Capt. James Kipling “Kip” Louttit has been named as the new
Executive Director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California.
Capt. Jim Morgan, President of the Marine Exchange Board of
Directors, announced the selection in late January after a recruitment process
that attracted candidates from across the United States.
“We were fortunate to have several highly qualified
candidates apply, which made it difficult to make our selection,” Morgan said.
“We’re pleased with our choice, and Capt. Louttit tells me he’s eager to get
started.”
Louttit, who retired from the US Coast Guard after 30 years
of service, replaces Capt. Dick McKenna, who announced his retirement in the fall 2012.
Louttit’s experience includes 10 years at sea, including six
years in command of three different Coast Guard cutters, and two years as
commanding officer of USCG Integrated Support Command in San Pedro, California.
When the Department of Homeland Security was established, he served as the
first Acting Director of Budget for the new agency.
After retirement from the Coast Guard, Louttit provided
consultancy services to the Coast Guard and Department of Defense. He’ll
relocate to the San Pedro area from his present home in Chevy Chase, MD. At the
Marine Exchange, he’ll lead a staff of 20 civilians and a US Coast Guard
contingent of nine, with an annual budget of $2.4 million. The Marine Exchange
of Southern California, a non-profit organization first established in 1923, is
unique among the nation’s vessel traffic services in having a public/private
partnership with the USCG.
Capt. McKenna’s retirement is effective March 31. McKenna,
who is in his seventies, joined the Marine Exchange as deputy executive
director in 1993 and has been executive director since 2008.
In addition to providing critical maritime information to more
than 200 customers per month, McKenna was instrumental in establishing the
Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) at the Marine Exchange, which monitors and
facilitates the safe navigation of all commercial ship traffic within a 25-mile
arc around the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex.
