NOAA Corps Community -
Happy New Year, and I hope everyone was able to find at least a few moments of peace during the recent holidays. Thank you to those who stood the watch, supported your local teams, and kept our assets safe through the holidays.
As the leadership transitions continue, today marks my last day as the Director, CPC. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served you briefly as the CPC Director and the chance to better understand the critical role CPC plays in our organization. Effective immediately, CAPT(sel) Douglas MacIntyre will assume the position.
Before I sign out of this assignment, however, I want to highlight the historic NOAA Officer Corps Amendment Act of 2020 that became law on December 23, 2020. The effort to approve this legislation has been underway for almost two decades. Passage of such significant legislation is a testament to the importance and professionalism of NOAA Corps officers. The service you provide the nation is valued. With the passage of this law, we now have authorities to:
The CPC team has started tackling the implementation of this policy and is approaching the opportunity similar to how you might approach a project in your office. We can implement some of these items immediately, while others will take much longer. Many of the new or updated authorities will require changes to the NOAA Corps Directives, and CPC is planning to properly resource this effort to better support the workload increase. Of particular interest is growing the NOAA Corps. To increase the service's strength, we will need to secure funding to support the increased costs (salaries and support structure). If we can fund an increase in strength, one of the first priorities will be to fully resource our existing assignments' operational rotational tempo. We have all been part of gapped assignments, truncated or non-existent overlaps, shortened leave, or placing the burden of a PCS squarely on our loved ones while we rush off to sea or flight. Prioritizing our people is goal one in the OMAO Strategic Plan, and implementation of the NOAA Corps Amendments Act will be in alignment with this goal. The implementation of the NOAA Corps Amendments Act will be a process, and there will be growing pains. Still, the opportunity is exciting, and the team will be working diligently to capitalize on this historic legislation.
Keep up the great work, be safe, and I look forward to connecting with you.
Warm Regards,
CAPT Chad Cary, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
25 Mar 2021 | OCS 2-21/BOTC 137 Billet Night |
LTJG Brian Caldwell | 01 Feb 2021 |
CDR Sean Cimilluca | 01 Mar 2021 |
LTJG Tyler Fifield | 22 Mar 2021 |
RADM Michael J. Silah | 01 Apr 2021 |
CDR Paul Kunicki | 01 May 2021 |
This Cyberflash's leader in the NOAA Corps is RADM Michael J. Silah. As RDML Nancy L. Hann shared earlier this week, RADM Silah is not one to seek attention or credit. However, under his leadership the organization has made tremendous strides. Here is a collection of major accomplishments that I am re-sharing from the All Hands message earlier this week:
Congratulations on a very successful career, thank you for your service, and best of luck in retirement!
On January 6th, BOTC 137 arrived at the NOAA Corps Officer Training Center at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT. The class is comprised of 10 new officers. They are beginning their Restriction of Movement (ROM) phase and have 17 weeks of training ahead of them before the scheduled graduation date of May 3rd.
Sarah J. Cozart | Grand Blanc, MI |
Austin J. Gearty | Huntington Beach, CA |
Cara L. Geiger | East Brunswick, NJ |
Connor T. Healy | Arlington, VA |
Caroline M. Jahn | Rockville Centre, NY |
Daniel S. Lucas | Ithorots, France |
Aaron P. Macy | Charleston, IL |
Christopher A. Mehta | Moreno Valley, CA |
Shellyann R. Rofrits | Honolulu, HI |
Sarah J. Rollings | Alcester, SD |
Medical Affairs would like to share a direct number with our officers so they can text with any questions or concerns. These are trying times and the team wants to be as accessible as possible. If you need any advice, clinical or administrative, please call/text: 202-657-8416 and you'll reach LT MacGregor.