Captain James McPherson graduated from Asbury Park High School in 1978. He fondly looks back at the wonderful teachers and mentors at Asbury who nurtured and supported him through his high school years. The McPherson family was well represented at APHS as his brothers, John, Pat, Brendan, and Mike with his sister Monica all graduated from the high school.

Captain McPherson always enjoyed living and working at the Jersey shore. He considers himself fortunate to have found a career that paid him to travel on the worlds' oceans. He has been in the Coast Guard for 35 years, and is currently the Chief of Staff for the First Coast Guard District in Boston, MA. The First Coast Guard District includes 10,000 active duty, reserve, civilian and auxiliary personnel from the Canadian Border to the New Jersey Shore.

Captain McPherson previously served as Commander of Coast Guard Sector Northern New England, where he exercised operational control of Coast Guard assets in the states of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. He commanded 21 field units and over 1100 personnel. Prior to this command, he served as Chief Officer of Public Affairs at Coat Guard Headquarter in Washington, DC where he was responsible for directing the Coast Guard's service-wide public affairs program. Other assignments include the Commanding Officer of USCGC ESCANABA home ported in Boston from 2003 -2005. He was a cutter man for his first assignment aboard USCGC EVERGREEN home ported in New London, CT. Other seagoing duties include Executive Officer aboard the USCGC SENECA in Boston, MA in 1998 and Commanding Officer of two patrol boats - USCGC POINT KNOL in New London, CT in 1985 and USCGC MAUI in Miami Beach, FL in 1989.

Captain McPherson most recent public affairs duties included assignment as Senior Public Affairs Officer, Gulf Oil Spill in New Orleans and Joint Task Force Haiti for earthquake relief operations. His past public affairs deployments include assignment as Secretary to t