Kevin M. Tokarski

Associate Administrator for Strategic Sealift
Maritime Administration/MARAD
U.S. Department of Transportation

Kevin Tokarski graduated from the State University of New York Maritime College with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation and Business Management. He holds a Master’s degree in General Administration (Financial Management) from the University of Maryland. He also graduated from the Naval War College with a Master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies.

He was selected to serve in the Senior Executive Service in 2008 as Associate Administrator with responsibilities for strategic sealift programs that include: government ships in the Ready Reserve Force and National Defense Reserve Fleet; cargo and commercial sealift capabilities in the Maritime Security Program and cargo preference programs; Emergency Preparedness & Response; Ship Disposal; and supporting the Nation’s seven maritime academies and workforce development. He also supports civil emergency planning for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Defense Policy & Planning Division as the Chairman of the Transport Group – Ocean Shipping. He is the Program Executive responsible for the National Security Multi-mission Vessel shipbuilding program.

Since joining the Maritime Administration (MARAD) in 1985 in the Division of Ship Management, Mr. Tokarski held a variety of assignments spanning different aspects of ship operations, from mobilization and sealift to readiness and security and marine transportation and domestic emergency response. Notable assignments included Liaison Officer to U.S. Transportation Command during the principal implementation of the Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement; detail to MARAD’s regional office in San Francisco; Project Manager for the RRF Information Technology Modernization Project; Operations Chief overseeing the largest and longest deployment of the Agency’s ships supporting Operations ENDURING FREEDOM & IRAQI FREEDOM, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency support following Hurricanes KATRINA and RITA with nine agency ships; and Deputy Director of Ship Operations. He served as the Senior Executive overseeing emergency response missions that included the 2012 response with three ships in New York City following Super Storm SANDY, the CAPE RAY operation in 2014 to destroy 600 tons of Syria’s chemical weapon agents and the response with four ships in Puerto Rico & US Virgin Islands following Hurricanes HARVEY and MARIA in 2017. He served as Agency lead for the Biden-Harris transition team and Executive Director in 2020-2021.

Notable awards received include the Secretary of Transportation’s Award for Meritorious Achievement – Silver Medal, Secretary’s Award for War on Terrorism, Maritime Administration Bronze Medal, and Maritime Administrator’s Sir Ernest Shackleton Leadership Award. In 2020 he was awarded the Distinguished Government Service Award by the National Defense Transportation Association. Mr. Tokarski sailed as a US Coast Guard licensed deck officer in the U.S.-flag merchant marine. He is an active member of the NDTA and a life member of the Navy League of the United States.

He is married to Captain Beverly G. Kelley (U.S. Coast Guard, retired), and they have an adult son.