2023-2024 Impact Report: Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
On behalf of everyone at the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at the U.S. Naval Academy, I extend our deepest gratitude for the generous support of our donors this past year. Your contributions have been instrumental in advancing our mission to foster ethical leadership and moral courage among our midshipmen, staff, faculty and coaches.
Your support has enabled us to offer a wide array of educational programs that have had a profound impact on our community and beyond. The annual McCain Ethics Conference continues to be a cornerstone of our efforts, bringing together thought leaders, scholars and practitioners to engage in meaningful discussions on pressing ethical issues. This conference has not only enriched the intellectual environment at the Academy, but has also provided invaluable insights to attendees from the Navy, Marine Corps, other government agencies, international organizations and ethics educators from around the world.
The Military Ethics Case Competition is another highlight of our programming, challenging midshipmen to apply ethical principles to real-world scenarios. This competition fosters critical thinking and ethical decision-making skills that are essential for future leaders. The Influence the Influencer program has been particularly impactful, equipping our coaches and faculty with the tools needed to instill ethical leadership principles in our midshipmen effectively. Our Leadership Innovation Lab serves as an incubator for new ideas and approaches to leadership development. Through this initiative, midshipmen have the opportunity to collaborate on projects that address contemporary ethical challenges, fostering a culture of innovation and ethical problem-solving.
We have also been privileged to host a series of distinguished guest speakers, including renowned author Ryan Holiday and General Stan McChrystal. Their insights and experiences have left a lasting impression on our community, inspiring us to strive for excellence in all that we do.
As for our multimedia efforts, we transitioned this year from our commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the repatriation of America’s POWs during the Vietnam war to a focus on The Promise and Perils of Artificial Intelligence. In our eightpart series we engage in conversations with leaders from across the Yard and beyond. Questions about the moral complexity of AI and machine learning abound. When is a human-in-the-loop required? How does AI potentially manipulate our behaviors and beliefs? What advantages does AI offer in the complex and time-sensitive environment of combat? This series, when combined with our podcasts, web resources and summer workshops for faculty, offers a comprehensive consideration on one of the most pressing matters in applied ethics today.
The impact of these programs is evident in the enhanced ethical awareness and leadership capabilities of our midshipmen, faculty, staff and coaches. They are better prepared to face the complexities of their current and future roles with integrity and honor. The ripple effect of your generosity extends beyond the Academy, influencing the ethical standards and leadership practices of the Navy, Marine Corps and our international partners.
Once again, thank you for your unwavering support. Your commitment to the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership is making a significant difference in shaping the leaders of tomorrow. We look forward to continuing this important work together and achieving even greater heights in our mission.
Thank you,
Dr. Joseph J. Thomas
The Roger and Linda Tetrault Director of The Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership
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IMPACT
STOCKDALE CENTER FOR ETHICAL LEADERSHIP YOUR
More than 275 podcast episodes produced with over 100,000 listeners on 6 continents.
16 USNA faculty, coaches, and staff completed the Stockdale Associate Fellows program in the academic year 2023-2024.
10 leader development workshops hosted between fall 2023 and spring 2024, reaching approximately 85 participants in the fall and 80 participants in the spring.
OVERVIEW
The mission of the Stockdale Center is to empower leaders to make courageous ethical decisions. The center’s primary audience is the Naval Academy community—midshipmen, staff, faculty and coaches—yet the center also shares ethical leadership insights with influential national and international leaders and organizations. The center’s vision is to become the world’s “go to” ethical leadership center and provide a hub for ethical leadership thought, education, innovation and inspiration
The center accomplishes its mission through:
Research: identifying and studying the most important emerging ethical leadership issues;
Consultation: consulting with senior leaders—internal and external to the Academy—to assist in tackling complex ethical leadership issues;
Innovation: developing innovative products that provide new ways to strengthen and accelerate the ethical leadership development process;
Dissemination: disseminating concepts, principles and ideas through lectures, published materials and the web;
Facilitation: facilitating access to people, programs and experiences that assist leaders to reflect on the moment of ethical decision; and,
Oversight: assisting the Superintendent with the integration and alignment of all Academy leadership, character and ethics programs and activities.
PRIVATELY-FUNDED STOCKDALE CENTER STAFF AND FACULTY
The Roger and Linda Tetrault Stockdale Center Director
Dr. Joseph J. Thomas
The Robert and Mary M. Looker Deputy Director, Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership
Dr. Jeffrey Macris
The Distinguished Chair of Leadership
Lieutenant General John Wissler, USMC (Ret.)
Class of 1965 Distinguished Chair in Ethics
Dr. David Luban
Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Director of Influencer Development
Dr. Celeste Raver
Volgenau Director of Strategy and Research
Dr. Ed Barrett
Director of Leadership Innovation
Mr. Michael Sears
Class of 1958 (Susan Rorer Whitby) Resident Fellow
Dr. William Galston
Class of 1962 Resident Fellow
Dr. Dustin Sebell
Class of 1973 Resident Fellow
Dr. Bradley Lewis
Donald S. Freeman, Jr. Resident Ethics Fellow
Mr. Graeme Wood
GOVERNMENT-FUNDED STOCKDALE CENTER STAFF AND FACULTY
Deputy Director for Ethics and Senior SEAL Community Rep
Captain Francis “Frank” G. Franky, USN (retired March 2024)
Senior Associate Director
Captain Tasya Lacy, USN
Stockdale Fellow
Lieutenant Colonel Eric Scherrer, USMC
Assistant Director
Dr. Shaun Baker
Event Planner
Ms. Karin Ornberg
Financial Management Analyst
Ms. Sarah White
THE BOEING LEADERSHIP INNOVATION LABORATORY
The Boeing Leadership Innovation Laboratory, located in the Naval Academy’s Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership, explores, discovers, develops, tests and implements cutting-edge theories, concepts, practices and methodologies to ensure that the Naval Academy graduates Navy and Marine Corps leaders prepared to protect the peace and win the nation’s wars in the 21st century. The lab addresses the challenge of preparing new generations of leaders who absorb, process and use information for making decisions and providing direction to others in a much different way than generations before them.
Vision
Become the world’s premier leadership innovation lab
A place recognized by the Navy and Marine Corps for the contributions the laboratory makes to develop the finest young naval leaders for the fleet and fleet forces. A place where military, government, corporate, educational, athletic and nonprofit organizations come to learn how the Naval Academy delivers the most comprehensive, creative and effective leadership development program in the world.
In 2024, the lab expanded its focus to include a deep dive into the intersection of Artificial Intelligence with Leadership, Ethics and Character. The laboratory continues to focus on its existing four major initiatives:
1. Augmented Reality and Simulation,
2. Digital Strategy,
3. Artificial Intelligence and,
4. Podcasts and distance instruction.
AUGMENTED REALITY AND SIMULATION
Stockdale Interactive is an augmented reality-based simulation tool that is used by midshipmen on their smartphones in various places on the Yard.
