NSWCDD Technical Director Carl Siel and NSWCDD Commander Capt. Sheila Patterson applaud Kathleen Young at the command's annual Honorary Awards Ceremony Jan. 19 after presenting her with the Award of Excellence for Program Leadership. The new award recognizes project managers and program directors who have made major contributions to the Navy, Department of Defense, or other government organizations, as a result of demonstrated excellence in program management.

‘‘Today we celebrate the past year’s accomplishments and I look forward to being part of the accomplishments we celebrate in 2010,” said Carl Siel, NSWC Dahlgren Division’s new Technical Director.

‘‘Dahlgren is highly respected for its expertise and its reputation in delivering quality support to the Navy and in leading the way in systems engineering,” stated Siel.

‘‘Our awardees have made major contributions to a wide range of projects, representing the depth and breadth of capability and expertise,” said NSWC Dahlgren Division Commander Capt. Sheila Patterson.

‘‘At a time when other agencies and organizations are downsizing and showing revenue shortfalls, Dahlgren Division gained new work and new sponsors,” Patterson emphasized. ‘‘And we were able to do this as a result of your hard work and excellent program execution across the Center.”

Patterson and Siel, presenting the awards in morning and afternoon sessions at the Dahlgren Base Theater, honored the awardees before their coworkers, family and friends.

‘‘The awardees we are honoring are diverse and multi-talented,” Patterson told the audience. ‘‘Spanning from 30-plus year veterans to relatively new hires, they are scientists, engineers and technical support specialists. Each one has played a vital role in making sure we get the work done for the Navy and the nation.”

Cmdr. Scott Shepard received the C.J. Rorie Award, established to recognize military personnel assigned to NSWCDD whose excellence in the performance of their duties contributed significantly to the effectiveness of the Division's military operation.

Shepard was honored for his leadership and superior support to the tactical and non-tactical data collection initiatives during several high profile real-world missile defense missions.

Bernard Smith Award

Two Dahlgren employees were recognized with the Bernard Smith Award, established to recognize individuals with exceptional, significant and technical contributions in engineering or science, especially those made in the face of unusual odds or significant opposition.

Carol Watkins, Engagement Systems Department mechanical engineer, was recognized for her perseverance and dedication leading and motivating the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Gun Mission Module (GMM) Team to meet the ever increasing demands of the LCS program.

Gary Minor, Warfare Systems Department lead engineer, was cited for a decade of outstanding leadership, professionalism, and technical contributions to system engineering within the U.S. Navy, the Missile Defense Agency and the Department of Defense.

In-House LaboratoryIndependent ResearchExcellence Award

Dr. Kevin Boulais and Dr. Francisco Santiago received the In-house Laboratory Independent Research (ILIR) Excellence Award, granted to an individual or group whose research results exhibit outstanding technical or scientific merit, are relevant to the mission and thrusts of NSWCDD, and will have a positive effect on other efforts in the division.

Boulais and Santiago were honored for their contribution in the project “Strontium Fluoride Growth on GaAs using Extremely Low Sublimation Pressures for Sensor Fusion“. The project’s results helped to solve one of the fundamental problems in the newly emergent field of metamaterials.

Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award

There were 10 winners of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award. The award recognizes those individuals whose leadership or important contributions to major projects of the division have demonstrated outstanding achievement.

Keith Cook was recognized for his outstanding technical contributions and leadership in Navy Launching System Programs.

Frankie Stevens was cited for his commitment and dedication in qualifying and fielding the mortar and suite of ammo for the U.S. Marine Corps Expeditionary Fire Support System.

Chris Scranton was honored for his leadership and contributions to TRIDENT fire control system life extension updates.

Donald Todaro was recognized for exceptional performance and leadership in executing the Tomahawk Weapon Control System Version 5 development.

Dr. John Crigler, a leading mathematical statistician at NSWCDD throughout his career, provided statistical support for all command technical and operations departments. He solved many challenging problems requiring innovative statistical techniques.

Scott Griffiths was cited for his tri-service leadership of more than 20 non-lethal vehicle stopping and counter electronics efforts that will bring new capabilities to the Department of Defense.

Timothy Carsola was honored for his role in defining the next-generation air missile defense requirements. His dedication led to new air defense capabilities that will be utilized by the surface Navy for years to come.

David Richardson, a nationally recognized combat systems engineer, was commended for his perseverance, dedication, and leadership in helping shape and mature complex engineering services and capabilities at NSWCDD.

Thomas O’Neill was recognized for outstanding leadership and significant contributions that strengthened the U.S. Navy’s posture in afloat anti-terrorism and force protection.

