"Pu'uwai O Ke Kai" - "Heart of the Sea"

Commanding Officer

Lieutenant Commander Stephen A. Hills

LCDR Hills is the Commanding Officer of CGC William Hart, a 154ft Fast Response Cutter homeported in Honolulu, HI. He leads a crew of 24, conducting search and rescue, law enforcement, fisheries regulation, and national defense exercises throughout the Hawaiian Islands and Oceania.

Originally from Deerfield, NH, LCDR Hills graduated from the Coast Guard academy in 2010 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. His first assignment was as a student engineer and Damage Control Assistant on USCGC VENTUROUS (WMEC 625) in St Petersburg, FL from 2010-2012.

From 2012-2014 he served as the Executive Officer onboard USCGC KISKA (WPB 1336) in Hilo, HI where he was also the primary Boarding Officer and unit law enforcement instructor conducting law enforcement patrols and search and rescue throughout the Hawaiian Islands.
He was selected for the USCG Post Graduate Study Program in Computing and Electrical engineering and attended the University of Washington, Seattle, where he studied electromagnetic systems including antennas, RADAR and radio-wave propagation. He graduated with a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in 2016. 

He then reported to the Coast Guard academy as an instructor in the Electrical Engineering section. He taught classes on motors, generators and power systems, developed a curriculum on renewable energy and advised CAPSTONE projects on autonomous systems and the Coast Guard’s first foray into space-based systems with a project on micro satellite control and orientation. He also worked with the Coast Guard Research and Development Center and DHS Science and Technology Division testing the viability of microsatellites for Coast Guard missions. In his free time, he volunteered and coached the Offshore Sailing Team and the Service Marksmanship Team.

In 2020, he left the Academy to report aboard CGC TAHOMA (WMEC 908) as Operations Officer. He led the cutter’s participation in joint naval exercise OPERATION NANOOK 2020 and SAREX ARGUS as TAHOMA became the first medium endurance cutter to cross the Arctic Circle. He also oversaw successful enforcement of fisheries regulations in the North Atlantic, led numerous search and rescue cases and conducted highly successful counter-narcotics interdictions in the Eastern Pacific.

LCDR Hills commanded CGC CHARLES MOULTHROPE (WPC 1141) in Manama Bahrain from May 2022 to April 2023. In this capacity, he led his crew in High-Value Asset escorts, joint training exercises with Gulf Cooperation Council countries, maritime interdiction operations of narcotics and other illicit cargos and other operations in support of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

In his free time, LCDR Hills enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including sailing, cycling, hiking, scuba diving, and competing in marksmanship competitions.  

Executive Officer
Lieutenant Junior Grade Amanda M. Dennis

Lieutenant Junior Grade Dennis assumed the role as Executive Officer of USCGC WILLIAM HART (WPC 1134) in July 2024.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Dennis served afloat previously as a Deck Watch Officer aboard USCGC BERTHOLF (WMSL 750).

Lieutenant Junior Grade Dennis graduated from The Pennsylvania State University, Main Campus in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management. While at Penn State, Lieutenant Junior Grade Dennis won 4 Big Ten championships for the varsity women’s soccer program from 2016-2019. After Penn State, Lieutenant Junior Grade Dennis played professional soccer for the NWSL’s Houston Dash, and won the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup title in her rookie campaign. After her retirement from professional soccer she graduated Coast Guard Officer Candidate School in November 2022.  Her personal awards include the Coast Guard Achievement Medal, Meritorious Team Commendation Medal, and National Defense Service Medal.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Dennis currently resides in Kailua, Hawaii.