Stockdale Interactive
Midshipmen use their mobile devices to enter a portal that takes them through various lessons, dilemmas and vignettes. It is also used in class as a presentation tool to walk students through the exercises. We continue to introduce new material for classroom and “off-the-Yard” instruction. This year, we introduced three new case studies. To date, our library includes:
• The Switchman—a simulation of the classic “Trolley Problem”
• Dark Waters Rising—ethical dilemma during a collision at sea
• Maritime Security Operations—decision making involving weapons smuggling and human trafficking
• Tactical Interrogation—lessons in interrogation and torture
• Allyship—Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Cultural Competence—lessons in decision making while travelling in foreign countries
• Test Depth—submarine warfare and speaking truth to power
• Artificial Intelligence in the South China Sea—a multi-part simulation that introduces students to the capabilities and limitations of AI’s inclusion in the OODA loop on the battlefield
• Leave No One Behind—ethical dilemma of committing additional personnel and assets to a search and rescue mission
• No Dejes a Nadie Atrás—Leave No One Behind, Spanish language version
• Looming Storm—a junior officer navigates the intricacies of working within a toxic command environment with a poor leadership climate
• Operation Frequent Wind—Leadership decision making
• Track Changes—The Trolley Problem with a twist
• Big Larry (GDMA)—Influence and Corruption.
DIGITAL STRATEGY
We have delivered on an important element in the publication of new, innovative pedagogy which provides lessons in an accessible manner to students, faculty and staff.
Stockdale Center
The Stockdale Center and the Boeing Leadership Innovation Laboratory has produced a customer facing web-presence. The web site is primarily a products distribution strategy. We use an online means for delivering our products and services to our customers.
Those products are primarily optimized for mobile devices for use outside the classroom. The Stockdale Center is the primary entry point for blogs, newsletters, published research, etc. As such, this is the “Amazon.com” of the Stockdale Center. It is slick, searchable and “instrumented for analytics.” Every asset on the site is trackable in such a way that we can see and assess what our customers are doing on the site.
The content is cataloged to include easy, searchable access to Stockdale Center research, events, interactive scenarios and podcasts. McCain Conferences beginning with 2010, “New Warriors and Weapons: The Ethics of Emerging Military Technologies” are available on-line, as well as the Volgenau Seminar series. Moreover, internal and external conversations, point papers and debates covering ethical leadership issues relevant to military operations, national security and domestic politics are available to midshipmen, faculty and staff, as well as academics, government research and policy experts and the general public.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EDUCATION
Artificial Intelligence tools are a set of emerging innovative assets that can have a revolutionary effect on the future of education.
The laboratory is actively exploring the potential of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning to transform education. These technologies hold significant promise for enhancing the teaching and learning experience. By automating routine tasks, AI frees educators to focus more on addressing the individual needs of learners and fosters an environment ripe for innovation. At the same time, it is understood that there are challenges and risks associated with AI, such as algorithmic bias and the potential for unfair decision-making in educational settings. This year, the laboratory has curated a new website, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (“SAIL”) that acts as comprehensive resource hub, illustrating the interplay between AI, ethics, leadership and education. It provides articles, case studies and expert perspectives to highlight how AI impacts educational leadership while addressing ethical considerations. The portal showcases AI-powered educational tools, their benefits and potential pitfalls. It also delves into leadership’s role in navigating AI’s ethical challenges.
PODCASTS
The Laboratory continues to produce the Stockdale Minute, a portfolio of podcasts that deliver audio tracks for use by midshipmen, faculty and staff, as well as others outside the Yard.
Stockdale Minute Podcasts
RadioStockdale is a number of short discussions, led by the lab director, with key guests who have deep knowledge of subject matter relating to the ethical, leadership, character and legal implications of everyday things that affect the lives of future Naval Warriors. The podcast has targeted discussions in Ethics, Honor, Trust, Courage, Resilience, Diversity and Sleep, to name a few.
Philosophy at the Movies, led by Dr. Shaun Baker of the Stockdale Center, ties the philosophical implications of actions and situations through the vehicle of international cinema. Popular movies are presented, with intriguing philosophical concepts through the arc of the narrative, choices the characters make as they face dilemmas and the inner dialogue of the characters. Movies discussed include those such as Saving Private Ryan, 7 Days in May and Unbreakable, as well as Unforgiven, 2001: A Space Odyssey and It’s a Wonderful Life
Beyond RadioStockdale, the lab has created four podcast series that can be used in Bancroft Hall, as well as in the classroom. A new series focuses on Artificial Intelligence in Education and Leadership. It specifically “speaks” to faculty, as well as midshipmen:
• AI AT THE INTERSECTION OF LEADERSHIP, ETHICS AND EDUCATION. The series ran through the spring term of 2024, with guests focusing on the coming impact of AI on students and teachers. Artificial Intelligence
• THE OATH, THE BILL OF RIGHTS AND THE UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE. The series is meant to remind midshipmen about the connections between the U.S. Bill of Rights and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and how the oath of office they took on I-Day connects them to both. The Oath of Office
• THE NEW NE203. Moral Reasoning for Naval Leaders is an ethics course required of all midshipmen.
DIRECTOR OF INFLUENCER DEVELOPMENT
The Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership’s Influence the Influencer initiatives focus on developing leadership developers— USNA’s faculty, staff, administrators and coaches—who shape the nation’s future leaders. The purpose of the Influence the Influencer initiatives is to strengthen the leadership competencies, capabilities and confidence of USNA’s leadership developers as they lead, teach, coach and mentor the Brigade of Midshipmen.
In the academic year 2023 - 2024, Influence the Influencer initiatives continued to soar to new heights. In the prior year, the Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Director of Influencer Development, Dr. Celeste Raver, implemented a strategy that centered on three focal pillars—(1) leader development centered on developing individual leader competencies, (2) leadership development centered on building interpersonal leadership capabilities and (3) developing leadership developers centered on providing skills to lead teams and organizations—all with the goal to equip USNA’s influencers with strengthened skills to understand how to generate and support future Naval officers. In the past year, this strategy came into fruition with additional Stockdale leaders to support these focal areas, expanded and more refined programming, a website that reflects the Influence the Influencer pillars and videos highlighting the experiences of participants in the Influence the Influencer programs
One of the most essential improvements in this past year was assigning aspects of the growing Influence the Influencer portfolio to additional Stockdale leaders to support the director of Influencer Development in continuing to expand the opportunities to faculty, staff, administrators and coaches. Stockdale Senior Associate Director, Captain Tasya Lacy ’97, USN, assumed responsibility for this leader development focal pillar and management of the Gallup programs.
graduation. Sharing some stories and pictures afterwards with my current students helped me to relate to them. I feel better equipped to understand the things they go through and what will be important to them in the future.”
intrapersonal aspects of leadership so that they can show up as the best version of themselves. These intrapersonal aspects fundamentally center on the foundation of leadership, self-awareness. Self-awareness is at the heart of leading effectively; the leader development opportunities center on generating ever greater self-awareness to continue to grow as a leader and to ultimately optimize effectiveness.
