Message from the Director

Fellow NOAA Corps officers,

As we have always touted here at CPC, training is a critical piece of making yourself a better officer and advancing your career. We have seen a significant increase on submitted training certificates over the last three months. Keep up the great work. There were over 50 submissions to the recent OMAO Training Division/CPC competitive training call. While there was only enough money to fund about a third of the submissions, please continue to look for training opportunities.

Training does not only consist of the formal and expensive week long classes many officers think an Officer Personnel Board (OPB) is looking for; these are certainly beneficial but any type of training that makes you a better officer has value. There are hundreds of classes online that can be accomplished at no cost and with flexible time obligations. Significant certifications such as FAC-COR and FAC-P/PM can be accomplished for very low-cost or free by utilizing the Defense Acquisition University and Federal Acquisition Institute websites. My favorite sites are listed at the bottom of this section and contain no-cost courses in dozens of disciplines critical to NOAA Corps officers.

Finally, don't take training just to "check a box". Take training and then use the knowledge to accomplish objectives in your job. Linking training to work accomplishments (hopefully captured in your OER) is a great way to show an OPB that you are managing your career.



Directors signature
CAPT Devin Brakob, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center

On the Horizon

16 Jul 2020 BOTC 136 commences

Approved Resignations, Separations and Retirements

CAPT David Zezula 01 Jul 2020
CDR Nicole Cabana 01 Jul 2020
CDR Justin Kibbey 01 Jul 2020
LT Nikita Manougian 01 Aug 2020
CAPT Devin Brakob 01 Nov 2020
LTJG Sara Wood 01 Dec 2020

Association of Commissioned Officers Award Recipients

Bravo Zulu to the following officers for their remarkable accomplishments!

  • NOAA ACO - Junior Officer of the Year Award
    Lieutenant Bryan R. Brasher
    In recognition of remarkable accomplishments with the U.S. National Ice Center for development and oversight of numerous short to long-range projects; acting as NOAA and Navy representative to multiple interagency and international partners; identification and reduction of analysis redundancies in support of critical ice forecasting; creating interagency cost savings; and furthering NOAA research efforts.
  • NOAA ACO - Science Award
    Lieutenant (junior grade) Laura E. Rock
    In recognition of your exceptional contributions to Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center in both the field and science center; working across multiple divisions, agencies, partners, and many different cultures. For impressive integration into long running research projects to further science, including modernizing with new technology, and juggling numerous divided duties with ease.
  • NOAA ACO - Science Award
    Lieutenant Commander Bart O. Buesseler
    In recognition of exceptional skill in resolving regional charting and navigation questions by educating constituents on charting technologies and their uses, and soliciting feedback on NOAA's navigation products and services from the Alaskan maritime community. For exemplifying the critical link between NOAA and Alaska's unique culture, blending science, maritime commerce, traditional subsistence lifestyles, homeland security, and environmental stewardship through charting, introducing and mastering new technologies, and outreach.
  • NOAA ACO - Engineering Award
    Lieutenant (junior grade) Sarah S. Donohoe
    In recognition of efforts with Ecosystems & Fisheries - Oceanography Coordinated Investigation Program within OAR's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory for embedded electronics design and implementation; maintenance of software and hardware for data acquisition, processing, analysis and display of environmental data; and instrumentation development and field operations involving mooring deployments and recoveries on pop-up floats deployed to the Bering Sea. This work furthers understanding of dynamic relationships among climate, fisheries, and the marine environment, ensuring sustainability of Alaskan living marine resources and healthy ecosystems.