TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Twentynine Palms launched a new “Commanding Officer for a Day” initiative on Feb. 19, 2026 aimed at strengthening leadership development and providing junior officers a firsthand look at the responsibilities of command.
Commanding officer Capt. Janiese Cleckley said the program was created to help prepare the next generation of Navy leaders by exposing them early to the realities of senior leadership.
“A major part of our responsibility as leaders is to develop others and to train ourselves out of our jobs — develop the next senior leaders,” Cleckley said. “The impetus for this program is just that — ensuring that our Navy is positioned for success by developing our junior officers now for the challenges ahead. This program is designed to give junior officers a firsthand look at the responsibilities and challenges of command. I believe this is an effective leadership development tool that will yield huge dividends for our future leaders.”
Through the program, participants shadow the commanding officer during a full day of meetings, decision-making sessions and engagements across the command. Cleckley said the goal is to provide a deeper understanding of how leadership decisions affect the organization as a whole.
“By shadowing the commanding officer, participants gain a unique perspective on decision-making — they witness how a CO (commanding officer) analyzes information, weighs options, and makes critical decisions that affect the entire command,” she said. “They observe leadership in action, how the CO interacts with different departments and motivates and inspires the crew. They also gain a broader understanding of how their own roles contribute to the overall mission.”
Cleckley emphasized that the initiative directly supports Navy Medicine’s broader goals of developing leaders and maintaining a ready medical force.
“As a medical department, we are integral to the readiness and health of the force and, as such, vital to the success of the overall mission and sustainment of our national defense strategy,” she said. “The ‘Commanding Officer for a Day’ program, while informal, strongly aligns with Navy Medicine’s goals of developing future leaders and ensuring the operational readiness of its medical forces.”
She explained the program complements formal training such as the Basic Readiness Officer Course, Advanced Readiness Officer Course and Division Officer Leadership Course by giving participants a practical view of how leadership theory is applied in daily operations.
“In essence, while formal training provides the ‘what’ of leadership, the ‘CO for a Day’ program provides the ‘how,’” Cleckley said. “It’s a practical and effective way to develop the next generation of Navy Medicine leaders and ensure that the medical force is always ready to meet its operational commitments.”
Interim executive officer Cmdr. William “Bill” Lawson said the command designed a nomination-based selection process to ensure high-performing junior officers have the opportunity to participate.
“We are providing the opportunity for each of our individual directors to nominate one of their hard-charging junior officers that are O-1 to O-3 to participate,” Lawson said. “Knowing we have a lot of newer Nurse Corps officers who have recently come to the command, we started with our chief nursing officer to nominate one of his officers, and our first participant, Lt. Gillian Gutierres, was hungry for the opportunity.”
Lawson said the experience is intended to demystify senior leadership and show that leadership principles remain consistent across ranks.
“I believe it was a very eye-opening experience for Lt. Gutierres,” he said. “Having come from a much larger command, she told us she didn’t have much interaction with previous command leadership. It was an opportunity for us to show her that leadership doesn’t need to change as you move through the ranks and positions — just the scope of what you influence grows a little wider.”
Lt. Gillian Elizabeth Gutierres, a native of Indianapolis who onboarded at NMRTC Twentynine Palms on Jan. 2, 2026, and serves as department head of the Maternal Infant Nursing Department and Multi Service Ward, was selected as the program’s inaugural participant.
Gutierres said she initially felt both uncertain and excited when notified of her selection.
“As a new member of the command, I was initially apprehensive and unsure of what to expect,” she said. “However, I was eager to understand the broader operations of a Navy command beyond my own department’s focus. I recognized that it is easy to become solely focused on one’s own work, and I was eager to gain a more all-inclusive perspective of the command’s daily activities.”
During her day in the role, Gutierres attended an executive steering committee (ESC) meeting and observed command-level decision-making, which she said highlighted the complexity of leadership at the top.
“Participating in the ESC meeting provided a strategic perspective, showing an example of the interconnectedness between the command and other departments,” she said. “It also gave insight on the rationale behind key organizational initiatives. Someone can easily lose sight of the full scope and complexity of the command’s overall operations if they are unaware of everything happening behind the scenes.”
Gutierres said the experience reshaped how she views leadership and communication within Navy Medicine.
“This experience helped show the importance of a broader perspective, emphasizing the full scope of the command’s operations,” she said. “I also observed the communication dynamics and collaborative processes between the CO, XO (executive officer) and CMC (command master chief), which offered a great leadership model that I plan to implement with my own team. This experience reinforced that effective communication is of the utmost importance to ensure we are always mission ready.”
She encouraged future participants to fully immerse themselves in the program if given the opportunity.
“Take in all the information you can!” Gutierres expressed. “This experience provided an incredible opportunity to absorb a wide range of information, from high-level command meetings to interactions with personnel across all departments. The record review from the commanding officer was particularly insightful, and the mentorship was extensive with guidance offered not only by the CO but also by the XO, CMC, and the many officers and enlisted personnel involved in daily operations.”
Cleckley said Gutierres’ performance set a strong foundation for the program’s future.
“Lt. Gutierrez exceeded all expectations,” Cleckley said. “She demonstrated exceptional professionalism, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor while being notably intrigued and intellectually curious. She gained a profound appreciation for the breadth and complexity of the commanding officer’s responsibilities and the critical need for adaptability in leadership.”
Command leaders say the initiative will continue to rotate among directorates, building a cadre of officers with a deeper understanding of command-level leadership and the strategic role Navy Medicine plays in supporting the warfighter.
By pairing real-world exposure with mentorship Cleckley hopes the program will reinforce a culture of readiness and continuous development across the command.
“This investment in junior officers can boost morale and retention, ultimately leading to a more experienced and capable medical force,” she said. “It helps ensure a continuous pipeline of qualified and inspired leaders ready to take on the challenges ahead.”