Photo By Jermaine Sullivan | Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division Commanding Officer Capt. Dana...... read more read more
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The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division hosted a hybrid quarterly awards ceremony on Nov. 2, 2022 to acknowledge and honor eligible employees for their federal career milestones, as well as several colleagues for their exceptional accomplishments.
Addressing employees attending both in-person and virtually, NSWCPD Commanding Officer Capt. Dana Simon commented about what a great day it was to be gathered for the Quarterly Awards Ceremony as the Philadelphia Phillies were battling during the World Series across the street from the Navy Yard.
After recognizing their achievements, he shared the success stories at NSWCPD saying, “We have length of service awards and for all the awardees, thanks for your service - what an accomplishment and what a commitment to your country for those number of years. We have some Science and Engineering program graduates and a variety of external awards that cover the gamut of things that we do at NSWCPD.”
“I thought it was interesting looking over the program, as it really underscores the vast portfolio that NSWC Philadelphia covers for the fleet – different platforms and areas of expertise that we hold. It really shows our capabilities that we bring to the fleet and it embodies all that we do,” Simon added.
In total, 44 employees were honored including:
- Career Service (one with 40 years of service, four with 35 years of service, two with 30 years of service, and three with 25 years of service)
- Scientist and Engineer Development Program Graduates (12 awardees)
The Blacks in Government Military Meritorious Service Award was presented to Edward Carter who distinguished himself through extraordinary character, leadership, and service as a civil servant of NSWCPD, and a United States Navy Reserve Engineering Duty Officer.
According to his nomination package, Carter strives to build a more inclusive environment for his colleagues and inspires the next generation of United States Department of Defense (DoD) civil servants through various developmental career opportunities and outreach programs, including his support of the Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Carver High School events. He has created an environment of inclusion through his leadership as Chair of the NSWCPD African American Employee Resource Group. His exemplary accomplishments while upholding the Department of Navy Core Values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment, extend beyond his professional career as an Acquisition Manager.
The Department of Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award was presented to Edward Harvey for his achievements as Test Manager, Lead Engineer, and Chief Test Engineer at NSWCPD. According to his award write-up, as the DDG 1000 Test Manager and Lead Engineer for High Voltage and Propulsion System Integration, he developed and taught a training program for the crew and their trainers from Bath Iron Works, contributing to the long-term expertise and safety of our Nation’s Sailors. Harvey identified, documented, and resolved over 1,000 technical issues for Low Voltage, High Voltage, and the Engineering Control System resulting in a significant cost avoidance for the U.S. Navy. Throughout his career, Harvey ensured the safety of his team and the warfighters who will operate and maintain the Navy’s high energy Integrated Power and Propulsion Systems.
There were also numerous 2022 Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Warfare Center Award presentations in several categories including knowledge sharing, collaboration, and technical support services.
The Advancing Knowledge Sharing Award was presented to the Research Commons Team (Dr. Eugene M. Golda, ReLinda Fagan, Scott Harris, and Stephen Mastro) for their innovative digital library that provides knowledge management resources and tools to more than 4,000 researchers across the Department of the Navy and Department of Defense. The Team’s work on the Research Commons Team expands access to essential research and information while avoiding duplication of efforts and resources through a shared subscription model that saved over $6 million across the participating commands.
The John C. Mickey Collaboration Award was presented to the USS Gerald Ford (CVN 78) Team (Sarah Collins, Herbert Cope, Rahul George, Robert High, Michael Liberati, Daniel Moran, Phil Pascetta, Andrew Saturno, James Winward, Pat Wraga) for their tremendous collaboration between the Carderock, Crane, Dahlgren, Keyport, Philadelphia, and Port Hueneme Divisions resulting in the successful execution of three underwater explosive tests on CVN 78. The team’s collective effort efficiently and effectively met test objectives within environmental and safety requirements during this complex and high visibility test and evaluation event.
The AN/BRA6 Antenna Team (Mathew Smith and Brandon Weiss) was also presented with the John C. Mickey Collaboration Award for their exemplary collaboration between Keyport Division, the Naval Sea Logistics Center, and Philadelphia Division on delivering an AN/BRA 6 Antenna within a two-week window to support USS Pasadena’s mission requirement. The team’s efforts achieved an 85 percent reduction in schedule while meeting the critical fleet demands.
