Cmdr. Roberto Concepcion was the 2024 Blacks in Government Meritorious Service Award recipient today at a ceremony in Tampa Florida at the Tampa Convention Center Exhibit Hall.
Concepcion is being recognized for his considerable and impactful contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within the Coast Guard — ranging from mentorship and guidance at the deck-plate level to routine advice and guidance, to leadership on initiatives and long-term strategies.
“Commander Concepcion’s exemplary leadership, steadfast dedication, and strategic foresight in fostering an inclusive environment, render him an outstanding candidate for this prestigious recognition,” said Capt. David O’Connell, Chief of Prevention.
Concepcion currently serves as Chief of Response at Sector Maryland National Capital Region, responsible for coordination and execution of all search and rescue (SAR) operations across that jurisdiction. This includes marine environmental response, law enforcement, ports waterways and coastal security missions throughout the state of Maryland and throughout the National Capital Region. Notably, Concepcion led recovery efforts after the tragic collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.
Beyond his role as Chief of Response, Concepcion leverages relationships with people across the service built in previous roles and as a volunteer. In these capacities, he works to strengthen diversity and inclusion and to bolster recruiting and retention of underrepresented groups across the entire Coast Guard workforce. Concepcion serves as a member on the Coast Guard’s Affinity Group Council, as well as, on the Board of Directors for the National Naval Officers Association (NNOA) represented by all sea services and where he is the Coast Guard affiliate.
“There’s no way the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion or affinity groups can do it alone as it takes a collective effort from everyone,” said Concepcion. “We are kind of like the
trinity — recruiting brings in people with diverse backgrounds, the affinity groups help to make sure barriers are removed to help them grow and stay in the organization, and the Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion helps to address policy gaps when we identify the blind spots our service may have.”
Concepcion utilized his networks to target and build strategic partnerships with historically black colleges and universities that serve minority populations. This single-handedly boosted recruiting for the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative Program (CSPI). In 2012, Concepcion served as the East Central Regional Leader, Officer Programs Coordinator, and CSPI Program Coordinator at the Recruiting Command in Arlington, Virginia.
Leveraging that knowledge, Concepcion implemented key strategies and offered recommendations that revitalized minority diversity recruiting initiatives throughout the Coast Guard. This resulted in creating more than 50 Minority-Servicing Institution Ambassadors that work to strengthen strategic relationships in underrepresented communities and bolster minority officer recruiting efforts.
Most recently, Concepcion orchestrated a joint service-wide professional development symposium through NNOA, for under-represented minority officers that was attended by the Commandant of the Coast Guard, the Chief of Naval Operations, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps with various other senior executives and leaders, as well as, more than 450 members from across all of the sea services. The event highlighted the importance of every member taking tangible action to reach a common goal of developing our future leaders and creating a more diverse and inclusive Coast Guard.
Concepcion also fosters that common goal as one of the service’s Change Agents, where he serves as a certified diversity coach and uses his skills to offer training sessions at units to foster a more harmonious workplace through knowledge and awareness. Also, he mentors junior to senior enlisted members routinely and has setup more than 18 professional development leadership sessions providing career management and mentorship for more than 6,000 junior officer professionals.
His efforts did not stop at the tactical level but also, he made strategic strides. Concepcion spear-headed significant minority recruiting and retention policy changes and had a significant impact on the Coast Guard’s Discipline and Conduct and Anti-Harassment and Hate Incidents policy through his work within the Affinity Group Council. His efforts resulted in additional accountability measures placed on commanding officers when handling hazing and bullying inquiries. This included new requirements for COs and OICs to notify the next superior in the chain-of-command about the final action on such inquiries, as well as, providing reasons for their findings.
Citing the reward that his work and volunteer efforts have brought, Concepcion is humbled in recognition of this award and stated, “While I’m honored to receive this recognition, there is so much work that still has to be done to change our service culture and I hope this inspires someone to believe that they can affect positive change. In the military we focus a lot on operations and accomplishing the demanding missions we are responsible for, but if the people are our most valuable asset, then we must continue to pour into them and lead them the right way. I’ve seen a lot of good people leave organizations because of bad leaders. We have to show our future leaders that we value them through our actions.”
Outside of the Coast Guard, Concepcion continues to make a difference. He volunteers with local youth programs as a proud member of the Greek fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, one of the nation’s oldest Black Greek Letter Organizations. His main goal is, “Mentoring them to be upstanding young men and better prepare them for college or to reach whatever goals they aspire to achieve in life.”
“He is a model officer who is leaning forward to shape an innovative, inclusive and diverse Coast Guard. His actions and qualities are in keeping with those of the Blacks in Government Military Meritorious Service Award, and as such, he is most highly deserving of this prestigious award,” said O’Connell.
[Civil Rights awards help to maximize the Coast Guard’s overall mission effectiveness through recognition of members’ accomplishments and contributions to Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity. Learn more about the awards and how you can nominate deserving individuals by visiting the Civil Rights website.]
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