Commander Chanel L. Lee has spent much of her life breaking barriers and reaching new heights in her decorated career at the United States Coast Guard.

Lee added to her impressive military resume on Tuesday when she was installed as the first African American woman to serve as the commanding officer at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Traverse City. She will lead the 130-member strong Coast Guard station for the next two years, replacing retiring Commander Ryan D. Hawn.

“A lot of my friends have been stationed here in Traverse City over the years, and they say so many great things about the community,” Lee says. “It’s one of the most-coveted stations in the country."

“When I had the opportunity to apply for here, I jumped at it.”

The Change of Command Ceremony drew more than 300 attendees in a standing-room only crowd inside a steamy Vice Admiral John P. Currier Hanger building at the station. The crowd watched a unique change of command that took place in the air on board a MH-60T and MH-65E helicopter that flew over the station, before Lee and Hawn – both decorated pilots - landed and walked in together to continue the ceremony.

In her brief remarks, Lee (pictured above) thanked her family and friends for their support and guidance. Family members in attendance included her wife, also named Chanel, along with her parents and mother-in-law, along with other family, friends and Coast Guard colleagues from around the country.

“To Air Station Traverse City, to this great Coast Guard city, to the Great Lakes, to the Coast Guard and our nation, we’re all family now – I’ve got your back, and I know you’ve got mine,” Lee told the overflow crowd. “Together we’ll continue to uphold the Coast Guard’s proud tradition of mission excellence, while taking care of one another.”

“To Air Station Traverse City, thank you – I am deeply honored to serve as your commanding officer, and I’m looking forward to this opportunity of a lifetime.”

She arrived in Traverse City two weeks ago, and says she’s been “overwhelmed” by her reception in the community.

“It’s more than I could ever imagine,” she says. “I can see why when the Coasties come here, everyone wants to stay.”

Lee is a native of Richmond, VA., and enrolled in the United States Coast Guard in 2003 after graduating from high school. She earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the prestigious Coast Guard Academy. She was the first African American woman assigned to the U.S. Naval Flight School; in Florida straight from the Academy, and the first to fly an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter. She’s flown counter-drug missions in the Caribbean and directed rescue efforts in response to mudslides and wildfires in California.

Lee also enrolled in a post-graduate program at the Georgia Institute of Technology from 2020-22, earning a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering with a focus on structural mechanics and materials.

Prior to her taking over command in Traverse City, Lee served at the Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, N.C. There she held several key leadership roles including Engineering Officer, Engineering Services Division Chief and Lead Technical Airworthiness Assurance Officer, where she was the lead authority for engineering integrity and technical airworthiness across all Coast Guard Aircraft. 

Lee’s military and professional honors include the Meritorious Service Medal, a Commendation Medal, two Achievement Medals and the 2024 William J. Kossler Aeronautical Engineer of Year Award. She’s also been honored with the Women of Color Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Award for her leadership and contributions to the STEM community.

Rear Admiral Russell E. “Rusty” Dash, the U.S. Coast Guard’s Great Lakes District Commander, thanked the community for its strong support of Coast Guard operations over history of the Traverse City Air Station, which was formally commissioned on Nov. 15, 1945.

“Every day we come to work, we save lives, we enforce our laws, we ensure the flow of the maritime transportation system, we protect the environment, and we protect our nation,” Dash told the audience. 

Dash also described Lee as an “exceptional officer, that is up to this challenge.”

“Give this job all your talent, leadership, expertise and experience,” he told Lee. “We demand nothing less than your full commitment to your crew, your unit and your mission. I know that you will do just that.”

The event was also a retirement ceremony for Hawn, who took over the Traverse City Air Station in July 2024. 

“You have a reputation for both being a big thinker, and one of the genuinely nicest people in the Coast Guard,” Dash says. “Seeing opportunities for change is one thing, successfully implementing them is another. You did both.”

Hawn plans to remain in Traverse City with his wife, Christiana, and three daughters and will work as a commercial pilot.