Leader Development Workshops
The purpose of these workshops is to refine cognitive understanding, promote behavioral engagement and develop habitual use of important leader competencies. Between fall 2023 and spring 2024, Influence the Influencer hosted ten leader development workshops reaching approximately 85 USNA faculty, staff, administrators and coaches in the fall and approximately 80 in the spring. Topics included: Strengths 101, Leading with Strengths, Meet the Fleet—an information session with a dual career Marine Corp couple, Loyalty, Public Speaking, Effective Meetings, Growth Mindset, Emotional Intelligence and Kolb Experiential Learning Profile.
Meet the Fleet Opportunities
The Meet the Fleet program sends USNA influencers—faculty, staff, administrators and coaches—on experiential learning opportunities aboard a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and to the Marine Corps Basic School. These programs allow participants to witness first-hand the experiences their students undergo following commissioning.
Professors at Sea—The Professor at Sea experience provides an opportunity to experience a brief underway aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier, with the target audience being USNA civilians. The Professors at Sea program helps civilians gain a better understanding of the fleet and serves as a bridge for civilian faculty to connect lessons from the fleet in the classroom.
In September 2023, the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership, through the Influence the Influencer programs, sent 12 USNA faculty members to dwight d. eisenhower. In February 2024, ten USNA faculty members and two coaches embarked on george washington. During both trips, the groups were delivered to the aircraft carriers via carrier onboard delivery (COD) via a C-2. These USNA Influencers had a chance to interact with LDOs, SWOs, SWO-Ns, aviators, in addition to the carriers’ leadership teams. They also witnessed multiple ship evolutions (including but not limited to a general quarters, Flight OPS and foreign object debris walkdown).
When asked what the number one lesson was from the experience, a cyber science professor responded with, “The carrier and its crew(s) comprise a gigantic machine and each of the individual functions are critical ... and this particular carrier makes everyone aware that their job is indeed critical—morale is therefore excellent, as is the performance of the machine.”
A math professor responded with, “The precision and danger involved in basic activities on the ship—even during nondangerous times—is remarkably impressive.”
Participants were also asked how they would use this within their sphere of influence at USNA. A chemistry professor responded with, “I expected to learn about the nuclear power plant and water purification, but I did not realize that I could connect chemistry to waste processing, navigation (propulsion), electromagnetic systems and even meteorology.” A history professor concluded, “Because of this trip I will be more intentional in impressing upon the midshipmen the importance of leadership.”
Influencers in the Field—After the initial kick-off in spring 2023, this year saw refinement and growth of Influencers in the Field. First, the original title of the program “Faculty in the Field” was revamped to include all USNA Influencers, and the name “Influencers in the Field” was established. The two-day Influencers in the Field experience provides faculty, staff, administrators and coaches with the chance to go through evolutions that midshipmen will face if they are exploring the Marine Corps during Leatherneck and the challenges and obstacles that second lieutenants face during The Basic School (TBS).
Between fall 2023 and spring 2024, we sent 14 USNA faculty, staff and coaches on this adventure. Participants had the opportunity to sleep in the barracks, experience the leader’s reaction course, endurance course, observe a rifle platoon and visit the armory. Some of the comments included: “It brought the leadership training they receive at USNA to life.”
“Seeing where Marines go for TBS and Leatherneck gave me a much better ability to ‘visualize’ where my students go in the summer, and where they go after graduation. Sharing some stories and pictures afterwards with my current students helped me to relate to them. I feel better equipped to understand the things they go through and what will be important to them in the future.”
CliftonStrengths
Captain Lacy continued to lead, sustain and refine Stockdale Center’s efforts to cultivate a strengths-based culture at USNA by using Gallup’s CliftonStrengths. In Academic Year 2023 to 2024, our certified Gallup coaches facilitated three workshops for USNA faculty, staff and coaches reaching approximately 75 USNA Influencers In addition, they provided specialized strengths workshops to work centers to include senior leaders of Naval Support Activity Annapolis and the entire USNA admissions team. Beyond the workshops, numerous individuals on the yard benefitted from being coached on their CliftonStrengths, which helped them to identify ways to use their CliftonStrengths to achieve their goals and in becoming better leaders. In an effort to continue to expand our Gallup Strengths offerings, Influence the Influencer sent three Gallup Coaches to additional certifications to become Gallup Certified Managers, which helps the participants learn additional tools to develop leaders into coaches with a focus on enhancing team performance and employee engagement.
In the next year, as we continue to hone our emphasis on “Leadership Development the USNA Way,” we plan on using Gallup CliftonStrengths as the gateway to increase participation in the Influence the Influencer initiatives and the host of ongoing developmental opportunities offered by the Stockdale Center. In the next year, we plan to fund additional attendance at the Gallup Global Strengths Coach course to increase our number of certified CliftonStrengths coaches enabling us to offer more leader development strengths workshops, taking a more targeted approach to expand our coaching cadre. Specifically, we are targeting Permanent Military Instructors in our plebe, core leadership course, for certification opportunities to ensure alignment with Gallup since CliftonStrengths is one of the assessments offered to all plebes in this core leadership course. We also plan to invite graduates of the Stockdale Associate Fellows program to apply for an opportunity to become Gallup certified CliftonStrengths coaches so they can support our Gallup coaches’ efforts on the Yard.
Experiential Opportunities
Experiential opportunities are provided as a way for USNA Influencers to have unique experiences in diverse environments that foster relationships among those on the Yard and provide opportunities to learn about oneself as a leader.
Yard Patrol Adventure—In spring 2024, Influence the Influencer offered its first Yard Patrol (YP) adventure to a broad USNA audience to include (but not limited to)— faculty, coaches, staff, administrators and public works. We had 42 individuals participate in this adventure. The goal was to provide USNA Influencers with a better understanding of the YPs, how they operate and how they serve as a leadership laboratory for midshipmen feedback was overwhelmingly positive and served as an impetus for providing more experiential learning opportunities for faculty, staff, administrators and coaches. Based on the response to this event, in fall 2024, Influence the Influence will provide one experiential learning opportunity on the Yard each month to include events like the YP adventure, ship simulation and endurance course all tied to leadership lessons.
National Outdoor Leadership School—Each year, as part of the Influencer development initiatives, the Stockdale Center sends USNA faculty, staff and coaches to National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) with the purpose to provide opportunities for faculty, staff and coaches to build across the Yard relationships, reflect upon their own leadership skills, behaviors and style and build capacities to strengthen their leadership approach. Throughout a weeklong excursion, the group works in small teams to navigate the austere environments taking on different leadership roles and responsibilities throughout the adventure. There are three primary outcomes of this experience:
1. The NOLS excursions provide an opportunity for the formation of deep bonds among the participants across diverse backgrounds and cost centers. This enables participants to operate collaboratively when they return to their roles at the Naval Academy.
