1 March, 2022
LCdr Anna Kocot, OSM, CD
LCdr Kocot joined the Naval Reserve in 2001 as a Naval Warfare Officer and received her Bridge Watchkeeping certificate in January 2006. In the past few years, she has served in HMCS Tecumseh in various leadership roles including Deck Officer, Training Officer, and Operations Officer. She was promoted to her current rank in 2019 and is currently both the Executive Officer of HMCS Tecumseh and the Staff Officer Administration for Naval Reserve Western Region.
LCdr Kocot has had the opportunity to participate in several military operations. In January 2017, she deployed as the Operations Officer aboard HMCS Saskatoon in support of OPERATION CARIBBE, Canada’s contribution to the Joint Interagency Task Force South and US Coast Guard mission with the aim of stopping illicit trafficking of drugs, money, and people in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean. From May to June 2020, she participated in OPERATION LASER (CAF response to Covid-19 pandemic), as the Navy LO to 41 Canadian Brigade Group (CBG), coordinating information between 41 CBG and Naval Reserve forces in Alberta. Most recently, in the spring of 2021, she deployed to Ukraine as part of OPERATION UNIFIER, where she taught NATO signals and maneuvering to members of the Ukrainian Navy, increasing Ukrainian Naval capability and interoperability with NATO.
LCdr Kocot is passionate about culture change and creating a safe and accepting work environment for all members both within her unit and in the CAF. Until recently she was the Diversity and Inclusion Command Advisory Team (DICAT) chair for Naval Reserve Western Region, supporting Naval Reserve Divisions from the region in establishing their own DICATs. She took the lead in establishing the DICAT at HMCS Tecumseh and continues to provide guidance to the team and support activities associated with creating a welcoming workplace and celebrating diversity. She is also a Positive Space Ambassador and is committed to promoting Positive Space and offering peer support, as part of the Positive Space Program aimed at increasing awareness of LGBTQ2+ issues within workplaces and creating a safer and more welcoming environment for all members.
LCdr Kocot has a Bachelor of Biological Sciences and Bachelor of Education and her civilian life she is a High School Science teacher. She currently resides in Calgary with her husband, who is also a member of the CAF and her 3-year-old daughter, and is shortly expecting her second child.
LCdr Anna Kocot is a Director of RAUSI, serving with the Programs Committee.