Good afternoon, NOAA Corps,
I’m writing to you this week from the road, working away from the office to participate in one of a series of meetings that will better inform CPC’s budding aviation accession program. It’s exciting to ponder the possibilities of avenues like this one that will ultimately help us continue to find the best and the brightest as we grow into the NOAA Corps of the future. But while our focus at CPC remains on continuous improvement and growth, it’s rarely a poor time to reflect on where we came from.
In that spirit, I’m keeping my remarks short and instead would like to draw your attention to one who came before us. I invite you to take a moment in this post-Veterans Day Cyberflash, and read about the career and adventures of one of our own aviators who recently passed on. I’m certain that CAPT (ret.) Genzlinger was motivated by values and a sense of purpose very similar to those of us currently in service, as well as future NOAA Corps officers who have yet to join our ranks. I hope you will be able to reflect and feel inspired, as I was.
Until next time, please be well and continue to take care of yourselves and each other.
All the Best,
Captain Chris van Westendorp, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
| 18-21 Nov 2024 | Biennial Review (O1-O5) |
| 04 Dec 2024 | Officer Assignment Board (OAB) |
| 11 Dec 2024 | Fleet Aviation Advisory Board (AAB) |
| CAPT Daniel Simon | 01 Jan 2025 Terminal leave: 25 Oct 2024 |
| LTJG Kyle Vincent | 02 Jan 2025 |
| LCDR Steven Solari | 01 Feb 2025 |
| CDR Stephen Kuzirian | 01 Mar 2025 |
| LT Matthew Sharr | 31 Mar 2025 |
CAPT Lowell J. Genzlinger, NOAA ret. |
It is with a heavy heart that we share Captain Lowell John Genzlinger (NOAA Corps, retired) passed away on October 18, 2024, in Louisville, Colorado. Born in January 1944 and raised in South Dakota, CAPT Genzlinger graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in civil engineering. Following graduation, he was appointed on September 2, 1966, as an officer in the U.S. Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) Corps, later becoming the modern day National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Corps in 1970.
Beginning his extraordinary career as a deck officer, CAPT Genzlinger conducted hydrographic and oceanographic seagoing missions in the Pacific Ocean and around Alaska, followed by international duty supporting environmental satellite operations in Africa and the Indian Ocean. He then went on to earn his wings, becoming a trusted and decorated NOAA aviator who spent the bulk of his NOAA Corps career flying aerial photographic mapping, research, and hurricane hunting missions in NOAA’s P-3 aircraft across the U.S., numerous territories, Norway, Greenland, Australia, India, and parts of Europe. In recalling his most harrowing experience toward the end of his active duty career (dramatized here, including some narration by CAPT Genzlinger), he piloted one of NOAA’s P-3s into major Hurricane Hugo, experiencing 200 mph vortex winds during an eyewall penetration and an engine fire. Due to his and the crew’s actions, the fire was extinguished and the aircraft successfully recovered after a vertical descent to 800 feet altitude inside the eye of the storm. Following a tight upward spiral flight path over the next hour, the plane was able to depart the eye at 10,000 feet and made its way safely to land 300 miles away.
Following retirement from the NOAA Corps in November 1989, CAPT Genzlinger became a research pilot for the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, performing research and atmospheric monitoring missions as far away as Kuwait. Fully retiring from flying in 2008, he had logged over 10,000 combined hours in P-3, C-130, and G-5 aircraft, traveled to 80 countries and territories, and completed 254 hurricane eyewall penetrations. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and his personal decorations included the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal, Society of American Military Engineers Karo Award, NOAA Unit Citation, U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal and numerous other service awards, along with earning the Chief of Party qualification insignia.
CAPT Genzlinger’s obituary can be found here, and an AOML article published for the 25th anniversary of Hugo is linked here. After a life very well-lived and full of amazing adventures, rest easy, sir. We have the watch.
