Merchant Marine Academy chief steps down

The superintendent of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is stepping down to take a job in Washington after just over a year at the helm of the Kings Point school, federal officials said Tuesday.

Rear Admiral Philip H. Greene Jr. was tapped by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to be the Department of Transportation chairman at the National Defense University in Washington.

"The academy is a top priority for me and we will continue to provide our outstanding midshipmen with a first-rate education," LaHood said in a statement. "Our nationwide search will begin immediately for the very best candidates to lead the academy."

Greene, who could not be reached Tuesday, assumed the top job in August 2010 after serving as director of the Navy Irregular Warfare Office.

A 1978 Merchant Marine Academy graduate, Greene was the 11th superintendent of the four-year institution where more than 1,000 students, called midshipmen, are enrolled.

Greene's predecessor, Rear Adm. Allen Worley, retired in January 2010 after only a year. He cited a relative's illness as the reason for his departure.