Staff Members, Biographies and Direct Contact Information

Biography update pending...

Lieutenant Commander Hayley Feindel is the National Technical Advisor at the Outer Continental Shelf National Center of Expertise (OCSNCOE). She has years of operational experience conducting inspections, and overseeing investigations, on Offshore Supply Vessels (OSV), Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU), Floating Offshore Facilities (FOF) and fixed platforms. This is Hayley’s fifth consecutive tour of duty in CG District 8.

A native of River Ridge, Louisiana, LCDR Feindel knew she wanted to serve in the Coast Guard after watching their heroism during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 2012, earning a degree in Public Policy. Her first assignment was Deck Watch Officer aboard the USCGC MUNRO, a 378’ cutter homeported out of Kodiak, AK. During this tour she conducted numerous search and rescue missions and fisheries/counterdrug boardings.

In 2014, she began her Marine Safety career at Marine Safety Unit (MSU) Morgan City where she inspected barges, passenger vessels/crew boats, OSVs and foreign flagged tankships for regulatory safety compliance and new construction oversight. Following this tour, she transferred to Sector New Orleans to serve as a Journeyman Marine Inspector, conducting offshore inspections of MODUs, FOFs, and fixed platforms to ensure the safety of workers, assets, and the environment while supporting national commerce and domestic energy reliance.

LCDR Feindel returned to Morgan City in 2020 and served as the Vessel Traffic Service Director of Berwick Bay and Waterways Management Officer and fleeted up Prevention Department Head where she led teams of domestic/foreign vessel/facility inspectors, marine investigators, waterways management professionals and pollution responders across 1.4 thousand square miles of the Marine Transportation System. LCDR Feindel arrived to the OCSNCOE in the summer of 2024. Outside of work, Hayley is studying to complete her graduate degree in Occupational Health and Safety with which she hopes to advance safety measures and improve working environments in shipyards, underway, and offshore.

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During July of 2015, Gene Sykes hired on with the Outer Continental Shelf National Center of Expertise as a Civilian Marine Inspector. He retired as a CWO3 (Marine Safety Specialist Engineering) with nearly 23 years of USCG Active-Duty service. Mr. Sykes has been involved with Offshore Supply Vessel (OSV) inspections since 2010 and Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) inspections since 2009.

Prior Marine Safety assignments include Marine Safety Unit Morgan City Civilian Supervisor 2014-2015, Sector New Orleans 2008-2014 (OCS Branch Manager, OSV New Construction, OSV Overseas Inspector and Domestic Vessel Inspections) and Sector San Juan, PR 2006-2008 (Port State Control Examiner and Foreign Freight Vessel Examiner).

Operational tours as a Machinery Technician prior to entering the Marine Safety Program include Marine Safety Unit Pittsburgh, PA, Aids to Navigation Team Venice, LA, Aids to Navigation Team New Orleans, LA, TRACEN Yorktown, VA, CGC VIGOROUS and CGC ALERT.

Areas of expertise are Floating OCS Facilities, Mobile Offshore Drilling Units, Fixed OCS Facilities (Platforms) and Offshore Supply Vessels.

Mr. Sykes serves as the point of contact for drilling and production Mutual Training Agreements (MTAs) between the Coast Guard and participating companies. He is also currently serving as new construction project manager and OCS correspondence manager for Heartland District OCS Division.

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