On Friday, November 1, LCDR William Mayo took the Oath of Office at the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) in Lakeland, FL. He will be serving as a Pilot on the Gulfstream GIV. LCDR Mayo joins us after over 10 years of service in the US Navy where he served as a Boeing P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Mission Commander. Originally from The Woodlands,TX, Wil graduated from the US Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in History in 2014. During his time with the USN, Wil did multiple deployments to INDOPACOM and EUCOM, where he flew and supported Anti-Submarine Warfare and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions. Following his flying tours, Wil completed a staff tour at the Pentagon where he served as an Assistant Battlewatch Captain to the Chief of Naval Operations, Briefer to the Secretary of the Navy, and an Admiral's Executive Assistant, before completing his Naval service as a Catapult Officer aboard USS John C. Stennis. Wil is super excited for the opportunity to continue to serve, return to flying, and become a part of the NOAA Corps team. Welcome Aboard LCDR Mayo!
BOTC 144 mariners and instructors at USMRC. PC: Brian Holden, USMRC |
This past Friday marked the conclusion of post-graduation training for BOTC 144. The mariners of the class spent four weeks at USMRC learning RADAR, ARPA and ECDIS, and creating routes, passage plans and navigation briefs for the inbound transit to their new home ports. As a capstone project in the final week of training, the group presented their brief to a selected bridge team, then executed their plan in the simulators, combining everything they've learned in BOTC.
Fair winds and following seas to 144 as they begin this next step in their careers at their first sea assignments!
All active duty officers are cordially invited to tune in for our monthly CPC Webinar this coming Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 1200 EST, where we will learn more about Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act requirements and how they may impact our roles and responsibilities as NOAA Corps officers. Mark Graff, NOAA’s FOIA and Privacy act lead and agency subject matter expert, will be presenting with some of his staff, and will be taking questions both via the question form linked here that you may fill in now, as well as questions during the webinar. Meeting information will be available in a calendar invitation to be shared shortly. Please tune in, as this subject matter affects all of us as federal employees and uniformed service members!
At 0600 EST, Wednesday, December 18, 2024, availability to Direct Access will be limited only to users performing 2025 payroll and regulatory change transition tasks. Direct Access will be reactivated for all users on Friday, January 3, 2025.
During this timeframe, access to self-service in Direct Access for all active duty and retired members will be unavailable, including for login access, submission of absence requests, any processing of pay or separation transactions, and any processing of orders, etc.
The final 2024 payroll cutoff is December 17, 2024. All changes for December pay must be processed prior to that date in order to be reflected in a member’s end of month pay. NOAA Corps Payroll will resume processing documents submitted via the HRMS Action Request ticketing system on January 3, 2025.
In an effort to humanize the mission of OMAO and the NOAA Corps, our very own OMAO Public Affairs team regularly conducts employee spotlight features. Through these feature stories, the general public can learn about the people behind the mission who are gathering the data, operating our platforms, managing our programs, and contributing to the success of our NOAA and OMAO organization. Not only will readers get a glimpse behind the scenes, they'll learn what sparked your interest in the work you do today and the road you traveled to get there. These stories will be posted to the NOAA Corps website and amplified across our social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter). If you're interested in being featured, please complete the form linked below, and a member of OMAO’s communications team will be in contact.
Staff Profile Questionnaire
Thank you for your consideration.
CPC occasionally receives inquiries from officers regarding the possibility and process to effect an Interservice Transfer from NOAA Corps to other Services. While the authority and processes exist for NOAA Corps to IST into other active duty Services, ISTs out of NOAA are not currently viewed as being consistent with the best interests of the NOAA Corps. Officers may apply for appointments in other services (active or reserve) following separation from the NOAA Corps using their newly issued DD-214 as proof of release from the NOAA Corps to enter into another Service. For any questions regarding ISTs, please contact CDR Andrew Colegrove, Chief, OCMD, at chief.careermgmt.cpc@noaa.gov.
