Administrator for Marine and Aviation Operations Rear Adm. Chad Cary. (Damian Manda\/NOAA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., NOAA Administrator and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, opened the ceremony describing not only the American economy\u2019s dependence on the work of Coast Survey\u2013noting our nautical charts, precision marine navigation products and services, and coordinating with key partners all ensure that the trillions of dollars worth of goods move through our ports every year\u2013but his personal use of the charts as a redfish flats fisherman in Charleston. An extra inch in draft could be worth $3 million to a container ship<\/a>, and is also worth the price of being grounded in a skiff!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the welcome, Director of the NOAA Corps and Assistant Administrator for Marine and Aviation Operations Rear Admiral Chad Cary<\/a> promoted Captain Chris van Westendorp to Rear Admiral (lower half). The Office of Coast Survey has one of only four flag officer positions in the NOAA Corps, with the rank of a one-star Admiral requiring Presidential approval<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"On<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Left: Rear Adm. van Westendorp dons his Admiral\u2019s jacket during the reading of his promotion orders, assisted by his wife, Gina Babbitt, and friend, Cmdr. Aaron Kline (U.S. Navy Reserve, retired). Right: Rear Adm. Cary and Rear Adm. van Westendorp shake hands after reciting the oath of office. (Damian Manda\/NOAA)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the promotion, Assistant Administrator of the National Ocean Service Nicole LeBoeuf<\/a> began the change of command portion of the ceremony by reflecting on Rear Adm. Evans\u2019s tenure. Under his leadership, Coast Survey mounted<\/a> several<\/a> successful<\/a> emergency responses to reopen ports quickly and safety after disasters; completed<\/a> a transition to electronic navigational charts; supported the late Rear Admiral (lower half) Rick Brennan\u2019s legacy through the Brennan Ocean Mapping Fund<\/a>; ushered in the transition to the National Bathymetric Source<\/a> and new S-100 framework; and launched the Center of Excellence for Oceans and Great Lakes Mapping<\/a> public-private partnership, among many<\/a> other<\/a> accomplishments. As the National Hydrographer for U.S. waters, Rear Adm. Evans led U.S. delegations to the International Hydrographic Organization, as well as the development of its strategic plan that will guide its work for the next six years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For his exemplary service and these accomplishments, Ms. LeBoeuf and Dr. Jacobs presented Rear Adm. Evans the NOAA Corps Meritorious Service Award, the highest honorary award of the NOAA Commissioned Corps uniformed service.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Assistant Administrator for the National Ocean Service Nicole LeBoeuf, center, and NOAA Administrator and Commerce Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere Dr. Neil Jacobs, right, present Rear Adm. Ben Evans, left, with the Meritorious Service Award (Damian Manda\/NOAA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After a reflection on his own career, Rear Adm. Ben Evans welcomed Rear Adm. van Westendorp to the role, stating:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cCoast Survey and its workforce have led incredible accomplishments over their 218-year history, and the last four years have been no exception. But the work is not done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even today, in 2026, almost half of U.S. waters\u2013an area about the size of the U.S. east of the Mississippi\u2013are not mapped to modern standards. And, we face the tremendous challenge of transforming our product suite from traditional electronic charts to the next generation international standard that will unlock even greater safety and efficiency on our waterways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These may sound like technical problems. But I believe that we have the tools, technology, and expertise to solve them. The essential ingredient for success will be a continued focus on our people. Which is exactly why I am excited for Admiral van Westendorp to take on this challenge, with his people-centered leadership, character, and experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rear Adm. van Westendorp came to the NOAA Corps following his service with the U.S. Navy aboard nuclear submarines. At sea, onboard NOAA ships Thomas Jefferson <\/em>and Ferdinand R. Hassler<\/em>, he deployed uncrewed systems and led hurricane response efforts<\/a>. Back at headquarters, Rear Adm. van Westendorp served in Coast Survey as the Navigation Services Division Chief; within NOAA\u2019s Office of the Chief Financial Officer; as the Executive Director to the Deputy Under Secretary for Operations; and, in his post just prior to this appointment, as director of the Commissioned Personnel Center. He has devoted his career to championing the nation’s premier mariners, scientists, scientific operators and human resource experts, while promoting inter-agency and international advances in hydrography, oceanography and atmospheric sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this appointment also comes the responsibility of serving as a member designee of the Mississippi River Commission<\/a>. Several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel who support the Commission took a moment to swear in Rear Adm. van Westendorp into his new role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Close-up
Drew Smith, center, places a Mississippi River Commission pin on Rear Adm. Chris van Westendorp, while Lt. Col. Garrett Dean, left, looks on after administering the oath to become a Mississippi River Commission member. (Damian Manda\/NOAA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf, Rear Adm. Chad Cary, and Rear Adm. Ben Evans each touched on Rear Adm. van Westendorp\u2019s longstanding reputation as someone who could tackle any technical and administrative challenge by connecting with and empowering his team\u2013focusing most on developing the people around him to go further together than alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his own words, Rear Adm. van Westendorp stated,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am eager to accelerate automation, see advances in hydrography and cartography, while embracing Coast Survey\u2019s history. Alongside our founding mandate to acquire and disseminate hydrographic data, our focus on modeling is complex and exciting, and with our Ocean Service and NOAA partnerships, we have the right minds to ensure success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I expect Coast Survey to be the provider of choice for geospatial marine data and services, and a respected global leader in hydrographic services and technology. We will prioritize our people, developing and retaining the best, who will ensure we remain at the forefront of innovation and deliver critical products and services that meet or exceed the needs of our vast maritime transportation system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then, \u201cLet\u2019s get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This January, NOAA staff, partners, and friends gathered to witness the change of command and assumption of the 32nd Director of the Office of Coast Survey. NOAA Corps Rear Admiral (lower half) Chris van Westendorp accepted command of the Office of Coast Survey, relieving Rear Admiral (lower half) Benjamin K. Evans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":185433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership","category-noaa-corps"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nauticalcharts.noaa.gov\/updates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nauticalcharts.noaa.gov\/updates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nauticalcharts.noaa.gov\/updates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nauticalcharts.noaa.gov\/updates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nauticalcharts.noaa.gov\/updates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185424"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/nauticalcharts.noaa.gov\/updates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185442,"href":"https:\/\/nauticalcharts.noaa.gov\/updates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185424\/revisions\/185442"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nauticalcharts.noaa.gov\/updates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/185433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nauticalcharts.noaa.gov\/updates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nauticalcharts.noaa.gov\/updates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nauticalcharts.noaa.gov\/updates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}