McElwain is the Director of Public Relations and Marketing at College of the Canyons and has been with the college since 1996.  He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Montclair State College in New Jersey and a master’s degree in Communications: Journalism and Public Affairs from American University in Washington, D.C.

            He retired from the U.S. Coast Guard as a Commander in 1996 after 25 years of service. He commanded the Coast Guard’s rescue and law enforcement station in New London, CT from 1983 - 1985.  He served as Director of Media Relations for the Coast Guard, stationed in Washington, D.C.   and was a primary spokesperson for the Coast Guard during the Exxon Valdez oil spill; the 1990 Persian Gulf War; Cuban, Chinese and other high-profile immigration issues; dramatic rescue cases and the international war on drugs. 

McElwain was the Director of the Coast Guard’s Motion Picture and Television Office in Los Angeles -- providing technical advice to the worldwide entertainment industry -- for eight years.

He received on-screen credits for Paramount’s “Hunt for Red October” and “Clear and Present Danger,” MGM’s James Bond movie “License to Kill,” as well as “Overboard,” and was a maritime advisor to numerous TV projects and documentaries. 

He also has edited a children’s book about the U.S. Coast Guard.  He has taught media relations techniques and strategies for over 20 years.