Good afternoon, NOAA Corps,
I’m pleased to officially welcome 21 brand new Officer Candidates (OCs) of BOTC 144 to our ranks (see the first article below)! As you can imagine, they are both excited and nervous, but overall greatly looking forward to beginning their NOAA Corps journey - please join me in giving them a warm welcome, and send them all of the positive and energizing vibes you can muster. I know they’re going to be a fantastic team working together through their indoctrination phase.
Speaking of BOTC, I want to take a moment and highlight your outstanding CPC team for a job well done in getting BOTC 144 to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy gates and transferred to the capable hands of our NOAA Corps Officer Training Center staff. We all know that basic training in itself is a challenge for every participant, but just getting each class there takes a year of hard work, preparation, and close coordination among numerous team members and stakeholders. It all starts with our Recruiting Branch, who manage our extensive marketing strategy and begin the recruiting cycle 12-13 months out, including applicant guidance meetings, application vetting, interview scheduling, BOTC OPB facilitation, and BOTC reporting / accession coordination. Our NOAA Corps Medical Affairs Branch works with Recruiting to ensure all primary and alternate candidates meet accession medical requirements. Our Officer Personnel Management Division works to generate and route secretarial and presidential approval packages, generate/coordinate all OC initial invitational travel and PCS orders, and establish all officer candidate pay and entitlements on-site and remotely with the new OCs. And of course, our Resource Management Division ensures that we both have the funding to obligate for all of these activities and stay within the guard rails of our NOAA Corps PPA appropriation. All of this is ably informed and supported by our awesome Workforce Planner and Director’s policy team.
Please join me in giving a huge THANK YOU to these CPC stars! I hope you all are staying safe, and have a healthy and enjoyable weekend.
Best Regards,
Captain Chris van Westendorp, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
| 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 |
On Thursday, 18 July, BOTC 144 took the oath of office at the NOAA Corps Officer Training Center at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT.
Over 50 friends and family virtually attended the ceremony for the 21 new officer candidates (OCs). The new OCs officially begin BOTC with their USCG OCS classmates on Tuesday, July 23rd and are expected to graduate in October. Thank you to all who have a hand in facilitating BOTC 144!
BOTC 144 |
BOTC 144 |
| Derek Bennett | Center Moriches, NY |
| Alexander Herring | Nederland, CO |
| Joselyn Hook | Fall Creek, WI |
| Hannah Johnson | Littleton, CO |
| Harry Peterson | Moorhead, MN |
| Bridget Ruiz | Salisbury, CT |
| Steven Courney | Turlock, CA |
| Nathaniel Greenlaw | Sturgeon Bay, WI |
| Allan Wilkinson | Joplin, MO |
| Julian Santos | Bayamon, PR |
| Kelly Meehan | Yardley, PA |
| Megan McDeavitt | Boone, NC |
| Quinn Keene-Connole | Middletown, RI |
| Pierce Giamportone | Boston, MA |
| Vincenzo Ledonne | Chicago, IL |
| Elizabeth Cano | Clarksburg, WV |
| Lucas Castro | Roseville, CA |
| Kieran Viggiano | Mahtomedi, MN |
| Sean Cheng | Ithaca, NY |
| Savannah Crouse | Beckley, WV |
| Lendale Bui | St. Paul, MN |
NCOTC is once again 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 operational opportunities and experiences to managing personal aspects of life as a NOAA Corps officer.
Please use this google form to view the list of topics and sign up for a session.
In person sessions will be mostly limited to those who are local or have other travel planned to the New London area. Please let NCOTC know about your interest for an in person session to discuss logistics.
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 deputychief.ncotc@noaa.gov with any questions.
Due to overwhelming interest and participation, the Office of Health Services, Behavioral Health and Wellness program is offering a few more Mental Health First Aid training classes toward building the mental health literacy of our workforce. Attendees learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction challenges, strategies to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help. The course also provides opportunities to build and practice your own dialogue for use in Mental Health First Aid Situations.
I applaud those who have already attended and encourage those who have not to take advantage of the limited remaining seats still available in future sessions. Please complete this linked MHFA Sign-up Form ASAP to reserve your spot. All times are EDT. The following dates are still available - first come, first served:
For additional information, please see the 7/23/2024 All OMAO email message sent by CAPT Sean Bennett, BHW Officer for OMAO, at sean.bennett@noaa.gov.
We are fast approaching the 90 day mark until the November 5th general election. The right of U.S. citizens to vote is protected by the U.S. Constitution. Every voter must have the opportunity to register and vote, in person or by absentee, in any election for which they are eligible. To vote in U.S. elections, members and their eligible dependents must be registered in their state of legal residence.
If you have not registered to vote or requested your absentee ballot for the 2024 general election, please do so immediately. It is simple and fast. Go to: https://www.fvap.gov/military-voter/overview and use the online registration and Absentee Ballot Assistant. You can complete your forms, print them, and have them ready to send back to your state in less than 10 minutes.
The Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) and instructions to submit the FPCA for all states are available through your unit Voting Assistance Officers and online at: https://www.fvap.gov/fpca-privacy-notice.
Help spread the word. Please pass this on to spouses, voting-age dependents, other uniformed service voters, and overseas voters. Sign up for state-specific election information at: https://www.fvap.gov/military-voter/military-spouses .
If you would like more information on voting or need help with the absentee voting process, please contact FVAP at vote@fvap.gov. Toll-free phone numbers from several countries are listed at: http://www.fvap.gov/info/contact.
The NOAA Diving Center in Seattle will conduct its September NOAA Diver/Divemaster class from September 9-27, 2024, and NDC staff are looking for NOAA Divers who are available to spend at least one week on-site to support the class.
If you are a NOAA Diver and interested in supporting the instruction of this class, please first consult with and ensure you have your supervisor’s approval, and then contact LTjg Connor Healy at xo.ndc@noaa.gov.
The DC Association of Commissioned Officers will hold a Dining Out in Rockville, Maryland on September 21st, 2024. More details will follow shortly, but if you are scheduling travel to HQ on or near those dates, please consider your attendance! For local officers, add it to your calendar! If you have any questions, please email the DC ACO at NOAACorpsDCACO@gmail.com