BOTC 144 - Assignments

On September 5, 2024, the officer candidates of BOTC 144 participated in their highly anticipated Billet Night at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Congratulations to the OCs on their first fleet and flight assignments following successful completion of their BOTC training!

Alexander Herring	NOAA Ship Rainier	Newport, OR
Allan Wilkinson	NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette	Honolulu, HI
Bridget Ruiz	NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter	Pascagoula, MS
Derek Bennett	NOAA Ship Nancy Foster	Charleston, SC
Elizabeth Cano	NOAA Ship Rainier	Newport, OR
Hannah Johnson	NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker	San Diego, CA
Harry Peterson	NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada	Newport, OR
Joselyn Hook	NOAA Ship Fairweather	Ketchikan, AK
Julian Santos Nieves	NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson	Norfolk, VA
Kelly Meehan	NOAA Ship Fairweather	Ketchikan, AK
Kieran Viggiano	AOC, Twin Otter	Lakeland, FL
Lendale Bui	AOC, King Air	Lakeland, FL
Lucas Castro	AOC, King Air	Lakeland, FL
Megan McDeavitt	NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson	Norfolk, VA
Nathaniel Greenlaw	NOAA Ship Rainier	Newport, OR
Pierce Giamportone	NOAA Ship Rainier	Newport, OR
Quinn Keene-Connole	NOAA Ship Pisces	Pascagoula, MS
Savannah Crouse	AOC, King Air	Lakeland, FL
Sean Cheng	AOC, Twin Otter	Lakeland, FL
Steven Courney	NOAA Ship Fairweather	Ketchikan, AK
Vincenzo Ledonne	NOAA Ship Oregon II	Pascagoula, MS

BOTC 144 - BOTC Student Entry

All of that studying paid off, as BOTC 144 completed the Rules of the Road tests with a 94.95 class average! These past two weeks have been busy, as 144 focused on practicing drills for our upcoming drill competition. We continued to work on our helm commands and line handling on the USCG training vessels. 144 finished our leadership philosophy papers detailing the individual core values we hold. We will be presenting our papers to a panel of staff officers and other officer candidates at the end of this week. 144 also spent some time running the obstacle course on campus. This activity was designed to help with morale and team building through healthy competition. As a reward for our hard work, overnight liberty was granted to 144, taking some officer candidates as far as New York City and Boston; morale is at an all time high. We’re looking forward to BOTC class pictures, Project O, and advanced firefighting training.

OC Herring takes on the rope climb during the obstacle course challenge. Photo Credit: OC McDeavitt

OC Crouse and OC Cano teach OC Hook how to climb the rope. Photo Credit: OC McDeavitt

LTJG Lesser instructs students on one of the USCG training vessels. Photo Credit: OC McDeavitt

Call for Volunteers: BOTC 146 Interviews

The Commissioned Personnel Center is looking for motivated Officers (O2-O4) willing to complete interviews for BOTC 146 applicants in support of our NOAA Corps recruiting effort. To improve consistency, Recruiting Branch requests that each interviewer commit to conducting a minimum of four (4) interviews, which can be credited towards obtaining the NOAA Corps Recruiting Achievement Ribbon (see NCD 12705(E)) .

All interviews will be conducted virtually via Google Meet, and can be scheduled as early as the last week of September. All interviews must be completed by the end of October.

This interview process is your chance to have a direct hand in shaping the future of the NOAA Corps. Please email LT Ryan A Musick at apply.noaacorps@noaa.gov if you are interested. Thank you for your consideration!

2023 ACO Awards Recipients

We are pleased to announce the Association of Commissioned Officers award selectees for their accomplishments in calendar year 2023. Please join us in congratulating these officers on a job well done!

LT Terril Efird - ACO JOY Award

Lieutenant Terril Efird is awarded the 2023 NOAA ACO Junior Officer of the Year award for his extraordinary performance and contribution to Marine Operations. LT Effird instituted real change to NOAA's marine staffing during a time of unprecedented change. He took on responsibilities far above his pay grade. Excelling in an O-5 position, he has not only demonstrated competencies in leading performance and change, but as a Junior Officer, led organizational change across Marine Operations and made impacts that will last well into the future. He implemented enhanced shore leave, operationalized crew rotations, coordinated the Marine Operations Leadership Summit, and participated in MO's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Council.

