The superintendent and deputy superintendent of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, stepped down Tuesday, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Vice Adm. Joanna Nunan and Rear Adm. David M. Wulf announced their departures a day after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy delivered a commencement address at the school’s graduation ceremony that emphasized humility before God.
“I have long believed that I am the luckiest admiral I know,” Nunan recently said, according to the release. “I have been privileged to play a role in the lives of some of America’s most inspiring young people as they became our finest future mariners.”
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The DOT also noted that Capt. Anthony J. Ceraolo, who served 34 years in the U.S. Coast Guard and had been USMMA’s chief of staff since 2023, will serve as the acting superintendent while they search for new leadership.
Nunan, an appointee of former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, has served as USMMA superintendent since December 2022.
Her tenure was marked by allegations of increased “wokeness” at the academy, according to some midshipmen who spoke to Fox News in 2023. Midshipmen recounted a prominent LGBT mural on campus and the option to have rainbows emblazoned on their uniforms as evidence of left-wing ideology seeping into the institution.
Before leading USMMA, Nunan helped “spearhead efforts to expand diversity and inclusion in the Coast Guard,” according to her official USMMA biography, which has since been removed from the school’s website.
Controversy erupted in 2023 when Nunan moved “Christ on the Water,” a historic painting of Jesus, from its prominent place in the administrative building to the flood-prone basement of the chapel. The move followed a complaint letter from Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
Duffy went viral on social media earlier this year and drew applause during his speech at the school’s annual Battle Standard Dinner on April 3, when he called for the Jesus painting to be brought “out of the basement.”
Jackson Tolle, a Christian midshipman in USMMA’s Class of 2026 who spoke to The Christian Post in April about the Jesus painting controversy, told CP on Wednesday that he wishes Nunan “success and grace in her future endeavors.”
Tolle hopes the academy’s future leadership will be amenable to its many Christian midshipmen.
“It is my prayer that through this change in leadership, God is glorified on campus and we as a Christian community can move into the future as a family.”
During Duffy’s commencement address Monday, he urged midshipmen to “stay faithful to God” and “never underestimate the power of prayer.” During his first visit to the academy in April, Duffy met with several Christian midshipmen to discuss the hope and motivation their faith provides them.
On Good Friday, we commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus. During my visit to the US Merchant Marine Academy, I spoke with an amazing group of young midshipmen about Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins.
A complaint from ONE “concerned citizen” got the Academy’s beautiful & historic… pic.twitter.com/n66pgSLKOM
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) April 18, 2025
Duffy also commended the USMMA Class of 2025 for their perseverance, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges that trained them in invaluable ways. He also acknowledged the dilapidated condition of their campus, for which he has promised to fight.
Amid their discouragements, Duffy said he has been moved by midshipmen “whose spirits could not be broken.”
“I saw a group that, despite being disrespected and uncared for, was more passionate than ever about serving their country,” he said.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
