California State University (CSU) Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester has appointed retired Navy Reserve Vice Admiral Michael J. Dumont to serve as interim president of California State University Maritime Academy.
Dumont is expected to begin in his position on July 7, and would serve in that capacity until a new president is appointed by the CSU Board of Trustees.
He most recently served as deputy commander, U.S. Northern Command and vice commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) where, under the direction of the president of the United States and the secretary of defense, he was responsible for overseeing the protection of North America, providing homeland defense, maintaining cooperative security relationships, and supporting state, local and tribal authorities.
When not serving in uniform, he held senior policymaking roles in several agencies of the federal government including as a principal deputy assistant secretary of defense. Earlier in his career he was a litigation attorney with a private law firm representing businesses, municipal governments, and institutions of higher education.
Since leaving government service, Dumont has been employed as a strategy consultant to business, industry, and higher education.
“Vice Admiral Dumont possesses an extraordinary breadth and depth of specialized knowledge and skills that align with the unique needs of the California State University Maritime Academy,” Koester said in a statement.
Dumont’s teaching experience includes having served as a military instructor pilot, and as a legal instructor for the National Advocacy Center, the National College of District Attorneys, and the Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ Services Council.
Cal Maritime, which was established in 1929 under the name the California Nautical School, is a public university located in the Northern California city of Vallejo. It is part of the California State University system and is the only maritime academy on the U.S. West Coast.