In order to continue to execute its scientific missions, Marine Operations must become a competitive employer in the maritime industry and secure its position as a place where professional mariners want to come to work and stay. From an outside-the-box approach to staffing, to improved processes for moving mariners among the ships, to how the fleet views diversity, equity and inclusion, LT Efird has been, and continues to be, instrumental to the success of NOAA Marine Operations

His unswerving dedication, consistent high performance, and remarkable contributions to NOAA are why he is well-deserving of this distinguished honor.

LTJG Karina Urquhart - ACO Science Award

Lieutenant (junior grade) Karine Urquhart is awarded the 2023 NOAA ACO Science award for her scientific contributions to NOAA's National Center for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) habitat mapping. LTJG Urquhart’s work investigated the development of a foundational workflow for post-processing backscatter layers in ArcGIS Pro to reduce sensor artifacts. She tested the effectiveness of the processing workflow by conducting a seafloor segmentation using the Bathymetry and Reflectivity- based Estimator of Seafloor Segments (BRESS) tool produced by HydroOffice. She used her skills and knowledge of bathymetry to contribute to the development of geomorph classification maps produced by BRESS– introducing a new product to the seafloor mapping data suite.

Her contributions at NCCOS have advanced seafloor mapping efforts, particularly through her work in backscatter processing and GIS integration. LTJG Urquhart's academic achievements and hands-on experience have not only enhanced data acquisition and processing protocols but also expanded the application of NCCOS data in ecological restoration efforts.

LTJG Kaitlyn Brogan - ACO Engineering Award

Lieutenant (junior grade) Kaitlyn Brogan is awarded the 2023 NOAA ACO Engineering award for the engineering work she planned, coordinated and executed, many times hands on, for upgrades and maintenance to the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary vessel, R/V Manta. LTJG Brogan made significant engineering upgrades, advocated and received funding for necessary machinery maintenance, and came up with creative solutions for unexpected machinery failures for R/V Manta.

In 2023 alone, she worked contracts for multiple repair periods, procurements for a new crane, a new FRB and renewed a crewing contract, all totaling over $1M dollars. Much of this funding came from creative ways of budgeting, grant money, carryover funds, etc. In doing so, this officer left the Manta better than she received the vessel, sailing more days in a year, with an increased lifespan and increasing the environmental stewardship via engineering enhancements and repairs.

Due to LTJG Brogan's repair work, changes to preventive maintenance, and better logistical scheduling, the 2023 vessel inspection resulted in zero deficiencies, a first for the 15 year old vessel.

LTJG Justin Blancher - ACO Engineering Award

Lieutenant (junior grade) Justin Blancher is awarded the 2023 NOAA ACO Engineering award for his work with the Programs Section and Operations Branch at the Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) assisting with data management, product creation, and future dashboard development utilizing the NOAA Aircraft Management Information System (NAMIS). LTJG Blancher went above and beyond to understand the full capabilities of the NAMIS system.

LTJG Blancher demonstrated expertise in coding and data analysis, creating real-time analysis tools that significantly enhanced the operational efficiency of NOAA aviators, Program Managers, and OMAO Aircraft Allocation Planners. The creation of these user-friendly tools, capturing aircraft missions, pilot hour/travel data, and project-specific data, is a pivotal advancement for AOC programs and operations management.

LTJG Blancher enabled the capacity to effortlessly navigate and display metrics from the NAMIS database, which encompasses data from ten aircraft and projects across the globe. This real-time monitoring capability is critical for flight fatigue management and promotes safe operations by flagging pilots who may be approaching maximum flight time. This will ultimately protect the pilot, AOC, and the nation by ensuring continued, safe operations.

Historic NOAA Medical Records to MHS Genesis

We are happy to announce that ALL of the historic medical records for NOAA Corps officers have been uploaded to MHS Genesis. Officers can view and download their historic NOAA Corps medical records using the MHS Genesis Patient Portal under “Whole Health Note.” If an officer notes any missing historic medical records, we request that you submit the records to NOAA Corps Medical Affairs through the MHS Genesis Patient Portal messaging center. If you are having trouble downloading your medical record please message LT Jones-Beatty through noaacorps.medical@noaa.gov.

Reminder on Promotion Eligibility

As we approach the end of the field season for most of our operating ships, the Commissioned Personnel Center would like to remind all officers that might be considered for promotion in 2025 of certain promotion requirements found in the NOAA Corps Directives (NCD). For Lieutenants (Junior Grade) being evaluated for promotion to Lieutenant, it is highly recommended that all officers become familiar with NCD Chapter 4 parts 2 and 3, paying particular attention to sections NCD 04203 and 04304. For evaluation to the grade of Lieutenant, "Each officer shall, not later than the date considered for promotion, possess a letter of qualification as a NOAA Officer of the Deck (OOD) Underway or a letter of qualification as a NOAA Aviator (Pilot or Navigator) in a particular aircraft type, and have performed duties as a qualified NOAA OOD or NOAA Aviator for a minimum of three months."

