Staff Members, Biographies and Direct Contact Information

LCDR Daniel Wilkinson is the Commanding Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Outer Continental Shelf National Center of Expertise (OCSNCOE). He leads the OCSNCOE staff, providing technical assistance, support and training to Coast Guard headquarters and field units, governments, and industry on offshore drilling and production facilities, offshore supply vessels and crew boats.

He is a subject matter expert in the areas of OCS vessel operations covering Offshore Supply Vessels (OSV) and Small Passenger Vessels (SPV).

LCDR Wilkinson began his career in commercial vessel compliance at MSU Houma, serving there from 2014 to 2017. During that tour, he gained familiarity with USCG District Eight vessel activities covering inland tank barges, SPVs and OSVs. For the latter half of his tour, he additionally served as the Assistant Chief, Inspections Division, overseeing domestic vessel compliance inspections for the MSU Houma OCMI zone.

Following his tour at the MSU, LCDR Wilkinson served as the Marine Safety Detachment Supervisor in Peoria, Illinois. MSD Peoria was a diverse unit covering regulatory compliance and investigation activities for commercial vessels and inspected facilities on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, as well as response operations conducted via the unit’s two 29’ response boats. The unit was also a deployable team for the USCG’s urban flood response program and was deployed for multiple major hurricanes during LCDR Wilkinson’s tenure as Supervisor.

Prior to the NCOE, LCDR Wilkinson completed the CG Marine Engineering Post-Graduate program, earning a Master of Science degree in Ocean Engineering from Florida Institute of Technology. He is also a 2010 graduate of the University of South Florida where he earned his Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Lieutenant Commander Hayley Feindel Gipson is the National Technical Advisor at the Outer Continental Shelf National Center of Expertise (OCSNCOE). She has years of operational experience conducting inspections, and overseeing investigations, on Offshore Supply Vessels (OSV), Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU), Floating Offshore Facilities (FOF) and fixed platforms. This is Hayley’s fifth consecutive tour of duty in CG District 8.

A native of River Ridge, Louisiana, LCDR Gipson knew she wanted to serve in the Coast Guard after watching their heroism during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 2012, earning a degree in Public Policy. Her first assignment was Deck Watch Officer aboard the USCGC MUNRO, a 378’ cutter homeported out of Kodiak, AK. During this tour she conducted numerous search and rescue missions and fisheries/counterdrug boardings.

In 2014, she began her Marine Safety career at Marine Safety Unit (MSU) Morgan City where she inspected barges, passenger vessels/crew boats, OSVs and foreign flagged tankships for regulatory safety compliance and new construction oversight. Following this tour, she transferred to Sector New Orleans to serve as a Journeyman Marine Inspector, conducting offshore inspections of MODUs, FOFs, and fixed platforms to ensure the safety of workers, assets, and the environment while supporting national commerce and domestic energy reliance.

LCDR Gipson returned to Morgan City in 2020 and served as the Vessel Traffic Service Director of Berwick Bay and Waterways Management Officer and fleeted up Prevention Department Head where she led teams of domestic/foreign vessel/facility inspectors, marine investigators, waterways management professionals and pollution responders across 1.4 thousand square miles of the Marine Transportation System. LCDR Gipson arrived to the OCSNCOE in the summer of 2024. Outside of work Hayley is studying to complete her graduate degree in Occupational Health and Safety with which she hopes to advance safety measures and improve working environments in shipyards, underway, and offshore.

CWO Dan Reed is a Senior Marine Inspector to be assigned as a technical advisor for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Outer Continental Shelf National Center of Expertise (OCSNCOE) in Houma, LA during the Summer of 2024. He is a CWO4 (Marine Safety Specialist Engineering) with 25 years of USCG Active-Duty service. CWO Reed has extensive experience in floating OCS facility construction oversight, marine engineering systems/operation, and most types of vessels.

Prior marine safety assignments include Sector Corpus Christi (2012-2016), Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach (2016-2020), and Sector San Francisco (2020-2024).

