Message from the Director

Greetings, NOAA Corps,

This week I am passing the pen to the outgoing Chief of Officer Career Management Division (OCMD), Commander Andrew Colegrove. A huge “Thank You!” goes out to him for everything he has led and facilitated over these last two years of organizational change and service growth. We owe him an enormous debt of gratitude for a job very well done, and I know he will continue to do great things as the next CO of our NOAA Corps Officer Training Center. Also, a big “Welcome!” goes to our new OCMD Chief, Commander Emily Rose, reporting fresh from completing her at-sea command of Oscar Dyson. She has hit the deck plates running, and we look forward to her leadership contributions within the CPC fold.

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Good evening, NOAA Corps,

I am grateful once again for the opportunity to pen the Message from the Director, CPC, and I hope my last message about seeing the path through the trees resonated with officers. I remain inspired by challenge, opportunity for improvement, career development, and organizational progress. In light of that, today marks the end of my time as Chief of the Officer Career Management Division, and I now look ahead to my next assignment. Reflecting on my time here, I’m most thankful for the opportunity to have worked alongside such dedicated and hardworking individuals. CPC is a unique environment with a constant hum of customer service needs, payroll actions, policy and procedure development and implementation, and career management. I have truly enjoyed getting to know the team, implementing a shared vision of strong customer service, and being a champion for change.

If I could summarize my current feelings into one word, it would be: accomplished. The growth I have observed within CPC has been inspiring and impressive. Continuing my previous theme of navigating a forest by seeing the path, it is also important that we don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees. We’ve maybe all heard that saying before, but what does it really mean, and how can we apply it to our careers and accomplishments?

Haven’t we all started out a day with a plan or to-do list, only to slowly watch the day go by without really addressing any of those tasks? It can feel frustrating to experience delays or setbacks to desired progression. We certainly set out within Career Management with a vision of improvements and ideas we wanted to explore. Did we accomplish everything we envisioned? No, not entirely. However, what we did accomplish is still significant and should make career progression and development easier to understand and more impactful. In my mind, this is seeing the forest for the trees. Recognizing overall success and improvement despite set backs, challenges, or delays is important in order to feel accomplished.

As I move on to my next chapter, I leave with a deep appreciation for the relationships, collaboration, and commitment that define CPC and the NOAA Corps. Thank you to the CPC staff for your partnership, professionalism, and your shared belief in continuous improvement. Keep your eye on the forest. There is always a path forward, and it is often made clearer by the progress that has already been made. I am proud of what we accomplished together and I am confident there is more yet to come.

Thank you,
Commander Andrew R. Colegrove, NOAA

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Best Regards,

Captain Chris van Westendorp, NOAA
Director, Commissioned Personnel Center