Zeita Merchant

Merchant graduated from Tougaloo College with a bachelor of science degree in biology. She also earned a master of public administration degree from George Washington University. ==Career==

Merchant joined the Coast Guard in 1997 and stated the following about the organization's gender and race bias at the time: "Everywhere I served I saw other women but they were juniors, there were no senior African American women in the Coast Guard at that point in time. So I really couldn't see what I wanted to be". In 2016, Merchant took command of Marine Safety Unit Chicago, becoming the first African-American woman to command a Prevention/Marine Safety Unit/Office in the Coast Guard. Merchant is currently Commanding Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard Personnel Service Center. In 2024 she became the first female African-American to be appointed rear admiral lower half in Coast Guard history. ==Awards==

In 2018, Merchant was awarded the Captain David H. Jarvis Inspirational Leadership Award, making her the first African-American woman to be given this award. ==Role model==

One of Merchant's role models and mentors was Dr Olivia Hooker, who was the first African American woman to join the U.S. Coast Guard. Dr. Hooker joined the Coast Guard during World War II and the galley on the Coast Guard's Staten Island, New York base is named after her. == References ==