Good afternoon, NOAA Corps,
The summer is in full swing (for much of the country, fully heated!), and I hope you all are able to take some time off here and there (be sure to read the special leave expiration article below). Growing up, I thought of summer solely as a time to sit back and relax, with the occasional swim meet, camp, part-time job, or other activity sprinkled in. But being a part of the service has shown me that summer is truly one of the busiest times of year. This summer is no exception, as our brothers and sisters are continuing to support NOAA and national missions, including hurricane hunting, fisheries monitoring and assessments, oceanographic and hydrographic survey, and emergency response (please see the OEM article below) whenever needed, just to name a few.
For my part, I’ll be headed back to New London next week to swear in Basic Officer Training Class 144, truly one of my favorite parts of this job and a momentous time in the lives of our soon-to-be-new junior colleagues. I’ll be sure to share with them stories of the important work you are engaged in and they will soon be a part of, as well as the exciting path of organizational growth and progress that we are all on together. As they nervously and excitedly approach the beginning of their basic training, please join me in sending them thoughts and words of encouragement. And if you find that you’re falling into a mid-season haze in your various work and personal routines, recall the excitement and anticipation you may have felt in those initial days and months at the beginning of your respective careers. I often find that through remembering where I came from, I can be re-energized for where I am now and where I’m headed.
Finally, as mentioned before, please do work with your respective chains of command to schedule some summertime rest and relaxation if possible; you work hard in support of our agency and country, and you deserve and need a little time off. Be well, stay cool and hydrated, and continue to take care of yourselves and each other.
Best Regards,
Captain Chris van Westendorp, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
| 17 Jul 2024 | Mini CAB/Ops Working Group (OWG) |
| 18 Jul 2024 | BOTC-144 Oath of Office |
| 23 Jul 2024 | BOTC-144 begins |
| 5-30 Aug 2024 | Summer REFTRA |
| 7 Aug 2024 | Officer Assignment Board (OAB) |
| 4 Sep 2024 | Command Advisory Board (CAB) |
| LT Julia Waldsmith | 01 Aug 2024
Terminal leave: 28 May 2024 |
| LCDR David Wang | 16 Aug 2024 |
| CDR Paul Hemmick | 01 Sep 2024
Terminal leave: 22 Jul 2024 |
| LT Brandon Tao | 01 Sep 2024 |
| LTJG Kevin Tarazona | 01 Sep 2024 |
| CAPT Eric Johnson | 01 Oct 2024 |
| CAPT Patrick Murphy | 01 Oct 2024 Terminal leave: 01 Jul 2024 |
| CAPT Jason Mansour | 01 Nov 2024 Terminal leave: 16 Aug 2024 |
| LTJG Emma Strong | 13 Nov 2024 Terminal leave: 03 Sep 2024 |
All active duty officers are cordially invited to join us for a very special one-hour CPC webinar on Wednesday, July 24, 2024: Reflections on Leadership & Partnership - A Chat with Three Current & Former Directors of the NOAA Corps. VADM (sel.) Nancy Hann will be joined by RADM Michael Silah (NC, ret.) and RADM Jonathan Bailey (NC, ret.) for an intimate discussion on their respective careers and experiences as NOAA Corps directors and flag officers. You don't want to miss this one! Please use this linked Google Doc to provide any potential topics and questions of interest to the panel in advance, and we will do our best to incorporate them into the discussion. This webinar will be recorded and stored on the CPC website for future viewing at a date to be determined.
NOAA’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM formerly HSPO) is seeking interested NOAA Corps volunteers to assist NOAA’s OEM during high level activations. Volunteers will directly support the NOAA Incident Coordination Center (ICC), acting in a pivotal role in the coordination of incidents and disasters of all types. Officers will be able to assist virtually and/or on location at the ICC located at NOAA HQ, based upon the level and type of incident.
Timing/Expectations:
OEM is seeking geographically dispersed volunteer support during the hurricane season now through November 30, 2024 for high level activations when assistance is needed. The expected level of effort depends on how long the ICC is activated and will vary by incident level. In a worst case scenario (i.e Katrina type incident) support will be managed using a maximum of two week rotations to minimize potential burnout. The intent is for a pool of officers to be created and polled for availability in the event the ICC is activated. Officers that are not available will not be expected to participate.
Tasks/Responsibilities:
Volunteers will serve in the Situational Awareness Section of the ICC as the Situation Unit Leader (SUL). The SUL is responsible to collect, process, and organize data and information related to the activities and impacts to NOAA resulting from an incident. The SUL is the lead for developing leadership briefs, drafting and disseminating situation reports, maintaining and updating the common operating picture, and liaising with the Incident Coordination Team during an incident.
