CAPTAIN Thomas H. Farris
Commander, Sector San Diego
USCG Captain of the Port, San Diego
Capt. Thomas H. Farris is the son of the late Thomas H. Farris Sr. of Virginia and the late Sally Farris Genova of Ohio.
He served as the Group Operations Officer at the Coast Guard’s largest Group/Air Station in Port Angeles, Wash. responsible for the multi-mission response, readiness and training of more than 400 personnel operating 24 aviation and surface assets from the Canadian Border to the Washington – Oregon stateline. He most recently served as the Coast Guard’s Chief of Aviation Safety. In that capacity he was not only responsible for his the Coast Guard Aviation Safety program but was one of only three senior aviators exercising program level oversight over the design, development, implementation and delivery of all Coast Guard aviation programs. Farris is currently the Coast Guard Captain of the Port of San Diego and is designated as the Federal Maritime Security Coordinator, Federal On Scene Coordinator for spill response and the operational commander at Sector San Diego.
An accomplished aviator, Farris won the U.S. Army's European Helicopter Championship in 1983. He has 18 shipboard deployments to his credit and extensive airborne law enforcement experience in the North Atlantic and Caribbean theatres. Farris is a 28 year veteran of Army and Coast Guard service with nearly 6800 hours of flight time in six different aircraft. As the Facility Engineer at Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn, Farris directly supervised the official closing of that 60+ acre historic air station, overseeing the complete redistribution, disposal and transfer of millions of dollars of Coast Guard assets. Farris’ diverse experience includes more than seven years of non-aviation specific, large department head experience, including work in Maritime Security planning, Facilities Engineering, Operations Center management and Personnel Administration.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies from Excelsior College and an Associate of Science in Law Enforcement from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio.
During his 28 years of service, Farris has earned a Meritorious Service Medal with gold star, a Coast Guard Commendation Medal with two gold stars, an Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf, a Coast Guard Achievement Medal with gold star, an Army Achievement Medal and a Military Outstanding Volunteer.
Farris has been happily married to the former Catherine Morgan of Cincinnati, for more than 27 years, they have four children.
