The Coast Guard selected Mr. Jason Graham, of Training Center Cape May, as the Liz Blanc Exceptional Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) of the Year.
Ever humble, Mr. Graham credits his great teammates in the Cape May Work Life Office with inspiring his innovation and dedication. “I take their good practices, model it for my world of work, and market it to get the word out. Our PFM (Personal Financial Manager, Ms. Sarah Rohrer) and our supervisor, Mr. Lee Green, are so innovative. I’m motivated to find ways to provide the best customer service I can. I focus on being approachable and try to set the stage so that people can feel comfortable coming to me about anything.”
Beyond the already incredibly demanding duties of any SARC, Mr. Graham far exceeded the standard on many levels:
- He completed the Coast Guard’s Instructor Development Course so he can provide the best quality training to all. In 2024, Mr. Graham trained an astounding 4,460 recruits, 132 recruiters, 25 Company Commanders, and 20 recruiters-in-charge.
- Mr. Graham created a Regional Practice Cape May SAPRR SharePoint page to allow Volunteer Victim Advocates (VVAs) and unit leadership access to toolkits, resources, and other information at their fingertips. He also created a Teams page to instantly communicate with all of his 20 assigned VVAs.
- Reaching outside his demanding area of responsibility, he stood in as SARC for the Coast Guard Academy for over three weeks, and the Ninth District for another two weeks.
- Recognized as a key subject matter expert, Mr. Graham was by-name called upon by the SAPRR Program to support the 2024 Major Cutter Commanding Officer Conference and to help update the SAPRR training curriculum with the newest policy.
Mr. Graham points to his family and farm as his source of peace. “My wife, son, two dogs, two cats, four chickens, one rooster, and four horses give me comfort and allow me to decompress.”
Mr. Graham will be invited to represent the Coast Guard at the 2025 Annual Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office awards ceremony at the Pentagon.
Elizabeth “Liz” Blanc was a Department of Defense (DoD) professional who dedicated her life to supporting victims of sexual assault before passing away after a long battle with cancer. The award was named after Ms. Blanc in 2020 to honor her immeasurable impact on the DoD and military SAPR programs.
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