Two NNSY Employees Recognized During the 2025 NAVSEA Excellence Awards Ceremony
Photo By Laura Lakeway |
WASHINGTON, DC (June 11, 2026) - Vice Admiral Jim Downey, Commander, Naval Sea Systems......read moreread more
Photo By Laura Lakeway | WASHINGTON, DC (June 11, 2026) - Vice Admiral Jim Downey, Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and Ms. Leslie Joseph, Deputy Commander, Total Force and Corporate Operations, hosted the NAVSEA Excellence Awards in the auditorium. There were forty-three individual and group awards given out. (U.S. Navy photo by Laura Lakeway) see less
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Two NNSY Employees Recognized During the 2025 NAVSEA Excellence Awards Ceremony
In an annual celebration honoring excellence and innovation across the enterprise, two Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) employees were recognized for achievements in their respective fields during the 2025 Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Excellence Awards Ceremony June 11.
Vice Adm. James P. Downey, Commander of NAVSEA and Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Industrial Operations, who presided over the ceremony, said, “Today, we celebrate the innovators, the problem-solvers, bold leadership, and the dedicated professionals whose work ensures our Navy remains the most powerful maritime force in the world. The efforts of these individuals and teams directly contribute to the readiness of our fleet and the safety of our sailors.”
During the ceremony, Downey and Deputy Commander of Total Force and Corporate Operations Leslie Joseph presented awards to individuals and teams in 21 categories for their exceptional accomplishments across a range of categories, including Excellence in Acquisition, Excellence in Command Support, Excellence in Engineering, and many more. Of these awards of note, two showcased exceptional talent from America’s Shipyard – the Excellence in Safety Award presented to Code 106 Industrial Hygienist Laura McCann, and the Excellence in Force Generation presented to Code 300 Alteration Installation Team (AIT) Work Integration Leader (WIL) Amy DeGuzman.
McCann, who is the Respiratory Protection Program Manager (RPPM) at NNSY, was recognized for her effective approach to safeguarding the respiratory health of all NNSY personnel. She implemented an innovative solution to improve protection by onboarding new, more comfortable respirators, directly increasing compliance and worker safety on the waterfront. In addition, she also eliminated waste by identifying and correcting an issue with improper respiratory modifications, taking immediate action to educate the workforce and prevent future failures.
NNSY Safety Director Jon Elms noted, “Ms. McCann is a leader in revitalizing the workforce through modern learning and knowledge management. She developed and delivered critical training to supervisors on the interaction between engineering controls and PPE. By completely revising the written respiratory protection program and creating an updated cartridge change-out schedule, she has ensured safety knowledge is current, accessible, and sustained.”
He added, “She performs superbly in her position of responsibility, consistently going above and beyond by volunteering for exposure monitoring to gather data that drives policy. Her proactive safety initiatives directly support NAVSEA’s Culture of Affordability by generating significant cost avoidance, preventing injuries/illnesses, and minimizing lost work hours. Her work proves that investing in safety is fundamental to achieving efficiency and affordability.”
“I am incredibly grateful for this honor. Winning this award validates the daily effort it takes to maintain an uncompromising culture of safety,” said McCann. “Shipyards present unique, high-risk hazards when working in enclosed and confined spaces. In this line of work, safety directly impacts our mission readiness and protects the people delivering capabilities to the fleet. Safety is a team sport, and I hope this recognition inspires others to keep pushing for safer, more efficient ways to support the fleet.”
As the AIT WIL, DeGuzman provides expert oversight to ensure all AIT work is authorized, scheduled and compliant, proactively identifying and resolving any problems that may arise. In her daily job, she manages risks to project milestones and advises leadership on all issues that could impact key events, ensuring project integrity and safety. She was recognized for her pivotal contributions that helped pave the way to the success of the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) and USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) project teams at NNSY – directly enhancing fleet readiness.
“I have heavily focused on tracking and the accurate sharing of all data for our projects,” said DeGuzman. “When I saw a need to ensure our processes were met for on-time completion of the Bush project, I designed a new job tracking tool that provides leadership with real-time visibility into the progress of every alteration so that our team could meet the mark.” In addition, she was able to identify key needs ahead of the Ford’s arrival at NNSY, strengthening the knowledge and skills of her teammates so that they could be better prepared when the Ford project got underway.
Work Integration Manager Michael Ritchie noted, “As the AIT WIL, she consistently exceeds expectations and fosters a positive team environment that continues to excel due to her leadership. Her commitment to our mission, innovative problem-solving skills, and unwavering focus on safety makes her an invaluable asset to our organization.”
“I’m extremely proud of both Laura and Amy for their continued efforts to our mission in service to our nation,” said Norfolk Naval Shipyard Commander Rear Adm. Kavon Hakimzadeh. “Their outstanding and critical work has been vital to our successes at America’s Shipyard and their drive for excellence knows no bounds. I look forward to seeing them both continue to shine across our waterfront, and I hope they continue to inspire their fellow teammates to strive for that same level of excellence as well. Amazing job!”
