Photo By Scott Pittman | Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport recently welcomed Lt. Cmdr. Kristen...... read more read more
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Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport recently welcomed Lt. Cmdr. Kristen "Xena" Curtis as Detachment San Diego’s new officer in charge.
An Akron, Ohio native, Curtis graduated from the University of Akron with a double major in marketing and entrepreneurship, then commissioned into the Navy, motivated by a calling to serve her country.
“I always had a desire to serve,” she said. “I looked at some of my close friends from college who had these big dreams but never followed through with them, so I came to the realization that I wanted to take the leap and serve and see the world, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.”
Curtis’ sea and shore assignments have provided her with a broad understanding of naval operations. Her sea duty includes assignments aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73) and the Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Sioux City (LCS 11).
During her time on the Sioux City, she served as the main propulsion assistant and damage control officer, overseeing the ship’s commissioning and sailing it through the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway before formally commissioning it at the Naval Academy.
Curtis’ shore assignments include training officer and executive officer of the Beachmaster Unit One reserve unit and future plans officer at Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. She also worked as a government civilian managing ship and shore modernization programs, an experience she says gave her a unique understanding of the challenges faced by the civilian workforce. In her previous civilian role, she served as ship and shore C4I modernization assistant program manager.
During her first tour on the Port Royal, Curtis led a junior division in rebuilding the vessel and returning it to operational readiness after it had fallen into disrepair amid debates about its decommissioning. Reflecting on this experience, she said, "I learned a lot about grit and resilience and leaning on my team and learning the Navy basics during this tour."
As OIC of Detachment San Diego, Curtis ensures the team is trained, equipped and ready to deliver technical support to the fleet. Her efforts directly support the Naval Sea Systems Command Enterprise Strategy Lines of Effort, particularly "Generate Readiness" and "Strengthen the Navy Team."
She said her priorities include “supporting the mission of [Warfare Center Headquarters], being ready in the event of conflict, ensuring our facilities and equipment support the training and readiness of Sailors, ships and submarines, and maintaining a command climate of innovation and service to each other, the Sailors and our country.”
Detachment San Diego Site Lead Mark Sergi praised Curtis’ work as OIC: “She’s been great. She’s genuinely interested in who we are as individual people as well as what we do. She wants to contribute and apply her knowledge and her experience to make us better. It’s a great fit—she’s engaged, she’s learning, and she’s not just coming in here to maintain the status quo, but to make the organization better.”
“She’s one of the best examples I’ve seen of someone who says, ‘I want to serve my country—how can I do it to the best of my ability?’ said Jose Freire-Avina, a mechanical engineer at the detachment. “Having someone who will advocate for us so we can do our best for the fleet will do wonders for the detachment.”
Cmdr. Derek Strauser, a mentor to Curtis and her former commanding officer at BMU1, added, “She has a lot of passion for our Sailors—helping others is the central theme with anything she does. People are going to be excited to work with someone who can juggle a lot and still keep sight of what the command needs.”
Curtis said her goals are to build a culture of open communication and respect where information moves freely and employees feel heard. She is currently working on her command philosophy, which will be centered on open communication, effective listening, respect and continuous improvement.
“It's critical to have information flow up and down the chain of command so all parties are aware of priorities, hurdles and missions,” she said, adding, “I encourage other perspectives and ideas; this leads to innovation and improvement.”
Curtis continued to pursue her education and leadership training throughout her career. She completed Joint Professional Military Education Phase I and the Maritime Security Operators Course in 2024. She was also selected for the Department of War’s highly competitive Executive Leadership Development Program—a course with a roughly 1% selection rate—finishing in 2025. She remains active in the ELDP alumni program and is working toward a master’s degree in leadership and ethics studies through the Naval War College.
Outside of work, Curtis enjoys crafting, wine tasting, and training and coaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai. She and her fiancé have two dogs, two cats, a parrot and fish.
-KPT-
Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport is headquartered in the state of Washington on the Puget Sound, about 10 miles west of Seattle. To provide ready support to Fleet operational forces at all major Navy homeports in the Pacific, NUWC Division, Keyport maintains detachments in San Diego, California and Honolulu, Hawaii, and remote operating sites in Guam; Japan; Hawthorne, Nevada; and Portsmouth, Virginia. At NUWC Division, Keyport, our diverse and highly skilled team of engineers, scientists, technicians, administrative professionals and industrial craftsmen work tirelessly to develop, maintain and sustain undersea warfare superiority for the United States.
| Date Taken: | 11.14.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.18.2025 12:41 |
| Story ID: | 551156 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 498 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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