Women's History Month: Master Chief Petty Officer Angela McShan

Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Tori Barrett | Official photo of Senior Chief Petty Officer Angela McShan while serving at the Chief Petty Officer’s Academy in Petaluma, California. McShan later became the first African American woman to be advanced to master chief petty officer in the Coast Guard (photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard)  

HONOLULU, HI, UNITED STATES

03.27.2021

Courtesy Story

U.S. Coast Guard District 14 Hawaii Pacific

In honor of women’s history month, the Coast Guard 14th District’s Women's Leadership Initiative chapter members took the time to write a number of profiles on pioneers who have led the way for women in the Coast Guard.

Today we hear about Master Chief Petty Officer Angela McShan, the first African American woman to be advanced to master chief petty officer in the U.S. Coast Guard by Petty Officer 1st Class Ashley Gray from Coast Guard Sector Honolulu.

Master Chief Petty Officer Angela McShan joined the Coast Guard in 1979 and was a pioneer for women and African Americans.

She was the first African American woman to be advanced to master chief petty officer, and she had been slated to become the chief of Yeoman “A” school prior to her death.

A native of Alabama, she has been described as a positive, kind, and a motivational person. McShan was a stellar performer, mentor, teacher, and inspirational leader. In her last position as an instructor at the Chief Petty Officer Academy in New London, CT, she inspired many students to change their lives for the better through the courses she taught

She served over two decades with great devotion, and is remembered as an exemplary leader and professional.

She served as a storekeeper before transitioning over to Yeoman, a Civil Rights Counselor, and an (A) School Instructor, and ended her career as the Senior Instructor on the Chief Petty Officers Academy staff in New London, CT.

In her full but shortened life, she not only touched and inspired the many she trained, but she left a positive and lasting impression on everyone who knew her.

MCPO McShan passed away in December 2000. In her memory, the Commandant established a new leadership award specifically for chief petty officers, the Master Chief Angela M. McShan Inspirational Leadership Award.

In 2014 the Coast Guard announced that the 35th cutter would be named the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Angela McShan.

• Date Taken: 03.27.2021
• Date Posted: 03.28.2021 00:36
• Story ID: 392436
• Location: HONOLULU, HI, US