Training/Experience:
The ICC operates in the Incident Command System (ICS) philosophy and therefore, prior experience and training in ICS is preferred. At minimum, ICS 100, 200, 700, and 800 is required. If you do not yet possess this training, please inform CPC/OEM when you indicate your volunteer availability. Officers without this training should still volunteer if interested and OEM will assist case-by-case. ICS 300 and above can be accomplished after selection to this detail. Furthermore, OEM will provide job specific training to qualify volunteers to operate as SUL, which may include completing FEMA level training specific to the SUL position.
Professional Development Opportunities:
Assisting OEM during activations exposes officers to a variety of experiences from participating in the FEMA ICS systems, exercising risk/emergency management skills in an operational setting, obtaining deeper understanding of NOAA’s assets and infrastructure during emergency responses, and directly interacting with senior leadership across Line Offices. These officers will directly and positively affect leadership with executive decision making during a crisis, in that the data collected by the SUL is used by leadership to determine scope and impact of an incident.
Interested volunteers should write to CDR Andrew Colegrove at CPC and LCDR Jeffrey Pereira at OEM via e-mail at chief.careermgmt.cpc@noaa.gov and jeffrey.pereira@noaa.gov.
In April 2020, the Department of Defense authorized a Special Leave Accrual in recognition of the impact of the Department's response to COVID-19 on service members' ability to take leave and properly manage their leave balances for the remainder of fiscal year 2020. The Director of the NOAA Commissioned Corps authorized the same benefit for officers and to retain such unused leave until the end of fiscal year 2023. In September 2022, the Director, NOAA Corps authorized an extension to the Special Leave Accrual for officers until the end of Fiscal Year 2024. All officers who currently or will have an annual accumulated leave balance greater than 60 days as of September 30, 2024, are encouraged to work with their first line supervisor and chain of command to seek proper authorization and use those days prior to the expiration date. Also, please ensure that the "Request and Authorization for Leave" Form (NF 56-12) is properly completed with digital/ink signatures for supervisor’s approval, departure, extension (if appropriate), and return, and is submitted for processing via the CPC HR Action Request ticketing feature in OPF Online prior to the expiration date.
Per NOAA Corps Directives Chapter 6, Part 06501, administrative absences are authorized for specific circumstances. Examples (see NCD 06501(A) for an all-inclusive list) include but are not limited to participation in service programs that will enhance an officer's professional development or enhance the image of the NOAA Corps, and where funded TDY is inappropriate; as well as for house hunting and area familiarization related to a geographically distant officer assignment relocation. Administrative absences up to a total of 10 days in a calendar year may be authorized by an officer’s leave granting authority, and any periods greater than 10 days must be approved by the Director, NOAA Corps. For any questions about this or other NOAA Corps policies, please reach out to CPC staff, including your servicing HR Specialist.
As a reminder, the National Association of Commissioned Officers (ACO) administers the annual Junior Officer of the Year (ACOJ), Science (ACOS), and Engineering (ACOE) awards. Nominations for all ACO awards are due by July 22, 2024 and should be submitted to NOAACorpsDCACO@gmail.com.
For more information please refer to the recent CPC Director's message sent on July 03, 2024, reach out to the DC ACO, or refer to the NOAA Corps Directives: Chapter 12, Part 7 - Awards, 12704 - Unit Awards and Non-Military Decorations for information on the awards.
The OAR Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML) is seeking a junior officer to fill the American Samoa/South Pole Billet with a December 2025/January 2026 start date. GML operates four remote Atmospheric Baseline Observatories strategically positioned around the globe. The long-term datasets collected at these observatories track atmospheric constituents that drive climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, and baseline air quality.
The officer selected for this billet trains in Colorado for several months before spending 13 months in American Samoa running NOAA’s atmospheric monitoring instruments, managing the observatory facilities, and completing administrative tasking necessary to operate the station. Officers then spend 13 months at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica running a similar suite of instruments at NOAA’s South Pole Observatory, coordinating shipping logistics, and assisting with other station duties.
This challenging billet provides independent, self-starting, adventurous individuals with the opportunity to live in the tropical South Pacific, experience six months of light and six months of darkness in Antarctica, and earn the Chief of Party Pin, International Service Ribbon, and Antarctic Service Medal – all within one billet.
Interested officers should update their billet preferences and send their biographies and resumes by 30 September to Christy Smith at Christine.Smith@noaa.gov. Interviews will be held in October 2024.