William Tremper was commended for exceptional leadership and tireless dedication to providing improved counter-IED force protection capabilities to U.S. Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dr. James E. Colvard Award

Two employees were honored with the Dr. James E. Colvard Award. The Colvard award recognizes those individuals who, through their leadership, have made substantial contributions to the development of the Dahlgren Laboratory as a technical institution.

Gregory Miller, a national expert in computing systems engineering, provided exceptional leadership and contributions in the area of computing systems engineering.

Michael Pompeii’s outstanding contributions impacted crucial command and NAVSEA programs in addition to CBR defense while he served as Asymmetric Defense Systems deputy department head and as chief engineer for the CBR Defense Division.

Award of Excellence inSystems Engineering

Twelve employees received the Award of Excellence in Systems Engineering that was established to recognize those systems engineers whose leadership has contributed significantly to customers getting what they need and to systems engineering as a discipline at NSWCDD.

Jon Frederick for outstanding leadership in establishing the Platforms System Safety mission. His dedication to safety standards is fostering a culture that reduces operational risk for the warfighter, resulting in NSWCDD’s recognition as a center of excellence for shipboard safety.

Scott Gardner for his outstanding work in the systems engineering areas of requirements engineering, requirements traceability, and compliance assessment for the SM-3 Missile as part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program.

Ralph Stewart, the systems engineering lead on the Full Spectrum Effects Platform and the M9 Armored Combat Earthmover programs, for outstanding systems engineering leadership to both programs simultaneously.

James Greeson for his leadership, professionalism, and technical contributions to system engineering for submarine weapon control systems. He provided continuous outstanding systems engineering contributions to the Strategic Systems Program during the design, development and deployment of the U.S. Mod 6 and UK Mod 7 Fire Control Systems.

Stephen Kintzel for his contributions to the Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile Program. The Dahlgren lead strategic targeting systems engineer is at the forefront of concept development and design of recently increased capabilities and flexibility for the deployed SLBM systems.

Timothey Patrick for his technical leadership and expertise for all systems engineering activities within the Tomahawk program. He spearheaded the move towards a DoD architecture framework methodology with the goal of NSWCDD being recognized as a leader in DODAF and systems architecture.

Larry Wilkerson for his lead role in the design and development of the Maintain Attack Relative Timing capability associated with Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile Retargeting System program. This important new capability for the Strategic Weapon System was a critical initial enabler for the Nuclear Posture Review-driven enhancements.

Kurt Mikoleit’s outstanding leadership in the discipline of electromagnetic environmental effects led to his assignments in leadership roles in many front line programs including Tomahawk missile, DDG 1000 and CG(X).

Mark Katrancha for his outstanding systems engineering contributions to the delivery of Joint Counter Radio-controlled improvised explosive device Electronic Warfare (JCREW) products to the warfighter.

Roxanne Harvey for her consistently outstanding contributions to the mission of the Warfare Systems Department. Her cost analyses profoundly impacted the Navy’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense investment decisions and have advanced many radar development programs through the DoD acquisition process.

Howard Woodard, a national expert in combat systems engineering, for over 20 years of outstanding achievements to the Aegis program that have furthered the science of combat systems engineering at NSWCDD.

Carlos Lama, influential in the advancement of force protection capabilities for operational forces, for exceptional leadership and technical excellence in his role as technical manager and lead systems engineer for the Joint Force Protection Advanced Security System Joint Capability Technology Demonstration.

Technology-to-SeaExcellence Award

NSWC Dahlgren Laboratory's Technology-to-Sea Excellence Award was given to seven employees and one group for science and technology base work that made a notable impact on Navy warfighting capability.

The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Engineering Prototyping Team was honored for designing and integrating Service-specific kits to modify previously vulnerable features of vehicles used by warfighters in Iraq. These upgrade kits have been incorporated into the production lines and are essential for the safe and efficient operations of thousands of vehicles in Iraq. This team’s work on MRAP upgrades has directly supported and improved the overall safety of the warfighter.

John Seel’s leadership was instrumental in providing products rapidly to meet Marine Corps and Army warfighter needs. His involvement led to deployment of the Full Spectrum Effects Platform capability by Army units aboard Stryker vehicles that remain in theater today.

Mike Henthorne and Brian Eaddy led the engineering and programmatic effort to rapidly integrate the Vertical Takeoff and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) Fire Scout weapon system on FFG class ships. The integrated VTUAV Fire Scout⁄FFG platform brings a new critical over-the-horizon sensor capability to the fleet.

