Capt. Avanni (left), Capt. Kirksey (right), and Rear Adm. Michael Day (middle) pose for a picture during a change of command ceremony at Coast Guard Base Honolulu, June 21, 2022. Avanni departs to continue his Coast Guard Career as the deputy commander of Coast Guard District 8.

Coast Guard Sector Honolulu held a change of command ceremony at Coast Guard Base Honolulu bidding farewell to Capt. Arex Avanni and welcoming New Iberia native Capt. Aja Kirksey earlier this week.

The ceremony was presided over by Rear Adm. Michael Day, commander, U.S. Coast Guard Fourteenth District.

Kirksey, was Chief of the Enlisted Advancement, Panels, and Separations Branch of the Personnel Service Center responsible for enlisted boards and panels, advancements, and personnel separation actions. Her operational assignments include serving as the enforcement division chief for Sector San Diego, where she oversaw all Coast Guard law enforcement operations for the greater San Diego area.

Kirksey served at Sector Hampton Roads as the command center supervisor, responsible for a crew executing more than 1,000 cases per year to include search and rescue, law enforcement and environmental protection missions in Virginia and coastal Maryland.

She also served on the Contingency Planning staff and acted as the assistant chief of the Incident Management Division at Sector San Francisco.

During this tour, she also served as deputy operations section chief for the motor vessel Cosco Busan pollution response. In this capacity, she managed more than 1,500 response personnel and 40 surface assets during one of the most effective open water oil spill clean-up operations in Coast Guard history.

Kirkey’s education includes a master’s degree in Quality Systems Management from the National Graduate School at New England Institute of Business and she is a 2001 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy where she earned a bachelor of science in Marine Environmental Sciences.

Coast Guard Sector Honolulu serves a broad expanse of the Pacific that includes 200 nautical miles surrounding the State of Hawaii, the islands and atolls of the Hawaiian Island Chain, American Samoa, Wake Island, Midway Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, Jarvis Island, Baker Island, and Howland Island.

Sector Honolulu is responsible for conducting various Coast Guard missions in their area of operation including search and rescue, coastal security, waterway management, aids to navigation, marine safety, law enforcement, defense readiness, marine environmental protection and drug interdiction.