Message from the Director

Fellow NOAA Corps officers,

This will be the last Cyberflash of 2019 so on behalf of CPC, I would like to wish all NOAA Corps active duty and retired officers, their families, and our supporters a safe and happy holiday season!

I will be closing out the year with another "guest" Director's Message from Captain Rick Brennan.

Captain Rick Brennan joined the NOAA Corps in January 1992 after graduating from the Citadel, in Charleston, SC with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Over his 25 years with NOAA Captain Brennan has served on nearly every hydrographic ship in the NOAA fleet, and most recently as Commanding Officer of NOAA Ship Rainier. He has also served on Navigation Response Teams, NOAA Vessel Bay Hydrographer, and as a member of the science team aboard the USCG Ice Breaker Healy. While ashore Captain Brennan pursued a Master of Science degree in Ocean Engineering at the University of New Hampshire's Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping and has served across Coast Survey including time as Chief of the Hydrographic Systems and Technology Program, Chief of the Atlantic Hydrographic Branch (AHB), Chief of the Coast Survey Development Laboratory, and as a senior policy advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction. His current position is the Chief of the Hydrographic Surveys Division where he manages three branches that oversee all aspects of ocean mapping projects including planning, contract administration, data quality assurance and control, and cartographic compilation.

Captain Brennan’s Message:

Thank you, Captain Brakob, for allowing me the opportunity to take up the pen for the Director's Message. I guess once your number on the lineal list gets into the single digits you have officially become "old."" It is honestly hard to believe because it has gone by so fast. But as they say, "Time flies when you are having fun."

To that end I encourage all NOAA Corps officers to remember what has brought them to the NOAA Corps and share those thoughts and stories with those whom you work with and lead. In my experience we are all very passionate about the NOAA mission, and each have personal reasons that brought us to service in NOAA. I am a big fan of Simon Sinek. If you have never read any of his books or watched his TED Talk, I highly recommend it. His assertion is, "People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." One compelling example he uses is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic "I Have a Dream" speech. In this speech Dr. King didn't tell people what needed to change in pre-civil rights America, he told the 250,000 people gathered on the Lincoln Memorial steps what he believed - his "why."" This was far more powerful and he gathered people that believed the same thing to his cause.

I have always worn my "why" on my sleeve. Perhaps I share it too much with those I work with. But I feel that I have always been blessed with a team of people who share that passion and belief, and it makes the mission that much easier, more rewarding, and frankly fun. I know it can seem corny or uncomfortable, but I encourage you to share it with your team - it makes all the difference. Oh, and for the record I believe the health of our oceans is critical to human life on earth. I believe the mission NOAA performs everyday contributes to improving the health of our oceans, as well as their sustainable management. I believe NOAA provides lifesaving environmental and geospatial information to America and is an incredible value to the nation. And, I believe the women and men of NOAA are the most dedicated people I have ever had the pleasure to work with. What’s your "why?"

CAPT Devin Brakob, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center