2. Recognition and acknowledgement of specific leadership capabilities and competencies which are highlighted in the experiential learning environment.
3. An opportunity to self-reflect about one’s leadership journey and how to continue to grow as a leader.
“Seek out hard things and challenges in life—ideally in a team dynamic because that’s where the greatest interpersonal connections are formed. There are many different decision-making strategies—each is appropriate in different settings based on the time allowed to make the decision and the level of involvement for the group.”
In May 2024 and June 2024, 24 USNA faculty, staff and coaches had the opportunity to participate in NOLS In May, a group of 12 (representing coaches, faculty, PE, business services and IT) went to the Canyonlands of Utah on a backpacking excursion. During this excursion, the group worked in small groups to navigate the terrain, find water and traverse the canyons. In June, a group of 12 (representing faculty, Bancroft Hall leadership, Superintendent’s office and the chaplain center) went sea kayaking in the Prince William Sound in Alaska. The sea kayaking excursion involved learning to lead the entire group through the sound dealing with weather and sea state complications.
Faculty, staff and coaches highlighted the top lessons that they took from the trip and how those apply to their role at USNA as the developers of leaders.
One member from Naval Academy Athletic Association concluded that her key lessons included:
“(1) How to effectively delegate tasks and trust others to complete them. (2) Don’t be so focused on the task at hand you forget to look up. (3) I found my voice again and gained some confidence back.”
A faculty member described their lessons learned with “(1) Seek out hard things and challenges in life—ideally in a team dynamic because that’s where the greatest interpersonal connections are formed. (2) I have a strength in identifying and taking up slack or filling gaps in team tasks to ensure team success. (3) There are many different decision-making strategies—each is appropriate in different settings based on the time allowed to make the decision and the level of involvement for the group.”
One of the company officers on the trip concluded their lessons with “(1) Not everyone can move as quickly as
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
USNA defines leadership as the process of inspiring, influencing and directing others toward a shared purpose. The leadership development portfolio focuses on the others, or relational aspects of this definition. In the leadership development realm, this is considered the interpersonal and social aspects of leadership. The leadership development initiatives expand faculty, staff and coaches’ capabilities to interact with, build relationships with, influence and motivate midshipmen as they develop as leaders.
Leadership Development Workshops
The leadership development workshops seek to refine cognitive understanding, behavioral engagement and important organizational competencies of USNA’s faculty, staff and coaches. These enable USNA influencers to foster the social aspects of leadership and in turn have more influence and impact on midshipmen as they hone their leadership capabilities. Between fall 2023 and spring 2024, Influence the Influencer hosted 15 leadership development workshops reaching approximately 175 USNA faculty, staff, administrators and coaches in the fall and approximately 110 in the spring. Topics included: Leadership Development the USNA Way, Assessing Leadership Effectiveness, Authentic Leadership, Crucial Conversations, Optimizing Team Dynamics, Mission and Vision.
Ethics & Leadership Summer Workshop Series
Over the past four years, the Stockdale Center through the Influencer programs has hosted an annual summer workshop for faculty, staff and coaches to provide participants with tools to integrate an ethical component into one’s sphere of influence. In summer 2024, we took the initial workshop model and revamped our approach. Considering the Stockdale Center’s focus on the ethical questions we are encountering in an age of generative AI and USNA’s quest for faculty to be prepared for a future where we need to teach midshipmen how to engage with generative AI in an ethical manner, we developed a summer workshop for faculty focused on Ethics and Leadership in the Age of Generative AI. The workshop aims to help USNA faculty:
1. Describe the technology behind a large-language model Generative AI platform (what it is and what it can do).
2. Evaluate the potential applications of Generative AI for future military officers.
3. Analyze how Generative AI impacts leadership (defined at USNA as the process of inspiring, influencing, or directing others toward a common purpose) and its influence on the courses they teach at USNA.
4. Analyze how Generative AI impacts moral reasoning, moral perception and character development, and how their courses could be influenced by those impacts.
5. Develop a project that improves students’ ability to meet course learning outcomes given the challenges and opportunities of Generative AI.
To support faculty in participating, the Stockdale Center through Influence the Influencer provided 30-hours of summer salary funding for participants. This helps to engage faculty in this important topic and provide faculty with the support they need to grow and learn during the summer months. The workshop was so popular that we offered two sessions in June 2024. In total, there were 36 participants—32 were USNA faculty members representing academic departments from all disciplines and four faculty members from other service academies.
The format of this workshop was viewed as so valuable that Influence the Influencer plans to use this as a framework in future summers. The Stockdale Center will choose, in consultation with the Provost office, a topic that is pertinent for all faculty to expand their knowledge. The Stockdale Center will then develop a summer workshop on the topic and its relationship to ethics and leadership targeting faculty to support their growth and development during the summer.
The Leadership Coaching Program
Through the Stockdale Center’s Influence the Influencer programs, USNA has continued to be a leader within the Navy for establishing a coaching culture. Leadership coaching creates opportunities for leaders to build trust, develop their teams and to continue to grow and develop “leaders to serve our nation.” Ms. Carol Graser, Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership senior fellow and her team, have continued to use their leadership coaching knowledge and expertise to grow USNA’s coaching capabilities.
The purpose of the leadership coaching program at USNA is to educate faculty, staff and coaches on the basic tenets of leadership coaching (active listening, empathy, asking powerful questions). Stockdale Center’s Influence the Influencer programs support two main coaching programs: Georgetown’s Coaching Skills for Leaders in Higher Education and MyNavy Coaching Cohorts at USNA.
• Coaching Skills for Leaders in Higher Education—In summer 2023, the Influence the Influencer programs sent 14 USNA leaders (one school dean, four academic department chairs, one Stockdale leader, three members from the Leadership, Ethics and Law department, one athletic coach, three commandant staff members and one member from professional development) to this workshop at Georgetown University with the goal that they bring these targeted coaching skills back to members of the USNA community. This workshop enhanced these participants’ understanding of leadership coaching and they returned to the Yard with an enhanced framework of how to continue to develop a coaching culture at USNA.
• MyNavy Coaching Cohorts—Between fall 2023 and summer 2024, 62 USNA faculty, coaches, administrators and staff were trained through the MyNavy Coaching Cohorts offered at USNA by a core group of experienced coaches and led by Ms. Carol Graser, Stockdale senior fellow. The coaching instructors are a core group of experienced coaches who include a Permanent Military Instructor who is a Navy Certified Leadership Coach, others who have been trained through the Georgetown Leadership Coaching Program and those who learned Leadership Coaching at USNA from coaching experts.
