Flag Officer Assignments

by khurst2@gmail.com | Nov 13, 2020 | News

Congratulations to Rear Admiral Alvin Holsey on his new assignment. May success follow your flag.
~RADM Sinclair Harris, USN (Ret.)

The secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations announced today the following assignments:

Rear Adm. Alvin Holsey will be assigned as commander, Navy Personnel Command; and deputy chief of naval personnel, Millington, Tennessee. Holsey is currently serving as special assistant to commander, Naval Air Forces/commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, with additional duty as director, Task Force One Navy, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Richard J. Cheeseman Jr. will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Ten, Norfolk, Virginia. Cheeseman is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Two, Norfolk, Virginia.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Brendan R. McLane will be assigned as commander, Navy Warfare Development Command, Norfolk, Virginia. McLane is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Ten, Norfolk, Virginia.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Scott F. Robertson will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Two, Norfolk, Virginia. Robertson is currently serving as commander, Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center, San Diego, California.

Air Force looks to fund Historically Black Colleges & Universities, develop ‘future pool of scientists & engineers’

by khurst2@gmail.com | Nov 13, 2020 | News

The United States Air Force is reaching out to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority Institutions to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers to serve the military and commercial sectors with research funding opportunities and incentives.

The Air Force’s Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs are reaching out to HBCU and Minority Institutions with funding opportunities for researchers who might not have otherwise considered doing business with the US government.

FIRST BLACK FEMALE TO LEAD BRIGADE OF MIDSHIPMEN

by khurst2@gmail.com | Nov 13, 2020 | News

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Commandant of Midshipmen announced the spring semester midshipman leadership positions, Friday, Nov. 6, which includes the selection of the Naval Academy’s first African American female brigade commander, Midshipman 1st Class Sydney Barber, of Lake Forest, Ill.

The brigade commander is the highest leadership position within the brigade, and is the only “six striper”– a reference to the collar insignia worn on the midshipman uniform, the rank of midshipman captain. The semester-long position is currently held by Midshipman 1st Class Ryan Chapman and is selected through an application and interview process by senior leadership from the Commandant’s staff.

Nov 10, 2020 – Free virtual screening and fundraiser for Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II

by khurst2@gmail.com | Nov 9, 2020 | News

“INVISIBLE WARRIORS: AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN WORLD WAR II” SCREENING AND Q&A

“Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II,” produced and directed by former Drexel Assistant Adjunct Professor, Gregory S. Cooke, features the amazing stories of the first African American women to work in industry and government administrative service. It is an unforgettable conversation among Rosie the Riveters who share their wartime memories, recounting their battles against racism at home, Nazism abroad and sexism everywhere.

For More Info or to Register

Click Here

Year of the Captains & Colonels: CAPT Lexia M. Littlejohn, USCG

by khurst2@gmail.com | Nov 9, 2020 | Captains & Colonels, News

Leadership Lessons

Innovate: Lean forward, think outside the box, and capitalize on opportunities to evolve.
There’s Power in Positivity: Let’s face it- everyone has their off days. Don’t let your crew see yours. Your team will feed off your energy, good or bad, so never underestimate the power of a positive attitude.
Lean Into Challenges: Step out of your comfort zone and take on constructive challenges. If you’re feeling that little pit in the bottom of your stomach, that’s exactly the level of discomfort that you should be feeling and it means that you’re doing it right.
Face-to-Face Interaction: Get out from behind the desk and talk to your crew. Meet them where they are and get to know their names and their stories. The best leaders make the time to be present.
Communicate from the Heart, Not the Paper: People zone out when a presenter reads from a prepared slide or script. This is even more true as a leader. There’s a distinction between speaking and communicating, so once you know the subject matter, put down the notes and allow for two-way communications between you and your audience.
Readiness is Key to Excellence: Proficiency requires meticulous preparation. Focus on your team’s readiness to perform the mission and excellence will follow.
Invest in self, family, shipmates, and community. If you like airplane analogies, you have to put your own mask on before helping others. Invest in your own well-being so that you have ample energy to give to all of those that are counting on you.

Bio

CAPT Lexia Littlejohn currently serves as the Sector Commander for Sector Buffalo where she oversees 1,200 active duty, reserve, and Auxiliary members in conducting Coast Guard operations across Lakes Erie and Ontario including the Niagara River and Niagara Falls, a portion of the St. Lawrence Seaway, 570 miles of shoreline across 3 states, and 455 miles of international maritime border.

Previously, CAPT Littlejohn served as the Deputy Commander for Sector Key West where she led a multi-agency team of more than 400 responders and 40 assets in conducting over 100 rescues and effecting salvage operations to reopen the Port of Key West following Hurricane Irma. CAPT Littlejohn’s other assignments have included advising Senators on Coast Guard and maritime security issues as a Coast Guard Fellow for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, formulating the Coast Guard’s $1.4 billion counterdrug budget, and leading a team in the production of over 300 interviews, press releases, and news conferences, which earned her unit the Commander Jim Simpson Award (the Coast Guard’s highest award for public affairs).

CAPT Littlejohn has responded to numerous marine oil spills and spoken at domestic and international pollution conferences on complex incident response. In 2013, CAPT Littlejohn received the Coast Guard Innovation Award’s honorable mention for her crisis management database that improved operational readiness for major contingencies. Her other military awards include two Meritorious Service Medals and seven Coast Guard Commendation Medals.

CAPT Littlejohn holds a B.S. in Marine and Environmental Sciences from the Coast Guard Academy and M.S. and Engineer degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University. She is the second African American female in Coast Guard history to reach the rank of Captain and the first to command a Sector. CAPT Littlejohn is married to Conor Heelan of the Republic of Ireland and they have three children, Kaia (9), Kasey (8), and Ciara (4).