An officer must have received either their NOAA Aviator or Officer of the Deck qualification and served three months in that capacity in order to be considered for promotion. Some officers receive their OOD letter less than 90 days from departing their sea assignment. If you do not have at least 90 days of time following the receipt of your OOD letter before you detach, you will need to augment as an OOD (not science party) on OMAO ships (not small craft OIC/JOIC) to reach the 90 day requirement prior to the spring promotion boards. CPC conducts an audit roughly two months before promotion boards to verify eligibility. Officers concerned that they may not meet the 90 day requirement are strongly encouraged to reach out to the Chief of Officer Career Management Division, CDR Andrew Colegrove (chief.careermgmt.cpc@noaa.gov), to discuss.

New!! - Add OPF Documents Tool (Document Map)

The CPC IT development team continues to introduce methods of improving the functionality of our record management system. One of their recent additions is a new method for adding documents to your OPF. Have you ever wondered where a particular type of document goes, but couldn't find it after searching through drop downs, so you picked something close and then it was moved anyways? Well, we've introduced a new solution to make searching for and adding documents hopefully easier for everyone. After logging into your OPF, you'll see a new clickable option called "Add New Document to OPF (Document Map)". This is the new Document Map:

The Document Map allows you to search for a document. You can use the "search" function at the top to search through all categories and possibilities, or you can search individually based on either the title of that document, the NOAA Corps Directives Chapter 1 Section Name, the OPF Sub-Category, or the OPF Online Tab. The OPF isn't organized exactly like the NOAA Corps Directives Chapter 1 Record Keeping sections are. This Document Map helps you identify where a document should be submitted . Once you've identified the document, you can select the "+" symbol on the right to add a document directly into the appropriate section with that information already completed. Now you don't have to hunt through every drop down and sub category! If you don't find what you're looking for after searching or scrolling in the Document Map, it is possible that the document type you're trying to add is not an official document that would be included in your OPF.

For any questions on the new Document Map tool, please contact CDR Andrew Colegrove at chief.careermgmt.cpc@noaa.gov.

2024 - Aviation Advisory Board: Initial Flight

As a reminder, there will be a Fleet Aviation Advisory Board on, or around, December 11th. Please review the September 6, 2024 Cyberflash for a list of requirements.

Please contact the assignment coordinator, LT Trede (assignmentbranch.cpc@noaa.gov) no later than October 14th, 2024, if you plan to apply for initial flight training so that you can be scheduled for an interview.

For questions about NOAA aviation careers and the application process, contact LCDR Joshua Rannenberg (aoc.chiefadmin@noaa.gov). For questions specific to medical requirements and USCG Class I flight physicals, contact CAPT Joe Newcomb, USPHS, (joseph.newcomb@noaa.gov) or (863) 500-3991.

From the Assignment Desk: NMFS Billet #2523 - Deputy Branch Chief, Marine Mammal Branch

• Office Grade: O-3/O-4
• Duty Station: St. Petersburg, Florida

The National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Regional Office is seeking an adaptive and innovative problem solver to serve in this newly realigned billet as the Deputy Branch Chief of the Protected Resources Division's Marine Mammal Branch (MMB).

As the Deputy Branch Chief, you will have the opportunity for rapid professional growth and continuous learning in a region that manages over 30 species of marine mammals, including two of the most endangered whales in the world. North Atlantic right whales and Rice’s whales are especially high profile NOAA “Species in the Spotlight” and therefore provide multiple opportunities for developing leadership, high visibility, performance outcomes, and human and capital management competencies. The conservation challenges are fluid and in many cases novel. The position therefore provides opportunities to enhance strategic thinking, problem solving, innovation and creativity.

Specifically, you will work with the MMB to develop policy, implement recovery and conservation plans, conduct public outreach, engage diverse sectors of mariner communities, administer budgets and procurements, partner with federal and state agencies, and provide oversight and management of contract staff. You will also apply your knowledge and experience as a mariner to address vessel strike risk to North Atlantic right whales and Rice’s whales. The officer serving in the billet will regularly engage with the USCG, Navy, USACE, other federal and state agencies, and the private sector.

If you are interested in this billet, please contact LCDR Steven Solari at nmfs.ser.rw.noaacorps@noaa.gov.