About
Admiral Sandy Stosz started out in the US Coast Guard as an ensign serving aboard polar icebreakers, conducting national security missions from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Her forty-year career was filled with leadership lessons gleaned while breaking ice and breaking glass as the first woman to command an icebreaker on the Great Lakes and to lead a US armed forces service academy. Along the way, Sandy served for 12 years at sea, commanding two ships, and led large Coast Guard organizations during times of crisis and complexity. She finished her career as the first woman assigned as Deputy Commandant for Mission Support, directing one of the Coast Guard’s largest enterprises. She has lectured widely on leadership, and has been featured on CSPAN and other media outlets. In 2012, Newsweek’s “The Daily Beast” named Sandy to their list of 150 Women who Shake the World. She volunteers in leadership roles for several organizations, including serving as a trustee for the Coast Guard Academy Institute for Leadership and as chair of the Coast Guard Academy Sailing Council. She is the author of Breaking Ice & Breaking Glass: Leading in Uncharted Waters.
Featured Work
Breaking Ice & Breaking Glass: Leading in Uncharted Waters
In Breaking Ice and Breaking Glass: Leading in Uncharted Waters, Admiral Sandy Stosz draws upon 40 years of extensive leadership experience leading mostly all-male teams in the US Coast Guard to help leaders navigate complexity and succeed at every level. Character-centered, proven leadership principles emerge from engaging, personal stories that teach leaders how to find, and then become, an inspiring mentor; implement successful diversity, inclusion, and equity programs; successfully lead in a complex environment; and much more.
Leaders eager to make a difference by helping people and organizations be their best will find Breaking Ice and Breaking Glass: Leading in Uncharted Waters their go-to resource.
Other Works
Awards and Recognition
- Awarded a Gold Medal by the Military Writers Society of America in 2021