The efforts initiated by the Stockdale Center, specifically the Influencer programs, have taken hold at USNA and we are truly embedding a coaching culture. For example, the above coaching initiatives have led to a program where all Company Commanders and Team Captains attend a leadership coaching class led by the coaching instructors supporting the MyNavy Coaching cohorts. Additionally, the plebe summer detailers are now also introduced to the concepts of leadership coaching. In the past year, these initiatives have reached approximately 75 company commanders and team captains and approximately 600 plebe summer detailers.
Team Dynamics Assessment
This is an area of growth for the Influence the Influencer portfolio. Over the last year, the Director of Influencer Development has fielded multiple requests to help various teams and departments assess their team dynamics. Each request is slightly distinct and based on the needs of the team; however, most often it relates to providing both the leaders of the team (e.g., a coach) and the team (e.g., the players) tools to assess effectiveness in some regard. To assist, we have curated a variety of assessment tools to provide support based on each entity’s unique needs. Some of those tools include: Assessments of Leadership Effectiveness; Change Readiness Assessment.
Between fall 2023 and spring 2024, we supported the Navy women’s soccer team and the Navy women’s swim team with these types of requests. In the next year, we anticipate providing additional tools to assess team dynamics, specifically focused on the Leadership Practice Inventory and the Team Experiential Learning Profile.
the-trainer for leadership development. To accomplish this, Influence the Influencer focuses on two main areas: (1) providing organizational development opportunities to enhance entire teams and organizations at USNA; (2) embedding a culture of leadership development to create a deliberately developmental leadership organization where all faculty, staff and coaches view themselves as leadership developers. We accomplish this through the programs that fall under the leader and leadership development pillars as well as four additional programs.
Stockdale Associate Fellows
The Stockdale Associate Fellows program centers on developing leadership developers by broadening USNA Influencers’ understanding of themselves as leaders, developing their leadership capabilities and enhancing their leadership development skills. This is accomplished through a combination of classroom and experiential leadership development that unfolds throughout an academic year. In the classroom, fellows will examine theoretical, ethical and practical foundations of leadership. That classroom experience is paired with experiential opportunities. The Stockdale Associate Fellows program is driven by five main goals:
1. Develop the fellow as a leader by expanding their awareness of underlying individual components (intrapersonal aspects) of leading.
2. Enhance the fellow’s knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes as a leader. Expand the fellow’s leadership capabilities (interpersonal aspects of leading) through a combination of cognitive development and experiential leadership opportunities.
3. Foster the fellow’s understanding of how they can serve as a key influencer by acting as a leader and leadership developer within their sphere of influence.
4. Provide connections with other leadership developers (faculty, staff and coaches) throughout the Naval Academy.
In Academic Year 2023-2024, 16 USNA faculty, coaches and staff completed the program. This included five civilian professors, a permanent active-duty professor, three athletic coaches, a rotational instructor, a member from admissions, a manager from the chaplain center, a public works director, a senior enlisted member of the USNA band and a senior enlisted aide to the Superintendent. The diversity of the group is one of the most important aspects to creating synergies across the Naval Academy. The year-long program culminates with a leadership project that each participant presents to senior leaders. This year we have several projects that have already gained traction and interest from leaders across the Yard and are being adopted and enacted.
Employee Engagement Assessment
Influence the Influencer reinvested in Gallup Access. Gallup Access is a highly respected survey platform built upon the valued and renowned Gallup Q12 assessment and a portfolio of additional widely validated questions to assess organizational effectiveness. Ultimately, Gallup Access provides relevant, actionable and practical tools to maximize leadership effectiveness, team performance and organizational climate. In fall 2023, the focus was on training key Stockdale leaders to serve as consultants and deliver the Gallup Access tools to teams, departments and entities at USNA. Thus, both the Director of Influencer Developer, Dr. Celeste Raver and Captain Tasya Lacy ’97, USN, took Gallup’s Boss to Coach certification course to further their knowledge of the system.
In May 2024, the contract to use Gallup Access was finalized and in June 2024 we launched the first survey with USNA’s chaplain center. Over the next year, we plan to provide Gallup Access surveys to additional entities across the Yard starting with the leadership team of the School of Humanities and Social Science.
Culture Assessments
One of the most important ways to create a deliberately developmental leadership organization is to focus on understanding the culture and climate of the teams and departments that comprise the organization. Thus, Influence the Influencer places an emphasis on providing opportunities for leaders across the Yard to understand climate and culture. This is achieved in two primary ways: (1) educating faculty, staff and coaches about how to diagnose their own climates and cultures; (2) teaching process to embed culture that aligned with USNA mission and values. Between fall 2023 and spring 2024, Influence the Influencer provided three workshops for USNA leaders centered on diagnosing climate and culture, reaching approximately 45 faculty, coaches and staff
Team and Organizational Consulting
As the reach of the Influence the Influencer initiatives have grown over the last two years, there has been an outpouring of requests to provide specialized consulting to entities across both the Naval Academy and Naval Station Annapolis. In the past year, we have provided consultations and customized programs to optimize team and department effectiveness. Each of these programs are tailored for the specific needs of the team or department. A few of the entities the we worked with this past year include:
• USNA Academic Assembly Off-Site—Stockdale Center hosted and Influence the Influencer provided programming to USNA’s school deans and department chairs two-day off-site. Topics included: principles of leadership; diagnosing climate and culture; and principles of coaching.
Additionally, in April and May 2024, the influencer programs were asked to provide specific training to the leadership teams of the new companies as the Bancroft Hall moved from 30 to 36 companies. Over a series of five workshops, the Director of Influencer Development taught the company officer, senior enlisted leader, company commander and executive officer of each of the new companies the principles of climate and culture, how to create a culture aligned with USNA mission and generate a plan for developing that culture into their companies. We will continue to track this culture formation through a longitudinal study of the companies. This workshop series also identified a need to provide this type of education to all company leadership and there was discussion with the Commandant and Deputy Commandant to develop an ongoing program to accomplish this.
• USNA’s Admissions Department—Developed a series of workshops for the entire admissions team focused on individual and team development.
• Waterfront Readiness—Provided a combination of experiential and classroom leadership development to sailors to invest in their growth as emerging leaders.
• Electrical and Computer Engineering Department— Supported the department off-site with a workshop covering leadership basic principles.
• Naval Business Service Division—Created a specialized workshop for their store managers centered on the principles of leading teams and team dynamics.
• USNA Writing and Communication Center— Experiential event centered on generating a better understanding of the Yard Patrol boats and their role in leadership development.
ADDITIONAL INFLUENCE THE INFLUENCER INITIATIVES
Volgenau Seminar Series Honor, Courage and Commitment Luncheon
The Volgenau Honor, Courage and Commitment Luncheon series takes place twice a year with a two-fold goal to bring together a group of distinguished guests with midshipmen and faculty, coaches, administrators and staff from across the Naval Academy to share in a discussion over a meal and to expand knowledge on a topic through stories or ideas that highlight Honor, Courage and Commitment.
