Photo By Ryan Smith | Richard Cracraft (third from left) stands with his wife, Lori, and their two sons...... read more read more
A man of the people
We’ve all heard the phrase “people matter.” Richard Cracraft has made "people matter" the cornerstone of his 38-year government career. As he retires from his role as director of the Human Capital Group for Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, colleagues remember him as a guiding light during both crisis and celebrations.
Through workforce reductions, base realignments, earthquakes and pandemics, Cracraft kept people at the center of his work.
He began his government service in 1987 after graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He entered the Office of Personnel Management Intern Program as a personnel management specialist and within a year, became a permanent employee at Naval Weapons Center, China Lake.
He was promoted to a supervisory role in 1992, where he became known for his expertise and was a source of guidance for his peers. A lifelong learner, Cracraft continued accruing knowledge and skills, including earning a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2006, which he credits with enhancing his leadership and mentoring abilities.
In 2002, Cracraft became Human Capital Director, a role he held for more than 23 years.
Leading Through Crisis
As director, Cracraft managed the 2008 transition of more than 12,000 employees across eight Naval Air Systems Command bases into the National Security Personnel System. In 2011, he again led teams across NAWCWD and Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division into the Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratories personnel management system.
Much of Cracraft's career involved traversing delicate circumstances like workforce reductions, furloughs and reorganizations - situations that directly impacted people’s lives. He handled these challenges with knowledge, empathy and transparent communication.
Former NAWCWD Technical Director Dr. Karen Higgins recalled working with Cracraft during the 1999 Reduction in Force, which involved 441 employees - a number she says they will never forget.
“We had to meet this impossible goal,” Higgins said. “It’s traumatic because you’re affecting people’s lives and their families.”
Higgins praised Cracraft's sensitivity and understanding during difficult times, calling him her “safe port in a stormy sea.”
Tom Dowd, director of the Ranges/Targets Operations and Labs Group for NAWCWD, said Cracraft's training and coaching made difficult conversations during the RIF go as smoothly as possible.
“Richard always has the big picture and thinks at the level of detail that matters to people,” said Dowd.
During the Sept. 11 attacks, Cracraft developed solutions for a frightened workforce, including reuniting parents with children when the base shut down. He created strategies to keep the workforce calm and productive during the crisis.
Cracraft earned numerous awards during his career, including the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award, the NAWCWD Commander's Award and most recently, the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award.
As a member of the NAWCWD Senior Leadership Team, Cracraft became the longest-sitting member - a title he proudly passed to Dowd, the second longest-sitting member.
While Dowd will carry this torch proudly, he admits he will miss the 4 o’clock calls from Cracraft.
“I knew with that call, there was something coming,” said Dowd. “I either had done something wrong as supervisor, or was going to get the opportunity to do something new.”
Former Technical Director Scott O'Neil credited Cracraft with creating a compelling video during hiring freezes that convinced Navy leadership to allow renewed hiring. The video demonstrated NAWCWD's importance and workforce needs over time.
O’Neil described the frustration across leadership, “It doesn’t matter what the mission is if we don’t have anybody to do it.”
“It was the dynamic 30-second video, along with those relationships Richard had developed, that carried that message up the chain and allowed us to hire again,” O'Neil said.
O'Neil also commended Cracraft for implementing the Senior Scientific Technical Manager program.
“We had a lot of ways to promote people in management roles,” said O’Neil, “SSTM established a program so we could have a career path for technical work.”
Jeremy Vaughan, NAWCWD's chief strategy officer, said it was through Cracraft that he learned to be thankful in crisis.
Vaughan, formally the commanding officer for Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, recalled Cracraft's practical problem-solving when the installation lacked gate security resources. NAWCWD leadership, under Cracraft’s systematic approach, arranged for civilians to help staff entry gates, reducing traffic delays and getting the highly technical workforce back to critical tasking.
When Ridgecrest Regional Hospital's labor and delivery unit faced closure, Cracraft used Gallup Survey data to demonstrate how the loss would affect workforce retention and recruitment.
China Lake is already a challenging place to recruit talent, but it was the details of that survey, which highlighted how conflicted the current workforce would be without those vital medical services, and how quickly new recruits might leave to find a better option for their families, that helped push the issue up the chain and toward a solution.
"Having Richard at the table was key," Vaughan said. “Everybody's got a pantheon of folks in their life that have morphed them and change them and make them better. Richard is that for me.”
Eye on Hope - next chapter
“Richard has indeed led through crisis,” said NAWCWD Chief of Staff Genesis Johnson. “But even more importantly, he also kept his eye on hope.”
After successfully leading the charge through RIF, furloughs, pandemics, earthquakes and many administrative changes and executive orders, Cracraft has high hopes for the future, and will begin his next chapter in Grand Junction, Colorado with his wife of more than 30 years, Lori, who is also retiring with almost 20 years of government service.
“I’m lucky. I’m a lucky dad and a lucky husband,” said Cracraft.
He leaves behind a legacy of transparency and trust, along with a strong team to continue his work.
“You are all in good hands with this HR team,” Cracraft said. “I feel blessed to have been a part of it.”
| Date Taken: | 08.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2025 16:30 |
| Story ID: | 544845 |
| Location: | CHINA LAKE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 90 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Richard Cracraft retires after 38 years of service, by Deidre Patin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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