Good afternoon, fellow NOAA Corps officers,
Welcome to December! I hope that everyone was able to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday and found some time to share a meal with family, friends, shipmates, or perhaps even some furry friends. As many of you have seen, the Senate passed another continuing resolution (CR) last night that will fund the government though 18 February; allowing us to continue to operate and conduct NOAA’s critical mission for the Nation.
And that is great news as next week will bring both the annual Marine Operations Leadership Summit (MOLS) as well as the AOC Safety Seminar. I’ll be attending both, traveling to Lakeland, FL first and then to Phoenix, AZ, next and am looking forward to connecting with many of you during these important meetings.
This brings up another concern, and that is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of the Omicron variant. While a vaccine has been made mandatory, I encourage everyone to obtain a booster shot as soon as they are made available to you and continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing. As I’ve said before (and will say again), we are not out of the woods yet. Stay vigilant and be sure to take care of yourselves and shipmates.
Also, and on a separate note, I want to point out that everyone's Special Leave Accrual totals should have been adjusted and fixed to fall in line with the FY21 SLA signed by RADM Hann. If you notice any errors with your leave balance, please reach out to CPC.
In closing, thank you all for your continued service and I hope you all find happiness and joy as we enter the holiday season.
Stay healthy,
CAPT Douglas MacIntyre, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
| 6-10 Dec 2021 | AOC Safety Seminar |
| 6-10 Dec 2021 | Marine Operations Leadership Seminar (MOLS) |
| 09 Dec 2021 | Aviation Advisory Board (Initial Flight) |
| 19 Jan 2021 | Ops Working Group |
| LT Lauren Jarlenski | 05 Jan 2022 |
| CDR Bradley Fritzler | 01 Mar 2022 |
| CDR Ronald Moyers | 01 Mar 2022 |
| LCDR Justin Keesee | 01 Mar 2022 |
ENS Venuti practice with hand flares in the rain during training at USMRC. Photo credit - ENS Justin Weeks |
After completing nearly 20 weeks of training, the 11 members of BOTC 138 are finally headed to their respective ships. The class graduated on November 8th alongside members of USCG OCS 1-22 and international officers from Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Jamaica, and the Philippines. Since then, the class has been in training at the United States Maritime Resource Center in Middletown, RI receiving instruction on ECDIS, Bridge Resource Management, and an Introduction to Watchkeeping.
BOTC 139 will be reporting to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on January 18th, 2022 to begin their careers as NOAA Corps officers.
Members of BOTC 138 take the Oath of Office during the BOTC 138/OCS 1-22 graduation ceremony. |
ENS Stofka practice with hand flares in the rain during training at USMRC. Photo credit - ENS Justin Weeks |
From left to right: LTJG Betker, LTJG Miyano,LT Shoemaker pictured here at the finish line in Panama City Beach, Florida, immediately following the event. |
From left to right: LTJG Betker, Delta Miyano, LTJG Miyano, LT Shoemaker posing before the race. |
The NOAA Corps was represented in force last month at the 23rd IRONMAN Florida triathlon. LT Lee Shoemaker, LTJG Justin Miyano, and LTJG Hayley Betker completed the 140.6-mile course on November 6, 2021. Beginning at sunrise, the trio tackled a 2.4-mile swim in the Gulf of Mexico, a 112-mile bike ride in rural Bay County, followed by a full marathon. The Officers, all NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow alumni, trained together virtually despite the geographic separation of their assignments (Boulder, Savannah, and Seattle respectively). Over the course of their training together, they collectively completed approximately 297,000 yards in swimming, 6,900 miles in biking, and 2,100 miles in running. LTJG Betker finished the race in 12:00:55, almost 2 hours faster than the other two, and placed 6th in her division!
This story is an excellent example of teamwork, camaraderie, and dedication. Bravo Zulu, LT Shoemaker, LTJG Miyano, and LTJG Betker!!
The Commissioned Personnel Center (CPC) routinely receives inquiries from officers regarding the assignment process and thanks to feedback from many of you, CPC’s assignments page on the website has been updated with important contacts and a revised “How To” document. For more detailed information, the NOAA Corps Directives have two chapters outlining each part of the process: (NCD) Chapter 5 – Assignments and Chapter 10 – Advisory Boards. Keep in mind, there are a number of factors that go into making each assignment and I encourage every officer to be proactive with this process and to always keep your preferences updated. It’s worth mentioning it doesn’t matter how many times you change your preferences, the boards, liaisons, and CPC only look at the most recent changes showing in your OPF. As a reminder, while officers can adjust the range of dates in their preferences to line up with assignments outside of 6 months from their rotation date, it is the intent of the assignments process to staff billets with qualified and available officers who can make the most positive impact to the organization.
Please note, Chapter 5 of the NCD is currently under revision but if you have any questions, contact the Chief, Officer Assignments Branch, LCDR Joe Carrier, at assignmentbranch.cpc@noaa.gov to learn more.
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NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) is in search of a motivated officer (O3-O4 range) to oversee small boat operations in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) for a three to five month part time (~50%) detail assignment. This assignment will be primarily virtual, but include an initial onsite period (~ 2 weeks), followed by periodic visits throughout the duration of the assignment.
On-water operations are fundamental to the conservation and management mission of ONMS and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. With over 15 small boats supporting a diverse portfolio of operations including monitoring and research, enforcement, response and restoration, and maintaining the FKNMS mooring buoy program, dedicated management and compliance with NOAA is paramount. The selected officer will coordinate with the FKNMS Superintendent, small boat OICs, and the ONMS Small Boat Program Manager to foster a culture of operational excellence, strong compliance to small boat regulations and best practices, and promote effective management and oversight of small boat operations. This detail will provide opportunities for supervisory experience to develop project management and leadership skills, and include direct engagement with ONMS leadership. The ideal candidate has demonstrated an understanding of how regulations enhance safety, need for consistency, and be detail oriented. Bonuses include experience with small boats, sanctuaries, or duties involving safety and compliance.
Officers interested in this detail should discuss with their supervisor and then contact LCDR Carrier at assignmentbranch.cpc@noaa.gov. For any questions about the duties and responsibilities for this detail, please contact Sarah Fangman at sarah.fangman@noaa.gov and Dana Wilkes at dana.wilkes@noaa.gov.