A final John C. Mickey Collaboration Award was presented to the In-Service Engineering Agent Team (Shawn Anderson and William Long) for their substantial contributions in the execution of a full software and hardware installation. With members from Panama City, Philadelphia, and Port Hueneme Divisions, the team embodied the ‘One Team’ mantra throughout the installation, which resulted in unprecedented collaborative efforts.
Following the John C. Mickey Collaboration Award presentations, NSWCPD Technical Director Nigel C. Thijs noted “Collaboration is key to everything we do here. None of us can achieve our mission without working with someone else.”
The Technical Support Service Award was presented to Nolan LaFountain who proactively demonstrated the ability to understand the technical and logistical aspects of the amphibious ship diesel program and determined that a time-based life cycle maintenance philosophy would be superior to the existing hours-based maintenance philosophy. His project engineering and coordinating abilities resulted in a 50 percent reduction in the Landing Ship Dock 41/49 Ship Service Diesel Generator class provisioning task timeline, which accelerated the decline of growth work and advanced the on-time delivery of parts for future LSD 41/49 maintenance availabilities.
Daniel Lin was also presented with the Technical Support Service Award for providing unwavering support of the troubleshooting and repair efforts for problems associated with the cooling/backup pump for the waterjet systems on Littoral Combat Ship 6 and subsequent number hulls. He successfully led numerous process improvement initiatives, including the development of the Cooling Pump Planned Maintenance System card, saving roughly $250,000 per fiscal year while increasing the availability of the waterjet system.
There were also a number of 2021 NAVSEA Excellence Awards presented during the ceremony, featuring categories such as acquisition, safety, ship maintenance, expanding the advantage, and infrastructure.
An Excellence in Acquisition Award was presented to Chris Pafford for providing coordination and leadership of Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Trials in a restricted travel environment. His leadership and guidance in the coordination of over 900 engineers through a multitude of logistics issues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic were crucial to the success of 25 LCS test and trial events. Pafford’s efforts played a key role in NAVSEA meeting its mission requirements.
Robert Klimas was presented the Excellence in Safety Award for his commitment to and passion for keeping U.S. Navy Sailors safe from the dangers of hazardous materials (HAZMAT). He developed an innovative and analytical approach to predict HAZMAT stowage requirements in order to prevent ships from carrying excessive HAZMAT during deployments, thereby reducing serious risks of fire and personnel injury and exposure. He also assisted in the development of the Ship Hazardous Materials List reduction program in response to Executive Order 12856, which resulted in a 50 percent reduction of HAZMAT. His achievements improved the health and safety of Sailors, and inspired the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Damon House was awarded the Excellence in Ship Maintenance Award for his unrelenting support of the Coastal Patrol Class electrical systems and for his dedication and determination to resolving waterfront electrical issues on numerous ship classes. He provided crucial deck plate support and expertise both in the Norfolk, Va. area and overseas in the Kingdom of Bahrain. House’s efforts have had a direct impact on the readiness and reliability of electrical systems throughout the U.S. Navy Fleet.
The Expand the Advantage Achievement Award was presented to the Full Scale Bearing Test Facility Team (Brian Brennan, Kevin King, Dylan McNally, Joseph Peltier) for their commitment to and demonstrated focus on submarine mission execution agility, and supporting critical milestones for two submarine classes. The team continued to meet challenging milestones during the COVID-19 pandemic and helped to de-risk the installation of submarine shafting journal and bearing liner systems for two submarine classes to ensure strategic defense objectives were upheld.
The Infrastructure Acquisition Team (Renaldo Aponte, Gregory Cancila, Angela Cusati, Linda Dobbs, Alec Hess, Mark LaGatta, Richard McMullen, Neal Moran, Robert Nazian, Steven Nelson, Jessica Rodriguez, Jacob Scholz, Robert Sheridan, Robert Smargiassi, James Teti, and Anthony Tropea) was awarded the Excellence in Facilities Engineering and Management Award for developing pre- and post-award capabilities to generate, award, and manage sustainment, restoration, and modernization contracts in-house. This effort reduced the burden on existing service providers and afforded Philadelphia Division more control in achieving execution goals. The team provided tremendous cost and time savings, awarding approximately 20 Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization (SRM) contracting actions totaling $3.5 million, with an average procurement action lead time of approximately two months.
