Mary Coyne Story

Mary Coyne was studying abroad in Dublin in 2010 when she received a call that changed the course of her career.

Her advisor was calling to let her know that the U.S. Navy had lifted its ban on women serving on submarines, making it a viable service selection for her.

After she graduated from Notre Dame on an ROTC scholarship in 2012, Coyne became part of the second cohort of women to serve on submarines—and quickly learned that the mission was more important than gender.

“All people care about is that you do your job, do it well, and look out for one another,” says Coyne, now Project Vanguard’s Boston Community Leader. “One of the beautiful things about the military is how it takes people from extremely diverse backgrounds and gets them all to work and live together effectively.”

Coyne says she has found the same mission-focused ethos in the clean energy industry. She has worked in onshore wind, offshore wind, and other sectors since leaving the Navy in 2019.

Coyne grew up surrounded by people in uniform. Her parents were in the U.S. Public Health Service, and their friends were all members of the Army, Navy and Air Force. She recalls observing their camaraderie and professional fulfilment.

“Going to school via a Navy ROTC scholarship was a no-brainer goal for 16-year-old me,” she says.

As part of her NROTC obligations over the summer, she rode the USS Rhode Island, an Ohio-class submarine, the largest submarine class made for the U.S. Navy.

“I found it really interesting and engaging, particularly talking with the crew, but I was told, ‘’Oh, sorry, women can’t choose this option,’” Coyne says. “It was a gut punch, but I accepted it.”

Then came that call from her advisor. She jumped on the opportunity, and was ultimately assigned to the USS Maine, another two-crew, Ohio-class submarine out of Bangor, Wash., and spent the next three years going on strategic deployments ranging from two to four months. She then spent time in Washington, D.C., as an NROTC instructor before deciding to transition to a civilian career in 2019.

She was accepted to the GE Junior Officer Leadership Program, which enabled her to hold roles across operations, contract negotiation, and business development within the renewable industry.

As soon as she started working to solve technical problems, she felt the same sense of mission, purpose and drive she did when she was on a submarine.

“I felt motivated by the same thing I did in the Navy: by knowing that the people around me were empowered to do their jobs well and safely,” she says.

She continued at GE for four years before transitioning to roles at Anduril and RWE.

She learned about Project Vanguard through New York Community Leader Steve Bravo, a former GE coworker, and immediately appreciated the ability to connect with veterans outside of her own company and to raise awareness of the contributions veterans are already making to the field.

“It is a fantastic opportunity to truly see the scale and diversity of veterans’ impact in the energy industry,” she says. “This is something to celebrate and encourage.”

Coyne is currently exploring new opportunities in the clean energy industry, and says she looks forward to being part of another mission-driven team.

“Creating more renewable energy sources is an important step for our country and the world to take, and I’m excited to be part of it,” Coyne says.