Photo By Shayna Gosney | 220422-N-MV201-001 KEYPORT, Wash. (April 22, 2021) – Joseph Williams, an intern with...... read more read more
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Joseph Williams’ career path took a slight turn when he medically retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2014.
Heading west from his final duty assignment with the 30th Airlift Squadron, out of Cheyenne, Wyoming, he and his wife, Shery bypassed his hometown of Blackfoot, Idaho, and started fresh in the evergreen state of Washington.
“I retired from the military here since my wife is from this area,” he said.
Even though Williams’ resume included multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, he wasn’t aware of many recruiters looking for medically retired aircraft loadmasters; he made a career change, starting with earning a Bachelor of Science in Business with a Supply Chain Management certificate.
In 2017, with his degree in hand, Williams and his Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation officer went over his options. The U.S. Navy’s Naval Acquisition Development Program stood out.
“I found out about this program from my [VA Vocational Rehabilitation] officer,” Williams said. “I applied since I wanted to return to [Department of Defense] service.”
The NADP internship gives next generation logisticians the necessary experience to be successful in government service. To qualify, candidates must have:
- a bachelor’s degree
- a minimum 2.95 grade point average, and
- meet Office of Personnel Management qualification requirements.
Other career fields within the program include business, contracting, engineering, and information technology. It takes two to three years to complete.
Williams started his internship in 2018, where the logistical skills and eye for detail – gained from his 11 years as a loadmaster – played a key role in his preparation.
“Working in this career field at Keyport ties back into my Air Force experience,” he said. “I can use that ‘field’ experience to benefit the projects we develop for use in real world environments.”
Assigned to Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Keyport’s Code 411 Human Performance Engineering Lab, there was never a dull moment as Williams kept busy with several projects, especially one that focused on the use of virtual reality to adapt current technology to fulfill any requirements needed in the future.
As a logistician, he procured software to support other projects used to benefit the end user including Inventory Audits and Inventory Management for Code 411 lab’s virtual and physical assets.
Leadership within his department took notice of his work.
“[Williams] has become an integral part of the Human Performance Engineering team during his time in the Naval Acquisition Development Program,” said Michele Burk, NUWC Keyport chief logistician. “He went beyond NADP requirements, working on his project lead qualification and mentoring the other junior logisticians in his branch. He’s bound for success as he graduates given the breadth of knowledge he gained and his proactive approach.”
Once Williams “crosses the stage”, a logistics specialist position will be there to greet him. This is due in large to the support from his Keyport team during challenging assignments when he accepted two project lead roles.
“The folks I deal with in Code 411 supported me by mentoring and helping me when I needed assistance,” he said. “They trusted me to be a project lead several times, and I’m proud of that.”
Speaking about why he enjoys Keyport, Williams said he really enjoys the quiet naval base on the water, and the technology and training programs he supports.
For more information about the Naval Acquisition Development Program internship, visit: https://www.secnav.navy.mil/rda/workforce/Pages/NADP/Applicants/ApplicantInformation.aspx
About Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Keyport
NUWC Keyport provides advanced technical capabilities for test and evaluation, in-service engineering, maintenance and industrial base support, fleet material readiness, and obsolescence management for undersea warfare to expand America’s undersea dominance.
| Date Taken: | 04.28.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2021 15:57 |
| Story ID: | 395042 |
| Location: | KEYPORT, WA, US |
| Hometown: | BLACKFOOT, ID, US |
| Hometown: | CHEYENNE, WY, US |
| Hometown: | KEYPORT, WA, US |
| Hometown: | MILLINGTON, TN, US |
| Hometown: | NEWPORT, RI, US |
| Hometown: | WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, DC, US |
| Web Views: | 450 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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