CPC has accomplished the majority of our OER backlog validations and are now ready to switch completely to the new OER routing process. We appreciate everyone's patience while we've worked towards improving accountability and modernizing the submission process for OERs. As of December 2nd, 2024 we will be shutting down the Smart Sheet OER form and the associated OER Tracker. Instructions will be available and updated at that time on the newly released NOAA Corps intranet as well as the landing pages for the soon-to-be-replaced Smartsheet form and the OER Tracker.
After December 2nd, OERs will be submitted to CPC via an officer's OPF just the same as any other document via the OER tab. This will allow CPC to validate or return OERs within the OPF document management system rather than via e-mail communication. This is the first complete step of the new age of OER routing and processing and is the end of Phase One development for OER modernization. Phase Two will eventually encompass the creation, routing, correction, and validation process entirely within the OPF system and will effectively eliminate the use of the PDF OER. We anticipate the roll-out of Phase 2 some time in the 2025 calendar year.
The next cyberflash will have the official announcement of the new OER submission method. For questions or concerns, please contact CDR Andrew Colegrove by e-mail at chief.careermgmt.cpc@noaa.gov.
Many officers have submitted their Personal Fitness Plans (PFP) into their OPFs in accordance with the recently updated Chapter 16 - Bravo Zulu to those officers! However, we've received some feedback that it hasn't been easy to locate which category an officer should use to upload their PFP. Please note that submitting PFPs via an HR Action Request (ticket) is not currently an appropriate method. Officers can upload their PFP by logging into their OPF, navigating to the "Other" tab, clicking on "+ Add" and choosing "Personal" in the Document Category drop down and "Personal Fitness Plan, NOAA Form 56-78" in the Document Type drop down. For any questions, please reach out to Rachel Saunders via e-mail at rachel.saunders@noaa.gov.
The Recruiting Branch is seeking its next cadre of Recruiting Officers to shape the future of the NOAA Corps. The NOAA Corps Recruiting Branch orchestrates outreach and awareness activities, converts interest into applications, prepares the selection process, and ushers selected applicants through the administrative tasks required to kick off their careers as commissioned NOAA Corps Officers. With the inception of the three-class-per-year format for 2025, there is a unique opportunity to implement exciting and positive change as we grow the organization. Assignments in the Recruiting Branch also provide valuable insight into the inner-workings of CPC as influential members of the leadership team.
0524: NOAA Corps Field Recruiting Officer: This position will be the point person for outreach, engagement, and recruiting at numerous academic institutions and professional organizations. The Field Recruiting Officers are expected to be on the road for recruiting cycles in the spring and fall, raising awareness for the NOAA Corps and conducting early interaction with interested individuals.. This team member also plays a critical role in processing application materials, coordinating applicant interviews, and presenting each Officer Personnel Board with a pool of well-qualified applicants. Intended for the pre-Ops officer, this billet offers an opportunity to sharpen logistics planning and fosters interpersonal relationship savvy.(O1/O2/O3)
0523: NOAA Corps Recruiting Officer: This position focuses on the logistics of recruiting by establishing and maintaining relationships with partner academic institutions, updating and disseminating NOAA Corps information to organizations and individuals, implementing recruiting initiatives, and striving to increase diversity among the pool of qualified NOAA Corps applicants. This officer works closely with selected applicants to guide them along the administrative processes from selection through the commencement of BOTC, to include MEPS travel, background/security screenings, and other in-processing functions. They are expected to learn all duties as assigned under the Chief Recruiting Officer and upon successful completion of an 18 month assignment will fleet up to Chief Recruiting Officer. This billet offers supervisory roles and project management that will prove valuable for the pre-XO officer. (O3/O4)
If you are interested in these positions or about joining the recruiting team in general, please contact the Chief Recruiting Officer, LCDR Reynaga, at chief.noaacorps.recruiting@noaa.gov or the Assignment Coordinator, LCDR Trede, at assignmentbranch.cpc@noaa.gov. We can work with officers on their rotation dates to fill these critical billets.