By Daniel Bissell | Restoration News
He can start by firing Superintendent Joanna Nunan at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) is a lesser-known taxpayer-funded federal service academy in Kings Point, New York.
It doesn’t get the spotlight like other service academies such as the famed Naval Academy or West Point. Yet it produces highly trained commissioned military officers and mariners who are imperative to our nation’s military and commercial shipping industry.
Joanna Nunan was appointed to the sought-after position of Superintendent of USMMA in 2022 by Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg. Her former position as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) chief at the Coast Guard Academy no doubt was a plus for the woke Biden administration.
Nunan brought her DEI policies to USMMA and the esteemed academy has been in decline ever since.
This writer spoke with alumni of USMMA who shared concerns about Nunan’s leadership. What they said was disturbing.
Missionary of Woke
Shortly after arriving at the Academy, Nunan covered a historic painting with shower curtains because some outsiders—not students—were offended by a portrait of Jesus.
The “Christ on the Water” painting was created by an alumnus after World War II and depicted Christ watching over distressed mariners at sea. It hung on the wall of the former chapel, that is now used as an administrative building, for nearly 80 years.
Christ on the Water painting covered with shower curtains
Nunan removed and relocated the painting to the basement of the new chapel next to the bathrooms where a humid environment may ultimately destroy it, as the basement is known to flood.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) sent a letter to Nunan demanding answers to why she took these actions, but it doesn’t appear she ever responded.
Christ on the Water now in the basement next to the bathroom
Despite the Defense Department rescinding the COVID vaccine mandate on Jan. 10, 2023, Nunan kept the mandate in place at USMMA until March 10, 2023. The application deadline for the 2023–24 school year was March 1, 2023, so her extension of the mandate required all those applicants to be vaccinated.
Nunan appointed Anton Tripolskii as the sexual assault response director of USMMA at a salary of $143,000 per year. This prompted another letter to Nunan in May 2023, this time from Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), due to Tripolskii’s bigoted social media rants.
Tripolskii exclaimed, “We don’t have forces who do right by survivors of intimate partner and sexual violence because we don’t have forces who don’t abuse Brown and Black people. Same forces, same reasons. Misogyny and racism grow from the same white, male root.”
Tripolskii also sent an email to all midshipmen about an event sponsored by the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office that would “support LGBTQ+ community members” because they are “marginalized in our society, making it more difficult to report and seek assistance for sexual violence.”
In 2020, Tripolskii posted a picture on Twitter depicting a church being closed and blocked by the police. His caption was, “This is my heaven.” He also retweeted a post that read “let that be a lesson to anyone who dares to challenge the great Satan” and advocated for defunding the police.
Tripolskii still remains in his highly paid position at USMMA overseeing the sexual assault prevention program—certainly not someone who can be trusted by straight, white males.
In Oct. 2023, Rep. Banks sent another letter to Nunan, this time demanding answers regarding her policy that allows midshipmen to receive a military service exemption if they pursue gender transition.
Reportedly Nunan asked a midshipman to conduct a poll regarding the term “midshipmen” because some in leadership felt the term was a “threat to diversity and inclusion.” A suggested alternative was “midship-people.”
The polling results indicated 100 percent of the midshipmen were in favor of not changing the longstanding means of addressing the students.
In 2021, former Coast Guard cadet Josh Roh sued Nunan and others claiming retaliation and anti-male bias after filing a sexual assault report. He was disciplined and not permitted to commission just 8 days before graduation. Roh also claimed he didn’t receive adequate treatment or support after a traumatic sexual assault that took place on campus.
Court documents detail the horrific assault and that Roh submitted 124 pages of exhibits to Nunan seeking a reversal of the discipline. Just one day later Nunan denied his appeal without reason. In 2023, the case was settled and Roh was given his degree and permitted to commission.
Nunan was never disciplined; instead she was promoted to Superintendent of USMMA.
Woke Leadership is a National Security Threat
Our nation depends on highly trained licensed merchant marine officers to operate America’s merchant fleet that benefits both commercial and military transportation needs. USMMA is one of the most rigorous colleges in the nation. Each graduate will earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Transportation, Logistics and Security, or Engineering.
They will also obtain a U.S. Coast Guard license and an officer’s commission in the U.S. military. In addition to these achievements during their 4 years at the school, they spend 9 months at sea mastering their trade through hands-on learning.
This esteemed academy is in jeopardy.
The number of applicants to the school dramatically decreased by 22 percent in just the last two years.
“Diversity representation” has increased but average standardized test scores among those accepted have decreased significantly on Nunan’s watch.
Students who are attracted to military academies are not seeking diversity, they are seeking skills to succeed or to serve their country.
Nunan’s focus on DEI rather than the crumbling infrastructure of the school is even endangering midshipmen’s health.
Students told me that barracks are routinely without hot water and on Oct. 29, 2024, it was reported that in at least one of the campus buildings, the water tested positive for harmful legionella bacteria, which causes legionnaire’s disease.
A 2024 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report detailed poor campus conditions, a lack of leadership in managing facilities and infrastructure, and no strategic plans to determine costs of facility needs. It was a scathing report that highlighted a lack of leadership at the school.
The solution the academy offered to solve the infrastructure problems? Hire a consultant to bring stakeholders together to discuss the issues—that will solve nothing.
USMMA already has a highly paid leader, Admiral Joanna Nunan, who should be the one bringing together stakeholders to solve the problems. Her job is to “govern all aspects of Academy operation.”
Nunan has failed and must be replaced—not hire a consultant to do her job.
She puts her woke agenda above the safety and security of the midshipmen and repels future students from applying.
Her lack of strong leadership is putting the nation at risk, and she must be replaced expeditiously.
First published on Restoration News
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