Bollinger Shipyards Hires Heath Jones As VP

Bollinger Shipyards (Bollinger) has hired Heath B. Jones, retired 14th master chief petty officer of the U.S. Coast Guard, as vice president of government relations and strategic partnerships. Jones will represent Bollinger with government customer agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy, while also advancing new opportunities across Bollinger’s commercial customer base.

“As the maritime industry continues to evolve, Bollinger recognizes the importance of adapting to meet the needs of both government and commercial customers,” said Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards. “Whether it’s supporting Bollinger’s programs enhancing America’s white hull and grey hull fleets, delivering advanced icebreakers for the Arctic or expanding the company’s offerings in autonomous, offshore energy, alternative fuels or commercial space exploration, we are investing in the future. Heath’s leadership and experience will be instrumental in ensuring we remain the partner of choice for all of our customers.”

Jones, a Covington, La., native, said he’s happy to be back in his home state.

“As a young cutterman, I served as executive petty officer and later skipper of a Bollinger-built 87-foot coastal patrol boat constructed in Lockport in the 1990s,” Jones said. “To now come full circle and be part of the company that built the platforms I once sailed on is deeply meaningful.”

Jones has more than three decades of maritime service and leadership. From May 2022 to August 2025, he served as the Coast Guard’s master chief petty officer, the senior enlisted leader and principal adviser to the commandant of the Coast Guard.

Jones enlisted in the Coast Guard in August 1995. Previous assignments include command master chief, deputy commandant for mission support; command master chief, Pacific Area; command master chief, 8th Coast Guard District; command master chief, Sector Hampton Roads; officer in charge, Coast Guard Cutter Sea Horse; officer in charge, Station Pensacola; officer in charge, Coast Guard Cutter Bollard; officer in charge, Station Cape Charles; executive petty officer, Station Little Creek; executive petty officer, Coast Guard Cutter Seahawk, Station New Orleans, Coast Guard Cutter Kanawha.

Jones and his wife, Carol Ann Clarke, have been married since 1996. They have two children, both married, and two grandchildren.