Fellow NOAA Corps officers,
Throughout our career as NOAA Corps officers, we are expected to acquire new skills and knowledge to become more competent in our current billet and to become effective leaders aligning with organizational values and goals. While the NOAA Corps is part of the Department of Commerce, many officers are not formally or directly involved at the Department level and may not be aware of the Department's values and goals.
The Department of Commerce has one overarching purpose: Helping the American Economy Grow. The Department's mission is to "create the conditions for economic growth and opportunity." This mission is accomplished through five strategic goals:
The Department of Commerce 2018-2022 Strategic Plan goes into detail on these strategic goals and is a great place to learn more about organizational values and goals. Appendix C is a table to view which strategic objectives involve NOAA employees. The Department of Commerce FY2019 Budget in Brief outlines the Department's budget and describes each of the Bureaus within the Department and how they contribute to the overarching purpose. I encourage all officers to review this information to better understand our role within the Department.
CAPT Devin Brakob, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
| 06 - 10 May 2019 | East Coast Hurricane Awareness Tour |
| 07 May 2019 | BOTC 133 Graduation |
| 22 May 2019 | Aviation Advisory Board |
| 05 Jun 2019 | Officer Assignment Board |
| 22 Jul 2019 | BOTC 134 commences |
| ENS Kermit Farrow | 22 Jun 2019 |
| LCDR Kyle Byers | 29 Jun 2019 |
| LT Michael Hirsch | 30 Jun 2019 |
| LTJG Daniel Devereaux | 31 Jul 2019 |
| CDR Scott Price | 01 Aug 2019 |
| LT Bennett Singletary | 28 Aug 2019 |
| CAPT Mark Wetzler | 01 Oct 2019 |
| CDR Holly Jablonski | 01 Oct 2019 |
| CDR Richard Hester | 01 Oct 2019 |
| CAPT Michael Ellis | 01 Nov 2019 |
| CAPT Barry Choy | 01 Nov 2019 |
The Officer Recruiting Branch is requesting two officers, preferably at the O-3/O-4 rank, in each of the following regions to conduct interviews for BOTC 135 candidates from approximately June 1 - June 30, 2019 (schedule is flexible):
Interviewers can expect to see about five applicants. The regional interview process has received positive reviews from senior leadership, and having a dedicated group of interviewers will normalize scores and make them more valuable to the BOTC Selection Board.
If you are interested or would like more information, please contact LT Rico Rodriguez at chief.noaacorps.recruiting@noaa.gov by May 31, 2019.
The NOAA Association of Commissioned Officers (ACO) administers the Annual Junior Officer of the Year, Science, and Engineering Awards. The ACO recognizes the wide range of accomplishments and contributions of NOAA's uniformed personnel, and encourages all commands consider nominating officers for these honors. Nominations for the 2018 awards are due by July 01, 2019.
Nomination Procedure: A nomination for a NOAA ACO award shall consist of at least two pages. The first page shall be a cover memo addressed to the National ACO, stating the name, grade, billet title, and job description of the nominated officer. The following page(s) shall be the personal comments of the nominator, which reflect the basis for the nomination. Nominations should include a detailed description of the officer's duties and accomplishments, and the positive impact of those achievements on the Agency and the Service. All commands and field offices are encouraged to submit officer nominations for these awards. Candidates for Junior Officer of the Year must be nominated by a supervisor in their chain of command, while the Science and Engineering award nominations may be made by the supervisor or any commissioned officer.
Submit nominations via e-mail to noaacorpsdcaco@gmail.com, by COB July 01, 2019. In the nomination email please have the supporting files attached as .PDF or readable by Microsoft Word.
The subject line of the nomination email should be "Junior Officer of the Year Nomination", "Science Award", or "Engineering Award" as appropriate. This will assist the selection committee with accurate tracking and sorting of the nominations. Junior officers with civilian supervisors are encouraged to forward them this information. For more information on the awards, please refer to the NOAA Corps Directives on Awards (Chapter 12 Part 7).
The Small Craft Command and Chief of Party ODU tapes are in stock at the USCG Uniform Distribution Center. They are not yet available on the website, but may be ordered by phone at 800-874-6841 or 609-861-1221. The product codes are below. Cost is $2.27 each.
Small Craft Command – udc code NOAABBSOSC
Chief of Party – udc code NOAABBSOCOP
For any questions, please email the Uniform and Awards Board, noaacorps.uab@noaa.gov.
An Officer Assignment Board (OAB) for O-4/O-5 assignments will be held on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. The OAB will be prepared to look at potential O-4/O-5 officers and assignments up to 18 months from now. Any officer scheduled to rotate to shore duty within the next 18 months should contact incumbents and supervisors in their billets of interest, and also contact the appropriate line office liaison officers with your interests. Please ensure your assignment preferences are up to date, and contact the assignment coordinator, CDR Stephen Kuzirian, with any questions at 301-713-7694 or assignmentbranch.cpc@noaa.gov.
An Aviation Advisory Board will convene in late July 2019 to recommend selected officers to the Officer Assignment Board for initial flight training. The NOAA Corps will be selecting officers from the fleet who are interested in transitioning to aviation. Start dates for flight training will be determined based on the needs of the service and rotation dates of the officers selected. Previous flight experience is not required for this opportunity however, it is highly encouraged and will help applicants determine if aviation is a desirable career path. Time in Service limits are waived for the purpose of this candidate selection, however it may be a factor that is weighed in the board's decision.
Requirements for the NOAA Corps Aviation Selection Process:
Notify CDR Stephen Kuzirian (assignmentbranch.cpc@noaa.gov) or (301) 713-7694, by COB, June 15, 2019, if you are interested in this opportunity. AOC will be responsible for conducting interviews between May and July for all applicants. Completed aviation application packages must arrive at the Commissioned Personnel Center by COB, July 15, 2019.
For questions about NOAA aviation careers and the application process, contact CDR Brad Fritzler (bradley.fritzler@noaa.gov) or (863) 500-3902. For questions specific to medical requirements and USCG Class I flight physicals, contact LCDR Joe Newcomb, USPHS, (joseph.newcomb@noaa.gov) or (813) 828-4116.
Marine Operations (MO) is in need of a driven, detail oriented officer to serve as the Fleet Performance Manager within the Program Planning and Services Branch (PPSB). MO provides administrative, budgetary, personnel, and engineering support to the fleet of NOAA ships. PPSB serves a critical role within MO by seeking to enhance fleet and organizational efficiency and performance. This is achieved through a variety of fronts including but not limited to: representing MO interests in the Fleet Working Group during the development of the Fleet Allocation Plan (FAP), managing the Ship Daily Activity Tracking (SDAT) system for the reporting of fleet metrics, supporting and providing operational insight to all MO branches, and reviewing customer feedback from users of the fleet. The officer works closely with MO leadership to provide data, analysis, and recommendations.
Billet 0104 Fleet Performance Manager, PPSB duties include:
Through this assignment, the officer will gain insight into all aspects of MO management and operations. The performance data and metrics central to this billet's responsibility are critical to tracking fleet performance, showing the fleet's value to the agency and the Nation, and ultimately supporting increased utilization, funding, and fleet recapitalization. This billet is well suited for an officer coming off an XO sea tour; however, officers having completed a fleet Operations Officer assignment with a strong understanding of ship budgets, logistics, and scheduling are also encouraged to reach out with interest. Please contact the Assignment Coordinator and/or LCDR Nicholas Morgan at nicholas.morgan@noaa.gov for further details.