The Excellence in Safety Award was presented to the Safety Branch Team (Albert D’Imperio, Naydeen Jones-Buggs, Joseph Katella, Nicholas Kutufaris, Kevin McGlinchey, Nicholas J. Teti, and John Krawiec) for their continuous efforts to identify hazards, mitigate risks, and implement actions to reduce mishaps. NSWCPD became the first Warfare Center Division to earn Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star certification three times. The VPP Star certification is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s highest honor and is reserved for organizations that have achieved and maintained a comprehensive worker safety program.
Letters of Appreciation written by various stakeholders acknowledge NSWCPD employees for their hard work and commitment to ensuring that the Navy’s mission is met.
Kevin McCauley and Steven Krider received a Letter of Appreciation from Rear Adm. James P. Downey, program executive officer, Aircraft Carriers. They were a part of the CVN 78 Advanced Weapons Elevators Certification Team, and were recognized for their professionalism and dedication for providing outstanding support to certify the Advanced Weapons Elevator for USS Gerald Ford (CVN 78). They provided collaborative skills, technical expertise, and attention to detail to secure authorization for CVN 78 to carry out ordnance, as well as come up with solutions to achieve on-time certification of the Advanced Weapons Elevator. By delivering the final piece of functionality to the centerpiece of American naval power, they were essential in preparing the Sailors embarkation aboard CVN 78 to execute their mission. McCauley’s and Krider’s contributions will have a lasting impact on the Navy’s force structure, the aircraft carriers, the Fleet, and the U.S. Navy.
Christopher Bromhead, John Huffman, and Charles Small received a Letter of Appreciation from Rear Adm. Jonathan E. Rucker, program executive officer, attack submarines, for their professionalism and dedication for providing outstanding support to the required modifications as part of the Imaging Repair and Installation Team on USS Montana (SSN 794). As members of the team, they supported an important repair and installation effort late in the new constructive cycle. They worked collaboratively and expediently to quickly resolve issues with the imaging mast dip loop. Their quick responsiveness and technical expertise helped maintain overall shipyard construction schedules without delay or interruptions. Their hard work, technical expertise, dedication, and professionalism has earned the highest respect of the Virginia Class Submarine Program Team and reflects great credit upon the team and the NSWCPD command.
Damon House received a Letter of Appreciation from Commanding Officer, Dan Hartman, USS Chinook for his outstanding efforts and unique troubleshooting skills. His efforts led to multiple repairs onboard USS Chinook during a critical period and enabled the ship to meet mission tasking without delay. His technical skills led to a long list of repairs, including the function of the starboard bridge wing control, number three main propulsion diesel engine starboard bridge wing alarm, starting malfunction of number two’s ship service diesel generator, number two SSDG switchboard initial start relay, and number four main propulsion diesel engine shaft speed indicators. House displayed acute technical knowledge by providing training to one Officer, one Chief, three First Class Petty Officers, and two Third Class Petty Officers, by teaching them the skills and knowledge to maintain superior readiness of a U.S. Navy Cyclone class ship. His diligent efforts and impressive resourcefulness inspire all who observe him and greatly contributed with Chinook’s mission accomplishments.
During closing remarks, Thijs offered his gratitude and summarized the achievements of the award recipients.
“We have a continuum of excellence that we deliver here at NSWCPD. Our impact to the Fleet is the most important thing that we do here. Delivering with agility and speed is critical because we have to compete at the speed of relevance and ensure that we are staying ahead of our adversaries,” Thijs said.
NSWCPD employs approximately 2,800 civilian engineers, scientists, technicians, and support personnel. The NSWCPD team does the research and development, test and evaluation, acquisition support, and in-service and logistics engineering for the non-nuclear machinery, ship machinery systems, and related equipment and material for Navy surface ships and submarines. NSWCPD is also the lead organization providing cybersecurity for all ship systems.
| Date Taken: | 12.19.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2022 09:55 |
| Story ID: | 435452 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 688 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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