• The fall 2023 Volgenau Honor, Courage and Commitment luncheon took place on 27 October 2023 with the theme of Experiential Leadership Development. Our guest speaker was Ms. Kay Peterson, co-founder of the Institute for Experiential Learning with David Kolb, the seminal author and thinker on experiential learning. Ms. Peterson is also co-author of two books with David A. Kolb titled How You Learn is How You Live: Using Nine Ways of Learning to Transform Your Life and How You Learn Is How You Live: Personal Development Guide. To actively engage with experiential learning, participants each took the Kolb Experiential Learning Profile prior to the workshop and Ms. Peterson used participants’ results to actively engage them in the discussion throughout the luncheon. This creative luncheon hosted approximately 100 attendees—30 midshipmen; 65 faculty, coaches, administrators and staff; and 5 additional guests.
• The spring 2024 Volgenau Honor, Courage and Commitment luncheon took place on 8 April 2023 with a fireside chat with retired General Stanley McChrystal. During the fireside chat, the four-star general answered audience provided questions that centered on lessons learned regarding honor and courage throughout his career, his thoughts on how big data and AI impact warfighting and lifelong learning. This engaging discussion included an audience of 30 midshipmen, and 70 USNA faculty, coaches and staff.
ADDITIONAL INITIATIVES FROM THE DIRECTOR OF INFLUENCER DEVELOPMENT
Carnegie Foundation’s Elective Classification in Leadership for Public Purpose
In June 2024, USNA became one of the 25 U.S. colleges and universities to receive the first Carnegie Leadership for Public Purpose Classification. This designation is awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE), the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Director of Influencer Development, Dr. Celeste Raver, led this initiative for USNA, overseeing a team from the Leadership Excellence Council (LEC) comprised of members from across the Naval Academy.
Fundamentally, this recognition highlights USNA as an exemplar in higher education, focused on leadership for public purpose. This signifies that within the broader scientific and practical field of leadership, USNA embodies a culture of leadership and leadership development within all mission elements.
In general, the Leadership for Public Purpose classification looks for four main elements to highlight how leadership-centered institutions apply research best practices to develop leaders and create organizational cultures centered on leadership for public purpose. Those four main practices include:
• A mission centered on the development of leadership at the institution. Further, the mission enables individuals to serve as leaders of character within society.
• A clear plan/conceptual framework on how that leadership purpose is achieved throughout the ENTIRE institution.
• Alignment among ALL activities at the institution helping to achieve the Leadership for Public Purpose mission (curriculum; co-curricular; scholarship and how scholarship informs the institution; practical applications; development of supporting entities—faculty and staff; rewards and recognition for leadership for public purpose).
• Assessment of the Leadership for Public Purpose mission, goals and initiatives (this is at the institutional; programmatic to include curriculum, co-curriculum and all other programs; and individual levels).
Through the LEC and with the support of the Institution, USNA took on the challenge of performing this massive self-study in an effort to gain the classification. The main benefits are as follows:
1. The creation of a comprehensive document that shares USNA’s story of how we develop leaders to serve the nation, which was achieved by a team of individuals representing ALL mission aspects of the Naval Academy.
2. The process helped us ask challenging questions regarding how we are achieving our mission of graduating leaders to serve the nation and assessing the effectiveness of our approach.
3. We recognized some areas of growth: (1) to create more clearly developed learning outcomes relative to our co-curricular activities centered on leadership development, and (2) ensure a comprehensive assessment plan toward those learning outcomes.
4. The application process reaffirmed an institution-wide commitment to fostering a culture of leadership across all mission areas, which is fundamentally our role in the Leadership Excellence Council.
In addition to serving as the lead for the USNA’s efforts of classification, Dr. Raver also served as a reviewer for Carnegie. Thus, she reviewed applications from other institutions that were applying for this distinction which provided her with an additional skillset for the future during additional classifications cycles.
Partnership for Peace Consortium
The Partnership for Peace is a program designed for cooperation between Euro-Atlantic partner countries and NATO, allowing partners to build a relationship with NATO. The director of Influencer Development continues to support the Partnership for Peace in the creation of reference curriculum. Throughout fall 2023 and spring 2024, Dr. Raver served as a theme lead on a Resilience Reference Curriculum. Due to her work with Partnership for Peace, she was asked to support Defense Enhancement Education Program in January 2024, where she participated in developing leadership and ethics curriculum and materials for the Ukrainian Naval Academy.
Public Speaking and External Presentations
Dr. Raver participated in several presentations and public speaking engagements focused on leadership development, resilience and organizational culture over the last year. In November 2024, Dr. Raver did a presentation for Naval Postgraduate Dental School focused on organizational culture. In January 2024, Dr. Raver did an integrated workshop with the Defense Senior Leader Development Program on ethical leadership. In February 2024, Dr. Raver gave a lecture at Yale University’s Brady-Johnson’s Grand Strategy program titled “Asking the Critical Questions about Leadership Development.” In April 2024, Dr. Raver spoke to Pennsylvania superintendents about the basics of leadership development and creating a deliberately developmental leadership organization.
Research and Publications
The director of Influencer Development continues to be an active researcher. She publishes in leadership and organizational journals and presents at national and international conferences. Between spring 2024, she published two book chapters. One chapter centered on the U.S. Naval Academy’s approach to developing ethical leaders of character to serve the nation. The other chapter focused on creating a culture of organizational grit. Dr. Raver is currently working on two additional journal articles. One focused on a research study she is involved in exploring perseverance through challenge obstacles. The other article expands her research on creating deliberately developmental leadership organizations.
RESIDENT/SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOWS
The Resident Fellows program is a unique and multidisciplinary effort that brings together academics and military professionals to study a specific topic in the field of military ethics and leadership. This topic then becomes the theme for the annual McCain Conference. The topic for 2023-2024 was “Liberal Democracy: Challenges, Critiques and Solutions.”
The fellows met for a weekly seminar, hosted guest speakers, conducted independent and joint research, traveled to meet with other experts in the field, published their findings in journals and books, produced materials for the Naval Academy curriculum, taught core and elective courses to the midshipmen and made presentations at the Academy and other national and international forums.
USNA CLASS OF 1973 FRED MINIER RESIDENT FELLOW— DR. BRADLEY LEWIS
Dr. Bradley Lewis is professor and chair of the School of Philosophy, The Catholic University of America. He specializes in political and legal philosophy, especially in classical Greek political thought and in the theory of natural law. He holds a B.A. from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame. He has published scholarly articles in “Polity, History of Political Thought, the Southern Journal of Philosophy, Philosophy and Rhetoric, Communio,” the “Josephinum Journal of Theology, the Pepperdine Law Review,” the “Oxford Journal of Law and Religion” and the “Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association,” as well as chapters in a number of books. He is currently working on a book project provisionally titled
DONALD S. FREEMAN, JR. RESIDENT ETHICS FELLOW—GRAEME WOOD
Graeme Wood is a staff writer for The Atlantic. His book The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State (Random House, 2017) was a Foreign Affairs “Best Book of the Year” and won the Canadian Governor General’s Award for non-fiction. It has been translated into Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Romanian and Arabic. Wood was the Edward R. Murrow
Press Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (2015-2016), a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House (2018) and a lecturer at The George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. He is a non-resident fellow at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism and King’s College London’s International Centre for the Study of Radicalization. A life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he has taught at Yale since 2014.
