Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) recently announced that Mechanical Engineer Wilmer Ortiz Rodriguez was selected as the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Excellence Award Mentor of the Year winner for his role in rebuilding technical expertise, developing new engineers, and strengthening support for the Navy’s Arleigh Burke DDG 51 Flight III ships.
Ortiz Rodriguez serves as the Arleigh Burke DDG 51 Flight III Ship Service Gas Turbine Generator Team Lead. His work includes life cycle management, in-service engineering, system testing, analysis of system deficiencies, technical documentation, engineering change proposals, test procedures, and direct technical assistance to the fleet.
Ortiz Rodriguez will be formally presented his award during a ceremony on June 11 in the Washington Navy Yard. NSWCPD will also hold a Command-level ceremony later in June to celebrate his achievement.
This recognition highlights the resilience of the team mentored by Ortiz Rodriquez following a period of significant organizational transition. During the delivery and initial service entry of the first Flight III ship, the command focused on rebuilding specialized expertise and adapting to evolving workforce dynamics to ensure mission success. Three new Flight III team members were assigned through reassignments and rotations, but they arrived with limited experience on a complex system.
Ortiz Rodriguez responded by building a mentoring approach focused on readiness, technical ownership, and workforce development. He dedicated approximately 20 hours per week to teaching and mentorship while balancing his own workload. His mentoring included instruction, hands-on experience during on-site testing, and real-time coaching during technical events.
“Mentorship is more than answering questions,” Ortiz Rodriguez said. “It is about giving people the confidence, experience, and trust they need to make decisions when the Navy is depending on them. The goal was never just to rebuild a team. The goal was to build a team that could stand on its own, support the Sailors, and keep improving long after the first challenge was solved.”
That approach became especially important during a recent issue onboard USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125). Ortiz Rodriguez allowed two mentees to guide the process under his supervision, which helped the team identify and resolve the issue while building practical experience in a real-world environment.
As the team developed, Ortiz Rodriguez moved from direct instruction into a coaching role. Team members began taking ownership of increasingly complex projects, from developing Sailor training to performing root-cause analysis of fleet failures to delivering products independently in support of DDG Flight III Ship Service Gas Turbine Generators.
NSWCPD Surface Combatant/Gas Turbine Engineering Branch Manager Ryan Singer, Ortiz Rodriguez’s supervisor, said the award reflects Ortiz Rodriguez’s technical ability and his commitment to developing others.
“Wilmer understood that the command didn’t just need short-term help,” Singer said. “We needed a sustainable technical foundation for a growing class of ships. He gave his time, shared his knowledge, and created an environment where new team members could learn, ask questions, make decisions, and eventually lead. His mentorship directly improved our ability to support the Navy and the Sailors who rely on these systems.”
NSWCPD Propulsion, Power & Auxiliary Machinery Systems Department Head Karen Dunlevy Miller said Ortiz Rodriguez’s mentorship strengthened the team and the command’s ability to meet future mission demands.
“Wilmer saw a critical need and responded the way great mentors do, by investing in people,” Dunlevy Miller said. “He gave his team the knowledge, trust, and hands-on experience they needed to grow into independent technical contributors. That kind of mentorship strengthens NSWCPD, supports the Navy, and helps ensure our Sailors receive the technical support they need when it matters most.”
Ortiz Rodriguez is credited with helping NSWCPD create a deeper bench of In-Service Engineering Agents (ISEA) prepared to meet increasing demands as more DDG Flight III ships join the fleet. His efforts strengthened long-term capability, supported ship readiness, and aligned with NAVSEA’s values of teamwork and continuous improvement.
For Ortiz Rodriguez, the award reflects the team’s growth.
“This recognition means a great deal, but what matters most is seeing the team succeed,” Ortiz Rodriguez said. “When someone I mentored can take on a hard problem, work through it, and support the fleet with confidence, that is the real reward. That is how we build capability for the Navy and the Nation.”
NSWCPD employs about 2,700 civilian engineers, scientists, technicians, and support staff. The team focuses on research and development, testing and evaluation, acquisition support, and in-service and logistics engineering for non-nuclear machinery, ship machinery systems, and related equipment and materials for Navy surface ships and submarines. NSWCPD also serves as the main organization responsible for providing cybersecurity for all ship systems.