Coast Guard Innovation Lead

**Captain Maria Santos, USCG** is the Director of the Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) in New London, Connecticut. She holds a BS in Marine Engineering from the Coast Guard Academy and an MS in Systems Engineering from MIT. With 20 years of service, she has served as a marine inspector, cutter engineer, and port security officer before leading the RDC. Her operational experience spans search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, port security, and environmental response (including the Deepwater Horizon response).