Calvin Jones’ leadership and dedication was instrumental in establishing the Personnel Reliability Program at NSWCDD to meet the Secretary of the Navy’s safeguarding requirements for Nuclear Certified Computer Data.

Jason Bardine’s efforts related to addressing significant performance challenges with shipboard electronic warfare and SATCOM systems have resulted in advancing technology at sea.

Robert Band developed a variety of cutting edge technologies that have saved American and coalition lives. His efforts positively impacted the United States’ asymmetric warfighting capabilities and resulted in the fielding of the right systems to address combatant commander operational needs.

Matthew Traugh, governing oversight authority for the installation of chemical, biological and radiological detection equipment throughout the Fleet, was honored for executing the program’s successful fielding of the Joint Biological Point Detection System and the Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic System.

Dr. Charles J. Cohen Science & Technology Excellence Award

Five employees received the Dr. Charles J. Cohen Science and Technology Excellence Award. This award is named in honor of Dr. Charles Cohen, a distinguished scientist and mathematician at the Dahlgren Laboratory from 1944 to 1978 who is renowned for his pioneering work in exterior ballistics and satellite geodesy. The award is given to the individual whose work at NSWCDD had a fundamental impact on science or technology and a measurable impact on capability.

Dr. Arthur Mabbett for his efforts in developing a new methodology to efficiently analyze the full thermal time history of a detailed hypersonic projectile system throughout its trajectory.

Steve Rowles for his outstanding work in the areas of lethality and effectiveness analysis tool development and data post-processing. His ability to envision solutions before problems are identified and to develop advanced models with user-friendly graphical user interfaces has advanced the state of the art in weapon lethality and effectiveness analysis.

Mark Anderson for his research in weapon system accuracy and in the mathematical modeling of ice and liquid water content environments to assess weapon system impacts.

Dr. Louis DeChiaro for his outstanding accomplishments in the areas of electromagnetic sensor technology development and research into the area of low-energy nuclear reactions.

Bruce Kimberlin for his technological vision and software development process transformation that resulted in the architectural foundation that all future mission assurance software efforts will build upon.

Paul J. Martini Award

The Paul J. Martini Award, presented to 15 employees, was established to recognize individuals whose dedication and excellence of performance in a support function made a significant contribution to NSWCDD.

Leslie Jordan for excellent stewardship and superior customer service as program manager of NSWC Dahlgren Division’s Transportation Incentive Program and Permanent Change of Station Orders Coordinator.

Audrey Jennings for outstanding contributions to NSWCDD and the Operations Department. The numerous business office functions she performs touch nearly every employee in the department and have an impact across the command.

Jacqueline Cheramie for extraordinary dedication to duty in her performance as network security officer and leading the successful completion of three System Security Authorization Agreement packages.

Linda Coleman for ‘‘making expert contracting management happen” and the contracting counsel she provided to the Mission Assurance Division, ensuring that each contracting effort was carried out in the approved manner.

John Kaelin for his demonstrated leadership and dedication to continuous improvement of NSWC Dahlgren Division’s explosives safety program.

Allyson Regan for her caring, timely and outstanding labor and employee relations support to the Engagement Systems Department, the Strategic and Weapon Control Systems Department and other customers.

Debra Amthor for outstanding support and administration of finances for the Test and Evaluation Division of the Engagement Systems Department.

Kellie Pearson for outstanding administrative support in human relations for the Engagement Systems Department.

Daniel Reedal for outstanding leadership in providing a key facilities support role for the Strategic and Weapon Control Systems Department.

Christa Whaling for sustained excellence, professionalism and dedication to the administration of facilities, personnel, and financial tracking support functions for the Tomahawk program.

Cassandra Booth for developing the current and future secretarial workforce while maintaining a professional demeanor and superior attitude.

Maria Clark for her devotion to bettering the security posture of the Electromagnetic and Sensor Systems Department and NSWCDD. She took the department’s security organization from an idea to reality and contributed directly to the success of projects and programs.

Michele Fogg for her dedication, leadership, and expertise in managing the transition of the Integrated Combat System Test Facility personnel, financial operations and tasking to NSWC Dahlgren Division.

Elizabeth Garnett for exceptional human resource assistance, financial management oversight and facilities support to the Chemical, Biological and Radiological Defense Division’s leadership and missions.

Kelly Jewell for outstanding contributions to the Asymmetric Defense Department, Chemical, Biological and Radiological Defense Division, and Collective Protection and Integration Branch.