CLASS OF 1962 RESIDENT FELLOW—DR. DUSTIN SEBELL
Dr. Dustin Sebell is associate professor of political science at Michigan State University, where he studies and teaches the history of political philosophy, and where he is also co-director of the LeFrak Forum and the Symposium on Science, Reason and Modern Democracy. Previously, he was Postdoctoral Fellow in the department of government at Harvard University. His first book, The Socratic Turn: Knowledge of Good and Evil in an Age of Science, was published in 2016 by the University of Pennsylvania Press and won the Delba Winthrop Award for Excellence in Political Science. His second book, Xenophon’s Socratic Education: Reason, Religion and the Limits of Politics, was published in 2021 also by the University of Pennsylvania Press. His work on ancient and modern political philosophy has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, the Political Science Reviewer and the Review of Politics
CLASS OF 1958 AND SUSAN S. RORER WHITBY RESIDENT FELLOW— DR. BILL GALSTON
Dr. William A. Galston holds the Ezra K. Zilkha Chair in the Brookings Institution’s Governance Studies Program, where he serves as a Senior Fellow. Prior to January 2006 he was the Saul Stern professor and acting dean at the School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, director of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, founding director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) and executive director of the National Commission on Civic Renewal, co-chaired by former Secretary of Education William Bennett and former Senator Sam Nunn. Dr. Galston is the author of nine books and hundreds of articles in the fields of political theory, public policy and American politics. His most recent books is Anti-Pluralism: The Populist Threat to Liberal Democracy (Yale, 2018). A winner of the American Political Science Association’s Hubert H. Humphrey Award, Galston was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004. Galston has appeared on all the principal television networks and is frequently interviewed on NPR. He writes a weekly column for the Wall Street Journal.
MCCAIN CONFERENCE ON MILITARY ETHICS AND LEADERSHIP
Generously supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies
The 2024 McCain Conference examined a topic crucial to the U.S. Naval Academy’s moral mission: “Liberal Democracy: Challenges, Critiques and Solutions.”
Contrary to post-cold war expectations that history was ending with the triumph of liberal democracy, many now worry that rights-based regimes are faltering and that forms of authoritarianism might now be an attractive option for developing states. In order to explore ways to defend and reform institutions responsible for historically-unprecedented degrees of freedom, prosperity and security, the twoday conference assembled 20 renowned experts to examine several questions:
• Why is the national debt rising, what are the likely effects of its continued rise (including for the military), and what should be done about it?
Conversation with Dr. Joe Thomas
Dr. Joe Thomas, director, VADM James B. Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership and General John Allen ’76, USMC (Ret.), strategic advisor, Microsoft; former commander, NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and U.S. forces in Afghanistan; former special presidential envoy, Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State.
• Why did stable and high-paying manufacturing jobs disappear, what were the effects and how could the plight of “working class” Americans be improved?
• Is “populist” anger about perceived economic and/or cultural injustices a threat to liberal democracies?
• What are the claims of “identity politics,” and is it a blessing or threat to liberal democracies?
• Do AI and social media pose a threat to liberal democracy?
• What the relationship of religion to liberal democracy—threat, savior, both?
• Does liberal democracy undermine the civic virtues necessary to its survival?
• Is liberal democracy a failing experiment?
• What are the ramifications of all these challenges and critiques for our military?
The conference was attended by up to 300 people, including midshipmen and cadets, USNA faculty and staff and faculty from other military academies, staff/war colleges and civilian universities and its second day was featured on C-SPAN (Liberalism and Democracy | C-SPAN.org). Its proceedings will be published in late 2024 by the Naval Institute Press.
General John Allen ’76, USMC (Ret.), interacting with U.S. Air Force Academy cadets.
Audience members at the McCain Conference.
Distinguished Chair of Leadership, Lieutenant General John Wissler ’78, USMC (Ret.), introducing keynote speaker, General John Allen ’76, USMC (Ret.).
Dr. Joe Thomas introducing a panel.
Class of 1965 Distinguished Chair in Ethics, Dr. David Luban.
Volgenau Director of Strategy and Research, Dr. Ed Barrett.
Robert and Mary M. Looker Foundation Deputy Director, Dr. Jeffrey R. Macris facilitating the economic panel.
Panelist: Dr. Anne Case, professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University; author of Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism and Mr. Marc Goldwein, senior vice president and senior policy director, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Dr. Bill Galston, Ezra K Zilkha chair and senior fellow in governance studies at The Brookings Institute; author of Anti-Pluralism: The Populist Threat to Liberal Democracy; and senior research fellow, Class of ’58.
Dr. Cass Sunstein, professor at Harvard Law; author of #Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media; Mr. Graeme Wood, staff writer for The Atlantic and a lecturer in political science at Yale University and senior research fellow as the Don and Beverly Freeman Fellow, Stockdale Center and Dr. Jovana Davidovic, associate professor of philosophy, University of Iowa.
Keynote—liberalism’s future
Dr. Francis Fukuyama, senior fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; author of Liberalism and Its Discontents.
Keynote—post-liberalism
Dr. Patrick Deneen, Professor of Political Science At the University of Notre Dame; author of Why Liberalism Failed
Dr. Bradley Lewis, professor and chair of the School of Philosophy, The Catholic University of America; and resident fellow, Class of ’73, Stockdale Center.
Dr. Janel George, associate professor at Georgetown Law and founding director of the Racial Equity in Education Law and Policy Clinic presenting with Dr. Yascha Mounk, professor of the Practice of International Affairs at John Hopkins University; author of The Identity Trap
Ramifications for the military panel: LtCol Eric Scherrer ’04, USMC, Stockdale Center fellow; LCDR (Chaplain) Loren Crone, USN, associate director, Stockdale Center; then-MIDN Quentin Zimmer ’24, thenMIDN Emily Boutin ’24, and then-MIDN Jack Denunzio ’24.
Left to Right:
Group photo of the registrants of the McCain Conference.
AGILITY FUND
The Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership accomplishes its mission of “empowering leaders to make courageous ethical decisions” with the help of gifts designated for specific programs and those given with the intent of providing general support for the center’s overall operations. This general support is designated as “The Agility Fund,” which facilitates the center’s daily operations and enables the center to develop, execute and analyze pilot programs that precede any large-scale programmatic commitments and respond rapidly to constituent requests and emerging requirements. For mission accomplishment and support for the Naval Academy, the naval services and other significant institutions of influence, the Agility Fund is the Stockdale Center’s most critical source of support because of its inherent flexibility. The Agility Fund is the lifeblood of the center, which would not be able to accomplish its mission or support the Naval Academy and other stakeholders without its resources.
