Happy Friday, Colleagues,
Reflecting on the end of my fourth week here at CPC, as well as the end of March 2023, I find myself thinking about non-verbal communication.
To start, I had the privilege to co-host with RDML Cary and CAPT Kerns the CPC Advisory Team’s (CPCAT) presentation of draft findings and recommendations to the full CPC team. As I think some may feel about public discussion on an enormous, collaborative body of work, I sensed some nervous anticipation from presenters and receivers alike, exhibited by a few crossed arms, downward-looking eyes, and other non-verbal cues around the room. However, as the presentation and open dialogue proceeded, arms started to loosen, eye contact became more direct, and overall body language relaxed. While I can’t speak for others, I feel the meeting went very well and ended with an atmosphere of increased mutual understanding, intentionality, and hope looking forward to future engagements in the form of continued iterative input and further CPC-CPCAT dialogue.
I also attended and administered the oath of office in my first CPC-hosted board as Director. In that moment, the members and I all raised our right hands while we read and spoke out loud the oath. The open visual of everyone’s hands raised together communicated that we were present together in solidarity to perform the duties of the board honorably and without prejudice or partiality.
Finally, the Office of the DUSO announced today (31 March) as the last for NOAA level COVID-19 case reporting; truly an end-mark to a three-year seismic shift in the way we've worked and lived. For those working from home or other remote offices, we discovered that virtual meeting technology was not only available, but also an absolute necessity to continue our professional and personal communications, relationships, and services; however many of our non-verbal gestures were lost. For those working in the field, non-verbal communication was more challenging behind masks, hiding facial expressions. As we’ve returned to the office and mask-wearing requirements have been relaxed, we’ve had to stretch those atrophied non-verbal communication muscles as part of regaining a sense of normalcy. For me, getting “back in shape” in this way has been somewhat challenging, but also improved my overall communication effectiveness and appreciation of where others are coming from.
I feel it is incumbent on us to be more conscious of the non-verbal cues we all exhibit as we work to respectfully communicate, achieve understanding, and accomplish NOAA’s work for the Nation everyday. I hope you can join me as fellow NOAA leaders in this mindful awareness improvement exercise.
Until next time, be kind to yourself and those around you.
Best Regards,
Captain Chris van Westendorp, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
| 26 Mar - 15 Apr 2023 | REFTRA 94 |
| 05 Apr 2023 | Officer Assignment Board |
| LT Joshua Fredrick | 01 May 2023 |
| LTJG Jeffrey Calderon | 01 May 2023 |
| ENS Daniel Stofka | 01 May 2023 |
| LTJG Iris Ekmanis | 15 May 2023 |
| CAPT Todd Bridgeman | 01 Jun 2023 |
| CAPT Timothy Gallagher | 01 Jun 2023 |
| CAPT Stephanie Koes | 01 Jun 2023 |
| CAPT Mark Van Waes | 01 Jun 2023 |
| LT Linda Junge | 01 Jun 2023 |
| LT Alexandria Andonian | 30 JUN 2023 |
| LT Jacquelyn Putnam | 01 JUL 2023 |
| LT Nathaniel Park | 01 JUL 2023 |
| LTJG Logan Dodson | 01 JUL 2023 |
| LT Christopher Dunn | 31 JUL 2023 |
| CAPT James Crocker | 01 AUG 2023 |
| LTJG Stefanie Coxe | 01 AUG 2023 |
 Learning how to properly use firefighting foam. Photo Credit: OC Harris |
BOTC 141 continues working on advancing their maritime skills to prepare for their underway assignments. They finished advanced firefighting and Rules of the Road this past week and are starting plotting and RADAR. BOTC 141 continues to practice on T-boats to gain as much practical experience as possible. They use the time underway to work on ship terminology, navigation, shiphandling and conning.
 Simulating firefighting in dark narrow passageways . Photo Credits: OC Harris |
 OC Remigio station keeping. Photo Credit: OC Rivera |
 Docking the T-boats. Photo Credits: OC Harris |
Calling all O2s and O3s who have served with the following units as their first assignment!
We are looking for volunteers to serve as mentors paired with a BOTC 141 mentee to share your experience and organizational knowledge. If you are interested please complete the following Google Form by next Friday, April 7th.
BOTC 141 Mentor Volunteer Form
The BOTC Mentorship Program was proposed by NJAC and has proven successful! It is separate from wider NOAA/OMAO Mentorship Programs in that it focuses on the common questions, preparations, and challenges faced during first assignments. Have you benefited from BOTC mentorship in the past? Now is the time to pay it forward!
If you have any questions about the program please contact LT Diane Perry at cpc.training@noaa.gov.
The latest version of Chapter 12 includes updates to content and organization. You will notice that the look of the chapter is cleaner and that references within the chapter are linked for ease of navigation. Also, uniform items in the appendices are now organized by category rather than just alphabetically (e.g., coats and jackets are together, shoes are together, etc.). A few additional update highlights include:
We owe a huge thank you to LT Kathryn Carria who, in one of her final tasks as a uniformed officer, and then as a contractor with the Strategic Management Division, undertook a monumental effort behind the scenes on formatting, cross referencing, and updating and organizing images so that the NOAA Corps can revise and update this chapter faster in the future.
CPC is seeking a uniform donation, specifically, a male combination cover with the NC insignia device. An exhibit at a Naval Museum in Spain is seeking a male combination cover for their display, complete with the NC emblem, and bonus points if it has oak leaves and acorns. Please email LCDR Moulton at stephen.f.moulton@noaa.gov if you have a spare, and help represent our excellent work worldwide.
In your OPF under Qualifications you can now upload your NOAA UASD Pilot-in Command (PIC) and UAS Mission Commander designation letters. These letters of designation are provided by NOAA UASD once all training requirements are met. Also in your OPF under Training you can upload UAS training certificates and your FAA Part 107 license. To learn more about NOAA UAS training requirements and training opportunities visit NOAA UASD Training.
The ACO Scholarship team is STILL looking for a new volunteer to support the scholarship process. This role has been generously filled by CAPT (Ret) Dave Peterson since 2003 (wow!) and he is ready to pass the baton. CAPT (Ret) Peterson has offered to stay on for another cycle to help train his replacement and I’m also willing to bet there is some delicious food somewhere in the mix as Dave is well known for his skills in the kitchen. The scholarship also recently received a generous donation from one of our retired officers which makes the offering even more exciting in 2023 as the ACO works to support America’s future leaders. Please reach out to CAPT (Ret) Peterson directly if you are interested (kmpdhp@comcast.net)