Liberty Feature
career, you have visited, served or lived all across the country and globe; what brought you and your family back to The Liberty Coast? MJ: I can’t tell you how happy we are to be back in Jacksonville. We had always thought we would go back to Norfolk, Virginia when the time came because we had done so many tours there, but after having spent three years here in the Region job, we realized what a wonderful community and quality of life Jacksonville offers. Geography is very similar to Hampton Roads, and in addition, Jax has great weather, a Veteran friendly community, a growing city, the arts, and so many leaders in diverse sectors. Jax is our “base camp,” and we love how the airport is so traveler friendly. Of course, with COVID, we have not been traveling, but that has given us time to get reacquainted with friends, make new friends, and unpack boxes! Since your return, what have you done or where have you gone that you anticipated doing or visiting? Over the summer, we enjoyed being together as a family. I am very proud of my family, and they have supported me and given me strength during my career. I am committed to being more involved in school for our son who is still home, available to visit our daughter at college, and do more fun stuff with everyone. I like to swim and be on the water, and since I grew up in the Middle East, I love the hot weather. It is really nice and enriching to have the time to get more involved in things outside of my job. Jacksonville takes pride in being “America’s friendliest military and Veteran community” and has traditionally enjoyed a high demand for duty assignments by Sailors and naval officers. Does that high favorability still exist? I believe that this area, and specifically the Tri-base area, will remain in high demand for our Navy and for our Servicemembers. In fact, the detailers were here recently and commented on how so many people request to stay. I’m just as guilty because here I am—back in Jax!
SETTLING DOWN ON THE LIBERTY COAST Vice Admiral Mary M. Jackson, USN (Retired)
by Joe Snowberger
V
ice Admiral Mary M. Jackson recently retired after an amazing 30 year naval career. Graduating from the Naval Academy as a Surface Warfare Officer in 1989, she eventually commanded the guided missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) and was commander of both Naval Station Norfolk and Navy Region Southeast (CNRSE) in Jacksonville. Jackson’s last command was as the Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC), retiring in May 2020. At CNIC, she led the Navy’s worldwide enterprise of 71 installations and more than 53,000 personnel. Following her naval career, Vice Admiral Jackson and her family relocated to The Liberty Coast. Having gotten to know her during her time in Jacksonville, we were honored when she sat down with Liberty Life. LL: Welcome back! While here as CNRSE, you said you would return to Jacksonville, and we are glad you did. During your 30-year Navy
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The partnerships that exist between the military, the city, the many Veterans Service Organizations, and the other industry sectors located here are key. I find that the synergy is at its best when there is a mutual respect for everyone’s contribution to our community. Not one way or the other, but that everyone brings value, dedication, and energy to the table. Here in Jax, you see that on a very personal level in neighborhoods, schools, employment, and community organizations, but it also is evident at a higher organizational and strategic level. A significant portion of your Navy career has been as an installation commander and leader of those commanders. For our readers who don’t know, what goes on inside the fences and beyond the base’s security gate? I am so proud of all of the Navy bases around the world, and I had a front row seat to the demands placed on these incredibly talented and diverse base teams. A base is like a small city—infrastructure, roadways, port and airfield operations, security, safety and emergency services, and support services like hotels, eateries, fitness, and childcare. The Base CO’s primary focus is to ensure that all the missions that are assigned to that base—whether ships or squadrons, or training commands or maintenance commands, to list a few—are able to carry out their mission. The Navy Installations portfolio is built on the three pillars of Fleet, Fighter, and Family. Sustainment and modernization of our shore infrastructure were a top priority for me while in DC, and we had to make very hard decisions about what we could invest in, given the limited resourcing. Again, the real work happens everyday on these bases where they are dedicated to take care of the commands assigned there, the Servicemembers and civilians, the families, and the surrounding community. Most recently, with COVID pandemic impacts on installations and readiness, what are some of the permanent changes you anticipate? The COVID pandemic has driven us all to refocus and in some cases reinvent how we do things—socially, in business, and in life. The pandemic will not