Human Awareness Award

NSWC Dahlgren Division’s Human Awareness Award was granted to two individuals who have been instrumental in improving interpersonal relations and⁄or in recognizing individual worth and dignity through creativity and personal initiative.

Elma Williams-Coleman for her commitment to employee and human awareness. She served in leadership positions in many human and employee awareness organizations and functions, including: President of Blacks in Government, co-chair of the 27th Annual Barbara Hicks Geslock Women’s Forum, and founder of the Professional Greeters Club. In addition, she mentors youth as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and WISE.

Sean Locker for his outstanding efforts to recruit, hire and mentor wounded veterans and other persons with disabilities. Over the past three years, he has made numerous recruiting trips to Walter Reed Army Medical Center and has spent countless hours of his own time helping wounded service members re-integrate into civilian life. Through his passion and commitment, NSWCDD has tapped into a vastly underutilized source of talent who will help solve problems for the Navy and the nation well into the 21st Century.

Distinguished Community Service Award

NSWCDD’s Distinguished Community Service Award is an honorary award designed to recognize individuals and groups who make unique contributions to their communities through volunteer service. Three employees were presented with the award.

Debbie Fausey shared her time and talents with the King George Fire and Rescue and American Heart Association as a volunteer and an instructor of EMT, CPR and first aid. Additionally she supports the Moss Free Clinic, providing medical screening for those in need. She also currently serves as a board member of the Executive Women’s Golf Association.

Sharon Parish for her many years of dedication and service to the African-American community by her volunteer involvement with several African-American outreach organizations. Through these organizations and as command recruiter, she has been a leader that has positively impacted the African-American youth in encouraging them to pursue careers in science and technology and increasing the cultural diversity of the workforce at Dahlgren.

Shermanda Williams was recognized for her work with the local youth as a foster parent, tutor through her church and mentor for the Workforce Recruitment Program for college students with disabilities. Her willingness to reach out and make an impact on the lives of young people when often they have no one else is overwhelming.

Leadership Award forEmployee Development

Seven employees and one group received the Leadership Award for Employee Development that was established to recognize leadership, commitment and exemplary contributions to the development of others.

William Houchins for demonstrating exemplary leadership in the area of explosive and non-explosive test and evaluation. His deep technical expertise coupled with his inimitable ability to coach and mentor, provide a consistent flow of knowledge and growth to future Navy leaders.

Melissa Lederer for her efforts in the pursuit of workforce development within the Systems Safety Engineering Division.

Everett Wiles for outstanding leadership and exemplary performance in the execution of his duties and development of future leaders.

Robert Headley for his efforts to grow employees and to instill in them a clear understanding of the importance and relevance of their contributions.

Richard Moran for his leadership and dedication in support of establishing a fast growing organization with a strong technical reputation and a commitment to becoming a national leader in directed energy.

Darren Barnes for developing and leading scientists and engineers – the next generation of leaders. He is significantly responsible for the command’s ability to train and retain highly qualified scientists and engineers.

Matthew Hornbaker for instilling a culture of collaboration among personnel in the Concepts and Exploration Branch and the Chemical, Biological and Radiological Defense Division. Under his leadership, the products being developed in his branch are having a direct and positive impact on the warfighter in the area of CBR Defense.

The Virginia Demonstration Project Team for their outstanding participation in outreach activities at area middle schools to plant the seeds for careers in science and engineering with our future workforce.

Award of Excellence forProgram Leadership

Two employees received the Award of Excellence for Program Leadership, the command’s new award established to recognize project managers and program directors at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Laboratory who have made major contributions to the Department of the Navy, DoD, or other government organizations, as a result of demonstrated excellence in program management. Awardees are recognized within Navy, DoD, or other government organizations, as well as by their peers and supervisors, for their technical breadth and depth of the subject area and as leaders in program management. Excellence in customer satisfaction, demonstrated corporate perspective, and a recognized impact in a Dahlgren-wide role are the primary criteria for this award.

Brian Seay for significant technical leadership as the program director for the Aegis Program. Through his leadership, the Navy is able to deliver the next generation Aegis systems with significantly improved warfighting capability while achieving significant cost savings. With Seay’s technical and programmatic direction, the Navy has been able to define the next generation Aegis Combat System and NSWCDD has assumed the technical lead in forging the way ahead.

Kathleen Young for exceptional technical and programmatic leadership in the areas of telecommunications and global information grid infrastructure. She leads the analysis of critical telecommunication infrastructure and the development of tools that provide anomaly detection and assessment of specific critical infrastructure. Under Young’s leadership, the command continues to meet and exceed requirements of the Navy, DoD and interagency leaders.

