NSWC Philadelphia Chief Technology Officer gives historical lecture as part of National Engineers Week

ByJosephFontanazza

Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division

NavalSurfaceWarfareCenter,Philadelphia DivisionChiefTechnologyOfficer(CTO)Dr

Eugene“Michael”Goldagavealectureabout NSWCPD’shistoryasapartofNationalEngineersWeekonFeb.22,2023.

NSWCPD Chief Engineer Adam “Scott” Freednerhelpedkickoffthelecturewithhis openingremarks

“The theme of this year’s celebration is ‘Creating the Future’, and I couldn’t think of amorefittingwaytodescribetheeffortsand accomplishments of our engineers here in Philadelphia and across the Nation. Collectively, we bring present and future warfighters the systems and products required to expand the advantage over our adversaries,” Freednersaid

He added, “Whether it be keeping the nation’s current carriers, submarines, and surface fleet on point, providing muchneeded system modernization or researching, developing, and testing systems for the future.Youreffortsarerecognizedacrossthe Navyenterprise.” Freedner also recognized NSWCPD’s longest-servingengineerDanMillerandthe newest engineering hire Chris Heckman as partoftheevent’sopeningremarks

Golda began his lecture by dedicating his presentation to the memory of Capt David Brant McGuigan (Ret), first Commanding Officer of the Naval Ship Systems EngineeringStation(NAVSSES),thepredecessororganizationofthePhiladelphiaDivision.

“Capt McGuiganmorethananyonewasa ferocious champion of this organization. He stood up the Naval Ships Systems Engineering Station when it was nothing more than a single block on a PowerPoint presentation down at headquarters and he put together a teamthatestablishedalotofthetraditionswe don’teventhinkabouttodaybutareapartof ourDNA,”Goldasaid

He continued, “The way we look at supportingthefleet.Thewaywelookatinnovation. The way we look at accepting challenges Those can be traced directly back to Capt.McGuigan.

Golda connected the theme of this year’s NationalEngineersWeektoNSWCPD’spast ashestartedhisspeech.

“I know that this week’s theme is ‘CreatingtheFuture’,butwe[NSWCPD]havebeen creatingthefuturesincewewereestablished backin1910,”Goldasaid

TheCTOsharedwiththosepresentinthe Melville Room in Building 77L and those attending virtually the history and importanceoftheroom’snamesake

“In the late 1880s, the United States Navy

Blueprint for success

from Page 1 towagegradeairconditioning(AC)mechanic in October 2015. Less than six months later, hewaspromotedagaintoACworkleaderand was serving directly under the supervisor of theHVACshopatDahlgren.

Climbing the NAVFAC Ladder

Thompson was just getting started. He continuedtotakeavarietyoftrainingcourses both on and off the job and pursued mentorshipforhispersonalandcareerdevelopment. He also attended several NAVFAC processdriven training sessions and leadership courses

“The best training was the newly developed leadership program,” Thompson said. “It was tremendously helpful in my transition to a leadership role within NAVFAC TheMyers-Briggsassessment,bookreports, group projects, 360-self-assessment discussionaboutconflictresolutionandmorewere amazing.

Yet he wasn’t just acquiring all the knowledge he could consume, but building the foundation for his future.

“After listening to (NAVFAC Chief Engineer) Mr David Curfman’s speech describing his own career path, I set a career goal for myself to achieve a [Senior Executive Service] position with NAVFAC.”

He took his next step toward that goal in 2017,whenhewaspromotedtoHVACsupervisor. Establishedinaleadershiprole,Thompson managed the largest work center within the productiondivision Hewouldremaininthe position for three years, except for a threemonth rotation in 2019, in which he took on atemporarydutyassignmenttoserveasfacility branch head. His success as a supervisor and the experience gained as acting facility branch head paved the way for his promotiontoproductiondivisiondirectoratPublic Works Department South Potomac, Indian Head,in2020 Oneyearlater,Thompsoninterviewedfor the deputy public works officer job and beat out a competitive field to become the top civilianinhispublicworksdepartment

Still Under Construction

“Ilikethe‘Amazonreview,’”saidThompson. “So, I would always bother my superiorsandaskwhatwasgoingonintermsofmy performance.”

BillWindusservedinuniformasthepublic worksofficeratNSASPwhenThompsonwas still taking his first steps at NAVFAC Washington

“Jameswasincrediblysharp,professional, andwasrecognizedforhisleadershippotential,” said Windus “Every time we gave him moreresponsibility,hemetandexceededthe

Naval SurfaceWarfare Center Philadelphia Division’s (NSWCPD) ChiefTechnologyOfficerDr Eugene Golda gives a presentation on NSWCPD’s historyduring National Engineers Weekon Feb.22 2023.National EngineersWeekcelebrates the positive contributions produced from a diverse group of engineers.(U.S.NAVYPHOTOBYSGT.JERMAINESULLIVAN/ RELEASED) wasnotmuchtolookat TheNavycouldn’t makeadecisionwhethertheywouldgamble on machinery propulsion or if they were going to stick with those sails because it was tradition In 1887 the President [Grover Cleveland] reached deep within the Navy engineering community and selected a relatively junior officer and promoted him to Admiral, Adm. George Wallace Melville,” Goldasaid

Headded,“Atthatpoint,Melvillewhohad beenaCivilWarcombatveteran,wasalready an internationally acclaimedarcticexplorer and was also an exceptional engineer He tookcommandand movedtheNavyintothe modernera.” Melville’s drive to innovate is a founding principle that still exists in the NSWCPD The drive to innovate was instrumental in numerous breakthroughs throughout the 20th century and continues revolutionizing naval machinery technology in the 21st century accordingtoGolda

OneofthemanyNSWCPDbreakthroughs was the move to oil-powered ships from coal-powered ships and the numerous advancesneededtokeepthosenew,oil-fired boilersoperatingsafelyandefficiently.

“They[NSWCPDengineers]tookalookat challenge.

While Thompson wakes up every day at threeo’clockinthemorning,heisalsoprone tosendoutworkemailsat11o’clockatnight Work-life balance was a recurring theme of the Amazon-style reviews he received from supervisors,mentors,andpeers

“They let me know ‘Hey James, you have to be balanced, Thompson said. “They all know I’m trying to be successful but finding thatbalanceisrealsuccess.”Thompsoncould nothelpbutlaugh.“I’mstillworkingonit.”

ThompsonandWindus,nowacivilianand the deputy public works officer at Dahlgren, worktogetheraspeers.

“I think we complement each other very well, me with my active-duty background and James with his background coming up through the shops in production division, Windus said. “He is a fantastic leader for IndianHead,andthequintessentialexample forourproductiondivisionworkforceofhow youcanmoveupinthepublicworksdepartment organization through hard work and perseverance.”

Change Orders

Thompson is focused on change, both for histeamatIndianHeadandfortheNAVFAC Washington mission at NSASP After all, he hasexperience.

“For me, there was no amount of money youcouldpaymethatwouldequalthesatisfactionIgetfromonepersonsayingIhelped them, or if we fix up a facility, or make an impact in some other way to support the mission.” Thompson said “It’s a feeling of joy.Likeachievingnirvana,inaway.

Tofacilitatechange,Thompsonusesmultiplestrategies Hehoststeamlunchesforwage grade employees and subordinates, both to field questions and to share his story He fosters relationships, from the first in-brief with new staff members to out-briefs with thoseleavingtheprogram Notthatthereare many HewantstheAmazonreview good bad andugly andwantstoknow“whatdid wedowell,whatcouldwedobetter,andwhat wouldmakethemcomeback.”Healsospends alotofhisearlymorningpersonaltimereadingreportsfromthefield

“I ask a lot of questions when I talk to the team,” Thompson said.“Idon’ttry tomicromanagethembutshowthatI’vebeenactively reading their reports and try to help them come up with innovative ways to get around theirchallenges.

Anopen-doorpolicytypeofleader,hegoes on walkabouts on base and looks for opportunitiestotalktohisteamintheirworkenvironments Ithelpsthatmostofthemalready knowhimwell.

Maximum Impact

Howdoesaleadermakealastingimpacton their workplace? For Thompson, it all starts withmakingthelivesofhispeoplebetter

“James makes Indian Head feel like a home,” said Samuel Che, laborer at Indian the best way to atomize that fuel, to turn it into a mist so it would burn effectively, and that resulted in the first Philadelphia patent. The patent application was submitted in July of 1915 and awarded March 1918 We continue to be a patent-based organization protecting Navy intellectualproperty,”Goldasaid.

The story of NSWCPD is filled with the engineering advances created by past and present Navy engineers working to further the Navy’s missions Sharing that heritage to encourage an innovativespiritiswhatkeepsGolda coming back to give these lecturesandlearnmoreinthe process.

“ToquoteCapt McGuigan, ‘We just don’t push the paper from one side of the desk to the other.’ We do real engineering, hands-on engineering wrench-turning engineering If a ship in the fleet needs helps with its machinery, this organization will put people on a plane 24/7 365 to go anywhere in the world to help that ship,” Golda said. “I think that says so much about the people of NSWCPD To be able to talk a little about what the team here has accomplished is always a pleasure It was really a lotoffuntolearnmoreaboutwhoweareand whatwe’vedone.”

Machinery Research, Logistics, and Ship IntegrityDepartmentHeadDawnWaregave theevent’sclosingremarksasshecelebrated herimpendingretirementafter35yearswith NSWCPD.

“Engineersareinnovators,sobebraveand takethatleapoffaiththatwillstretchyouand put you on a journey to new and rewarding adventures You’llenduplikeIhave inplaces you would have never dreamed you would be,”Waresaid NSWCPD employs approximately 2,800 civilian engineers, scientists, technicians, and support personnel. The NSWCPD team doestheresearchanddevelopment,testand evaluation, acquisition support, and in-serviceandlogisticsengineeringforthenon-nuclearmachinery shipmachinerysystems,and related equipment and material for Navy surface ships and submarines NSWCPD is also the lead organization providing cybersecurityforallshipsystems.

Head,whoworkedwithThompsonwhenhe wastheproductiondivisiondirectorandstill serveswithhimtoday

“He set standards and told everyone what he expected from them and stuck to it,” said James Day, performance assessment representative, who worked directly underThompsonwhenhewastheACwork leader at PWD South Potomac Dahlgren. “He turned the shop around while he was in that office, and from what I see, he’s making adifferenceatIndianHeadaswell.”

“It has honestly been a pleasure watchingJamesgrowfromanapprenticetowhere he is now,” said Crystal Saunders, supervisory management analyst at Dahlgren, who has known Thompson from his first days at NAVFACWashingtonandwatchedhimgrow on the job “The employees look up to him youngandold. Thompson is not afraid to share both his story and blueprint for success with those who will listen. He seamlessly comes across aspositiveandfocused,butmostimportantly, heisgenuinelysomeonewhohasbeenthere anddonethatandnowservesasamodeland motivator

“James is younger than me and I know his story how he came up in life,” said Day. “I looked up to him because he is a great motivator When you’re down, he knows how to bring you back up He encouraged me to succeed, and he still does to this day. He is always checking in on me or asking if I need guidanceonanything.IfIhadtoselectateam, he would be the first teammate I choose. If I needsomething healwaysanswersthecall.”

The Why

These days, Thompson is focused on the here-and-now, working to grow in his role as DPWO at Indian Head. Recently, he spearheaded a vocational career fair at his alma mater, connecting a new crop of young jobseekers with opportunities to serve at NAVFAC Washington. He also happily continues to serve as a mentor and motivationalspeaker,onandoffthejob Long-term, he aims to continue climbing the NAVFAC ladderthroughservicetoothers

“My ‘why’ is: before I depart from this Earth,notfocusingonwhatIcanreceive,but instead what I can give,” said Thompson. “I feellikeanyonecanbeabossorasupervisor and bark orders, but not everyone can be a leader and inspire change It takes sacrifice discipline, planning and self-accountability, but no matter your background or external obstacles,anythingispossible.”

AtentpoleofNAVFAC’sstrategicplanisto grow as a learning organization and develop theworkforceforthechallengesofthefuture. Thompson’seffortstocapitalizeonopportunitiesprovidedbyNAVFACWashingtonhave not gone unnoticed, and he is recognized as a leader and a model for the entire NAVFAC workforce Finally, Thompson said, “NAVFAC saved andchangedmylife.”

Q: Whattypesoffamily housingareavailable?

A: There are three types of housing available to families:

Public/PrivateVenture(PPV) Housing is also referred to as privatized housing in the Navy The Navy partnered with different private management companies to provide housing to Service Members. These companies are responsible forthe construction, renovation,maintenance and day-to-day management ofthe housing PPVhousing may be located on oroffgovernment property and in most cases will be formermilitary housing

GovernmentOwned (also known as Military Housing orNavy Managed Housing is what was formerly called on-base housing While only available in limited quantities CONUS,Government Owned Housing is still widely available OCONUS.

CommunityHousing is any housing that a Service Member may choose that is not PPVor government operated This is housing outside ofthe base that is privately owned and operated

NAVY HOUSING Norfolk: 757.445.2832

JEBLCFS: 757.462.2792

Oceana/DamNeck: 757.433.3268 Yorktown: 757.847.7806

Mid-Atlantic Fleet and Family Support Centers (FFSC) programs and services are designed to help you make the most of your military experience, and they’re all available to you at no cost.

FUNCTIONSAND/OR SERVICESFFSCPROVIDES:

ClinicalCounseling – Individual, Couplesand ChildCounseling

Personal Financial Management

Information & Referral

Family EmploymentAssistance

TransitionAssistance

FamilyAdvocacy Program

Deployment and Mobilization Support

Ombudsman Support

RelocationAssistance

Parenting Programs

Stress andAngerManagement

Command Support

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Suicide Prevention

SAPR Support