Good afternoon, NOAA Corps,
The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind within the walls and halls of CPC. From helping host the OMAO/NJAC Executive Board week last week, to making notifications to affected officers of the April OPB results, to the welcoming and swearing in of BOTC-142, we have been participating in and facilitating multiple aspects of the NOAA Corps accession and professional progression path. Over the coming days and weeks, please congratulate and celebrate those officers who have been recommended for promotion to the next higher grade. Their hard work has paid off, and they are now looking forward to an increase in pay as well as a correlating increase in responsibility by virtue of their rank.
I also invite all of us to think about what it takes to be successful not only as a NOAA Corps officer, but also in life. One of the known keys to success and contentment is experiencing and working through adversity. For those of us who have been passed over for promotion now or previously (this author included), it can be one of the worst feelings in the world, full of questions about what went wrong, why not me, and many variations on the stages of grief. However, we also know that through adversity, we have an opportunity to reflect, learn, grow, increase our resilience and flexibility, and gain a little humility, all of which brings us to a stronger place and prepares us all the more to strive for and achieve our goals. The proof is in the pudding, as we have had numerous highly successful senior officers (admirals included) who faced this kind of adversity multiple times in their careers and went on to become some of our most effective and respected leaders.
If you find yourself facing and feeling a bit of increased adversity this and in the coming weeks, please don’t hesitate to find and reach out to a mentor, coach, supervisor, and/or of course, the CPC Career Management and Leadership team. I encourage you to take some time and face this head-on, resolving to engage in your own reflection, learning, and growth process to continue on a path of success.
As always, please continue to be kind and take care of yourselves and each other.
Best Regards,
Captain Chris van Westendorp, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
| 02 Aug 2023 | Officer Assignment Board |
| 14 Sep 2023 | Command Advisory Board |
| CAPT James Crocker | 01 AUG 2023 |
| LTJG Stefanie Coxe | 01 AUG 2023 |
| CDR John Rossi | 10 AUG 2023 |
| CDR Megan Raymond | 16 AUG 2023 |
| LT Christopher Dunn | 25 AUG 2023 |
| CDR Patrick Didier | 01 SEP 2023 |
| LT Diane Perry | 01 SEP 2023 |
| LT Conor Maginnn | 21 SEP 2023 |
| LCDR Hadley Owen | 30 SEP 2023 |
| CAPT Michael Levine | 01 OCT 2023 |
| CAPT Edward Van Den Ameele | 01 OCT 2023 |
| LCDR Richard DeTriquet | 30 Nov 2023 |
| LCDR Alan Hough | 30 Nov 2023 |
 BOTC 142 with CAPT van Westendorp, CDR Colegrove, LT Picard, LCDR RayNaga and LT Musick |
On Thursday, July 20th, BOTC 142 took the oath of office at the NOAA Corps Officer Training Center at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT. This is the largest BOTC in recent NOAA Corps history.
Over 60 friends and family virtually attended the ceremony for the 22 new officers, who officially start BOTC on Tuesday, July 25th and are expected to graduate in November. Thank you to all who had a hand in facilitating BOTC 142!
| Name | Hometown |
| ENS Rachel Backman | Duluth, MN |
| ENS Claudia Berlinn | Livermore, CA |
| ENS Kathryn Bornarth | Stuart, FL |
| ENS Emerson Cheney | Palm Coast, FL |
| ENS Brian D'Souza | Lisle, IL |
| ENS Alexander Eden | Harrah, OK |
| ENS Kathryn Elmer | Kailua-Kona, HI |
| ENS Devynn Gately | Riverside, CA |
| ENS Luca Grifo-Hahn | Bethesda, MD |
| ENS Brendan Herbert | Fostoria, OH |
| ENS Matthew Hicks | North Potomac, MD |
| ENS Peter LeBel | Gloucester, VA |
| ENS Dylan Legus-Sleigh | Walden, VT |
| ENS Donovan Mercer | Conway Springs, KS |
| ENS Ghislain Ngangnang Ngangte | Josephine, TX |
| ENS Amber Porter | Albuquerque, NM |
| ENS Emily Resendez | Houston, TX |
| ENS Alexis Rogers | Cottonwood, AL |
| ENS James Seibert | Green Lake, WI |
| ENS Megan Sixt | San Clemente, CA |
| ENS Sara Towers | Satellite Beach, FL |
| ENS Walburg Wibowo | Vicksburg, MS |
NCOTC is looking for volunteers from all ranks and career paths to hold 30-60 minute professional development sessions with the upcoming BOTC class. Topics to be covered will range from the operational opportunities and experiences to managing personal aspects of life as a NOAA Corps officer. BOTC students will have a block of time from 1200-1330 EDT set aside several days of each week for professional development and engagement. This is typically accomplished through meetings and activities with NCOTC staff, and we would like to expand their exposure to other NOAA Corps Officers and professional civilian mariniers in order for the BOTC students to meet and learn from as many people in the fleet as possible.
Please use this google form to view the list of topics and sign up for a session. https://forms.gle/DS6Qzc6dvpW37M5i7
While not guaranteed, CPC may have funding to support travel for those interested in an in-person visit and presentation (Please note that the form will be updated to reflect this potential funding opportunity). Due to the dynamic nature of the BOTC program, these dates are the best estimate we have in advance for when the students will be available, but they may be subject to change. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility.
Please email ops.ncotc@noaa.gov or chief.ncotc@noaa.gov with any questions.
This is a reminder for active duty officers to tune in to the NOAA Corps All Hands this coming Monday, July 24, 2023, at 1400 EDT, where we will share some recent successes, address questions that you've submitted, and discuss ongoing efforts within CPC and in support of the NOAA Corps. The meeting is linked here - see you then!
In an effort to better support officer assignments at sea and taking into consideration feedback presented from the Junior Officer Advisory Committee – the Director, NOAA Corps has approved a trial rotational staffing model on the NOAA Ship’s Oscar Elton Sette (SE) and Henry B. Bigelow (HB).
Starting this fall, incoming Executive (XO) and Operations Officers (Ops) on the SE and HB will embark on a journey to evaluate and ground truth the feasibility of a 2:1 rotational model. The XO, OPS and second OPS will rotate to shore amongst one another with the goal of balancing time underway and ashore. Officers will return to their homeport every third month where they will then be able to support the ship from a center or marine support facility for up to a month before returning to the ship. In addition to supporting the ship, an officer’s time ashore can be used to schedule events that are more difficult in the middle of a field season, such as medical appointments, training, leave and most importantly being present on the homefront. These rotational assignments will be approximately three years in duration while also allowing the officers to accrue the same amount of days at sea towards career milestones of Senior Watch Officer, underway acting XO, and underway acting Commanding Officer.
If you are interested in learning more about this rotational model, feel free to reach out to LCDR Doug Pawlishen at douglas.pawlishen@noaa.gov or the assignment branch at assignmentbranch.cpc@noaa.gov.