Award of Merit for Group Achievement

The Award of Merit for Group Achievement honored 14 groups of employees whose efforts have high value to NSWCDD. The award is intended to promote the spirit of teamwork among employees and give recognition to group effort where cooperation has contributed to the success of this group.

The ACBO8 Electronic Data Transfer Initiative Team designed, developed, and deployed the ability to perform high-speed, secure large data file transfers over a network encrypted link for Aegis program data.

The Non-Line of Sight Launching System (NLOS-LS) Restrained Firing Solution Development Team was recognized for the commitment and success in the design and development of the NLOS-LS interfacing hardware which will provide the Navy with a new capability to defend against the ever increasing small boat threat.

UK 542 Software Special Weapons Test Team for exceptional service in support of the UK Trident II Strategic Weapons System Program. Because of their outstanding efforts, hard work, and dedication, the UK Trident II Program has realized an extremely successful initial 542 software installation and is well-positioned for future software revisions.

The Generic Data Extraction, Analysis & Reduction Development Team for the design and development of the Generic Data Extraction, Analysis and Reduction (GeDEAR) project. This capability, which provides the generic capability to capture and analyze critical system data, has transitioned to the Tactical Tomahawk Weapon Control System, the Littoral Combat System, the Shipboard Protection System, and the Common Weapon Control System. The implementation of this single tool across multiple programs has resulted in an estimated cost savings of $850,000.

The Strategic Weapons Systems Maintenance Information Network and Attack Weapon System Maintenance Information Network (SWSMIN⁄AMIN) Refresh Team for their outstanding performance in support of the SP23 SWSMIN⁄AMIN Refresh effort. Because of their technical expertise and dedication, the U.S. Navy SSBN, SSGN and UK SSBN fleets will be supported with improved hardware and software elements which directly support various tactical subsystems maintenance and onboard fleet training.

The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Test and Evaluation Team for their outstanding execution of multiple test events over the past 18 months. With the entire world watching these events and the future of the Aegis BMD program riding on the outcome, the NSWCDD T&E Team exhibited exemplary dedication to making both current and future Aegis BMD missions a success.

The Joint Counter Remote Electronic Warfare (JCREW) Baseline 3.2 Development and Test and Evaluation Team for providing extraordinary effort in producing a system that will provide the warfighter with advanced protection capability and setting a standard in test methodology that is now used across the community.

The USMC Ground⁄Air Task Oriented Radar (G⁄ATOR) Team for their efforts in preparation for and support of the G⁄ATOR development. Their diligence in overcoming technical obstacles and aggressive schedules has led to the successful completion of the critical design review and the start of the Code, Integration and Test phase of G⁄ATOR enabling the Marine Corps to come one step closer to fielding this transformational radar system.

The High-Energy Fiber Laser Demonstration Team for developing and field testing new high-energy laser technology for use as a close-in weapon system. This effort has taken a relatively new technology and demonstrated a potential new directed energy capability for the Navy.

The Aegis Forward Fit Systems Engineering Team for completing technical assessments and analyses in addition to developing and delivering products critical for the program to maintain schedule.

The Aegis Fielding Team for completion of the verification, validation, certification and deployment of significant Aegis Combat Systems capabilities. The team overcame numerous resource hurdles to meet major milestones including safety program requirements, ship installations, qualification trials and certification.

The Overhead Persistent Infrared Analysis Team for advancing and improving the use of space-based infrared sensor data. Their leadership contributed greatly to the command’s successful efforts towards the development of a ballistic missile defense capability that provides protection for U.S. forces, allies and the nation.

The Hydra Hunter Program Engineering and Testing Team for being directly responsible for significant numbers of U.S. lives saved on the battlefield through their development of innovative technologies designed to deny and degrade the warfighting capabilities of terrorists and insurgents.

The NSWC Biological Defense Quality Assurance Sample Technical Laboratory Team for implementing a series of changes directly resulting in increased performance and sponsor confidence and satisfaction.

‘‘Clearly, this is an outstanding group of individuals who exemplify the core Navy values of honor, courage and commitment,” concluded Patterson.

‘‘Our award recipients have played a very prominent leadership role in satisfying NSWC Dahlgren Division’s strategic objective of being viewed as a 21st century center of excellence for leadership in complex systems engineering and systems integration.

‘‘They minimized costs while maximizing flexibility and response to customer needs and made significant contributions to strengthening the U.S. Navy’s posture in afloat anti-terrorism and force protection.”