Melissa Bert

Melissa Bert last served as the Judge Advocate General and Chief Counsel of the United States Coast Guard. Rear Admiral (Upper Half) (RADM) Bert is the first woman to serve in this position. Prior flag assignments held by RADM Bert include the U.S. Coast Guard’s Director of Governmental and Public Affairs and Deputy Director of Operations for U.S. Northern Command.

Personal life RADM Bert was born in New York, NY. Her father, Ellis Bert, was a career Civil Rights Attorney, and her mother Allyne Bert (née Sackley), an elementary school teacher. Her sister, Alison Bert, trained as a classical guitarist, and later worked as a journalist and photographer. RADM Bert and her husband met in Miami, FL and they have one child.

Education RADM Bert earned a Juris Doctor from George Washington Law School and her Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. protecting one of the nation's most valuable ports.

RADM Bert further served as the Chief of Staff for the Seventh Coast Guard District, the Coast Guard's largest regional command. There she was responsible for oversight of Coast Guard budget, people, and operations in the Southeastern United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas.

Following her promotion to flag-rank in 2016, RADM Bert served as the Deputy Director of Operations for the U.S. Northern Command, overseeing homeland defense and defense support for civil authorities for North America, as well as theater security cooperation with Mexico and The Bahamas.

From June 2018 to April 2020, RADM Bert served as the Director of Governmental and Public Affairs at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where she synchronized the service's external engagement with Congress, the media, and strategic partners and stakeholders. In this role, she provided strategic, executive-level advisement for a high-profile communications outreach and public relations program for the Coast Guard.

From April 2020 to April 2023, RADM Bert assumed the role of Judge Advocate General and Chief Counsel of the Coast Guard. She led over 500 attorneys and legal professionals providing counsel on all Coast Guard missions and people, as well as Congressional, Inter-Agency and Maritime Industry.engagement.

Admiral Bert served as the head of government and public affairs for the Coast Guard from 2018 to 2020 and as the Judge Advocate General of the Coast Guard from 2020 to 2023. During this period, the Coast Guard allegedly covered up investigations into sexual assaults that occurred at the Coast Guard Academy, a controversy known as "Fouled Anchor." These allegations came to light shortly after Admiral Bert's retirement. According to CNN, Admiral Bert acknowledged that the agency could have been more transparent, but was concerned with the privacy of victims, who were to personally receive both their own investigation results, as well as the findings of the limited scope investigation. She also cited "constant turnover" within the organization as a contributing factor. She remarked, "At some point, it was not the top thing on somebody’s mind. There is so much going on in the Coast Guard." This was at the start of the COVID epidemic.

According to a 2024 Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Report,

Other professional endeavors RADM Bert has taught as an adjunct professor at George Washington University, Florida International University, and the University of Miami School of Law.

She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Proctor in Admiralty in the U.S. Maritime Law Association. In her Washington, DC community, she provided pro bono legal services to the District of Columbia Superior Court Family Law Clinic.

Publications RADM Bert has published the following articles: