The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) today announced that Gary Croot will assume the position of Associate Administrator of the SLSDC’s Massena, New York operations and facilities on July 5.  Croot replaces Thomas Lavigne, who is retiring after 40 years of dedicated service at the SLSDC.

“Mr. Croot brings a wealth of maritime knowledge and experience, and the entire Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System is fortunate to have him coming aboard,” said SLSDC Deputy Administrator Craig Middlebrook.
During his time in the Coast Guard, Croot held a variety of senior positions around the Great Lakes, serving as the Commanding Officer of the Marine Safety Unit in Duluth, Minnesota, from 2005-2008 and the Supervisor of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment in Massena from 1999-2002.  He has held positions as a Marine Safety Officer, an Executive Officer, and Commanding Officer, and finished up his successful Coast Guard career as the Chief of the Environmental Standards Division in Washington, D.C.  He retired from the Coast Guard in 2011 with the rank of Commander, and for the last nine years he has been the President of an international consulting firm.