Kevin M. Tokarski

Kevin Tokarski graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Transportation and Business Management and holds a Master of Arts degree in General Administration (Financial Management) from the University of Maryland (1990). He graduated from the Naval War College, College of Naval Warfare, Newport, RI, in 1993 with a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies.

Mr. Tokarski sailed as a deck officer in the U.S.-flag merchant marine and maintains his U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Marine Deck Officer license. In 1985 he joined the Maritime Administration Office of Ship Operations and served the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) program as a Marine Operations Analyst and Marine Transportation Specialist until 1990 when he was promoted to Supervisory Emergency Planning & Operations Analyst. He was selected by the Maritime Administrator to be the Liaison Officer to the United States Transportation Command, serving for 25 months between 1996 and 1998 during the principal implementation of the Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement. Following this assignment he returned to the Maritime Administration Headquarters and served as Special Assistant for the Director, Office of Ship Operations. From 2000 to 2002 he was on a cross-training detail to the Maritime Administration’s Western Region Office in San Francisco and served as the Project Manager for the RRF Information Technology Modernization Project. In 2002 he was promoted to the Operations Division Chief for the Office of Ship Operations overseeing all Ready Reserve Force operational, safety, security,environmental protection and funding activities. Notable is operational management during the highest operational tempo for the RRF program in 30 years, with over 16,000 ship operating days since October 2002, in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, Preposition Fleet, and Hurricanes KATRINA/RITA response support for FEMA.

During his 20 plus years at the Maritime Administration, Mr. Tokarski has had a variety of assignments spanning different aspects of ship operations, from mobilization and sealift, to readiness and security, and marine transportation and domestic emergency response. He has risen through the ranks and currently serves in the Senior Executive Service as the Associate Administrator for National Security, where he is responsible for several programs to include: Maritime Security Program, Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement, National Shipping Authority, Ready Reserve Force, National Defense Reserve Fleet sites, and Ship Disposal.