Operational tours as a Machinery Technician prior to entering the marine inspections program include CGC NORTHLAND, USCG International Training Division, CGC SEA LION, CGC TERRAPIN, and MAT Key West.

Eric is a USCG licensed Master that began his career in the marine industry in 1984. His experiences have been working as Master on crew boats, utility boats, towing vessels, seismic/research vessels, dive vessels, offshore supply vessels (OSVs) and anchor handling vessels. All of which are domestic vessels operating in the Gulf of Mexico.

Eric was originally hired by the OCS NCOE in January of 2010 to provide knowledge of OSVs from an operator’s/Master’s point of view. He departed the NCOE in May of 2013 to gain further industry knowledge before rejoining the OCS NCOE in August of 2016. Eric furthered his knowledge by working as an auditor/inspector of OSVs, mobile offshore drilling units, barges, towing vessels, industrial vessels and conducting dynamic positioning (DP) system proving and annual trials on DP equipped vessels.

He also has experience as an instructor which include teaching STCW 95 courses at a USCG approved training facility, teaching Nautical Institute approved basic and advance DP courses, and he continues to teach at Nichol’s State University College of Business, where he teaches the regulatory section of the Introduction to Maritime Management.

Eric worked with MSU Houma and MSU Morgan City to earn his Offshore Supply Vessel Inspector (OI) Marine Inspector qualification during 2018.

During July of 2015, Gene Sykes hired on with the Outer Continental Shelf National Center of Expertise as a Civilian Marine Inspector. He retired as a CWO3 (Marine Safety Specialist Engineering) with nearly 23 years of USCG Active-Duty service. Mr. Sykes has been involved with Offshore Supply Vessel (OSV) inspections since 2010 and Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) inspections since 2009.

Prior Marine Safety assignments include Marine Safety Unit Morgan City Civilian Supervisor 2014-2015, Sector New Orleans 2008-2014 (OCS Branch Manager, OSV New Construction, OSV Overseas Inspector and Domestic Vessel Inspections) and Sector San Juan, PR 2006-2008 (Port State Control Examiner and Foreign Freight Vessel Examiner).

Operational tours as a Machinery Technician prior to entering the Marine Safety Program include Marine Safety Unit Pittsburgh, PA, Aids to Navigation Team Venice, LA, Aids to Navigation Team New Orleans, LA, TRACEN Yorktown, VA, CGC VIGOROUS and CGC ALERT.

Areas of expertise are Floating OCS Facilities, Mobile Offshore Drilling Units, Fixed OCS Facilities (Platforms) and Offshore Supply Vessels.

Mr. Sykes serves as the point of contact for drilling and production Mutual Training Agreements (MTAs) between the Coast Guard and participating companies.

Harley Bates joined the Outer Continental Shelf National Center of Expertise as a Civilian Marine Inspector in April of 2015. He retired as a CWO4 (Marine Safety Specialist Engineering) with nearly 24 years of USCG Active-Duty service. Mr. Bates has been involved with Offshore Supply Vessel inspections since 2006 and Outer Continental Shelf inspections since 2008.

Prior Marine Safety assignments include Marine Safety Unit Morgan City 2013-2015 (OCS Inspections and Floating OCS Facility New Construction) and Sector New Orleans 2005-2013 (OCS Branch Manager, OSV New Construction and Domestic Vessel Inspections).

Operational tours as a Machinery Technician prior to entering the Marine Safety Program include CGC KICKAPOO, CGC OCRACOKE, Aids to Navigation Team Gulfport, MS, CGC WEDGE, CGC ANVIL and CGC PATOKA.

Areas of expertise are Floating OCS Facilities, Mobile Offshore Drilling Units, Fixed OCS Facilities (Platforms) and Offshore Supply Vessels.

Mr. Bates also serves as the OCSNCOE's liaison to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), administrator for the Coast Guard's OCS Inspector Course and web content (website) manager for the OCSNCOE's site.