There are many ways the Agility Fund has a direct and immediate impact on a broad array of Academy stakeholders. Examples include:
• Purchase of books and training materials to help the Commandant of Midshipmen combat sexual harassment and assault, develop Plebe Summer detailers and educate the brigade on matters of respect and dignity for all.
• Enable staff members to participate in certification programs related to leadership coaching, talent awareness, difficult conversations and many others.
• Provide faculty training in the latest concepts driving leadership assessment.
• Fund the cost of publishing reference materials for staff at USNA and beyond.
• Purchase source material to provide Honor and Conduct Remediators to guide midshipmen through better decision-making.
VICE ADMIRAL WILLIAM P. LAWRENCE ETHICS ESSAY AWARD DINNER
The Annual Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence Ethics Essay Award Dinner was held on 8 September 2023, with our gracious hosts, the 64th Superintendent of the Naval Academy, Rear Admiral Fred Kacher ’90, USN and his wife, Pam. This year’s guest speaker, Dr. Al Pierce, provided a vivid history of the center’s founding and how conversations with Admirals Larson, Ryan and Stockdale helped shape the early vision for the center to serve as a “Beacon for the Nation.” Our guests included, but were not limited to, ten midshipmen Montor Leadership Scholar Awardees and their parents or sponsor parents or other guests; The Admiral Charles R. Larson Award Recipient, the spouse of Coach Carin Gabarra, head women’s soccer coach (her team was playing Virginia Tech that evening); The Captain William R. Rubel Awardee, Captain Bob Brennan ’82, USN (Ret.), director, Institutional Research at USNA; senior leadership from across the USNA; the Montor Scholars’ Instructors; staff from the VADM James B. Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership and the Leadership, Ethics and Law (LEAD) Division’s senior leadership; and several USNA Foundation donors (to include an extended list of the two donor Classes of ’58 and ’81), all in all a guest list of 125 guests.
Specific Award Information:
The Dr. Karel Montor Leadership Award recipients are awarded annually to the top midshipmen of the following two courses NE203: Ethics and Moral Reasoning for the Naval Officer Course and the NL310: Leadership Theory and Applications Course. The awardees are selected by the faculty of their respective course, and the criteria is based on consistent excellence in the Leadership, Ethics and Law curriculum with the top 1% of classroom performance. Other criteria included are the student’s overall course involvement as well as their leadership within the Brigade of Midshipmen. The winners are approved by the director, Leadership, Ethics and Development Division (LEAD).
THE MONTOR SCHOLARS:
Awardees
Dr. Karel Montor Leadership Award
NE203 Awardees
Midshipman Victoria DiCarlo ’25
Midshipman Owen O’Malley ’25
Midshipman Emily Kosanovich ’25
Midshipman Ethen Perdew ’25
Midshipman Rich Carter ’25
NL310 Awardees
Then-Midshipman Chiara Rappa ’24
Then-Midshipman Liam Brown ’24
Then-Midshipman Luke McIntosh ’24
Then-Midshipman Evan Warren ’24
Then-Midshipman Cael Rankin ’24
The Captain William R. Rubel Award for Instructor Excellence also known as “The Rubie” is awarded to the top NE203 Instructor. Captain Robert “Bob” Brennan ’82, USN (Ret.), NE203 Master Instructor, was this year’s recipient.
he Larson Award is named after Admiral Charles R. Larson. It is awarded to the nominee (faculty, staff or coach) who has demonstrated the following principles that guided Admiral Larson’s life and leadership, showcasing specific examples of 1) Uphold the standards 2) Be a person of integrity 3) Lead by example 4) Strive for excellence without arrogance 5) Treat everyone with dignity and respect. The nominations are put forward by their leadership and the selection of the awardee is by a panel appointed in accordance with USNA Instruction 1650.1. This year’s recipient is Coach Carin Gabarra
Larson Award—Coach Carin Gabarra:
Navy Women’s Soccer Head Coach Carin Gabarra has consistently demonstrated the principles that guided Admiral Larson’s life and leadership as she has supported the mission of the U.S. Naval Academy for the past 30 years and contributed to the development of leaders to serve our Navy, Marine Corps and nation. When considering Admiral Larson’s five leadership principles, one finds that Coach Gabarra epitomizes and models those principles in her daily life. Specifically:
1. Uphold the standards. Coach Gabarra emphasizes personal accountability in the Navy women’s soccer program—not just on the field, but in the off-field requirements of academics and military aptitude as well. Ingrained in her student-athletes is the understanding that their attitudes and choices reflect on the institution, their teammates, their coaches and the entire Navy women’s soccer program. Academically, the team QPR has been above a 3.0 for four of the past five years. Fourteen team members were named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll in each of the last two years, and at least one Navy women’s soccer team member has been named an Academic All-American for eight years in a row. Navy women’s soccer team members have consistently been recognized each year with major institutional awards. Three of the past four Cheryl Dolyniuk Carlan Trophy award winners have been Navy women’s soccer players. This award is presented annually to that female midshipman of the graduating class who has excelled in athletics, leadership and academics. Additionally, the last two Coaches’ Calvert Award winners for women were Navy women’s soccer team members. This award is presented annually to a graduating varsity letter winner who displayed leadership, consistent effort, loyalty and dedication to the sport and who has taken their abilities beyond the expectations of the coach, peers and themselves. Beyond the institutional awards, a team member was selected as one of nine finalists for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
2. Be a person of integrity. Coach Gabarra stresses the “Big Four” critical intangibles—commitment, confidence, competitiveness and character. She defines character as a person’s willingness to do the right thing
and act with honor and integrity. She stresses that a Navy women’s soccer player “does the right thing on and off the playing field” and is “honest, trustworthy respectful”—the same way she leads her life. Coach Gabarra never seems to tire of tying integrity to a player’s exhaustive effort in betterment. Even players who leave the program while still midshipmen are guided by her personal investment in this vein. When players make mistakes or poor choices, she only digs in deeper, coaching them to take responsibility and learn. Players routinely discuss character for the betterment of the team as well. One key element of Coach Gabarra’s coaching style is trust and dedication within the team, on and off the field.
3. Lead by example. Coach Gabarra is the quintessential role model for her players through her passion, dedication, commitment and constant pursuit of excellence. In 2020 she became a Stockdale Center Associate Fellow seeking to explore and continue to develop her ethical leadership knowledge, skills and abilities. In 2022 she was the recipient of the Class of 1973 Heinz Lenz Fellow Award which recognizes the importance of leadership through Athletics Excellence as a contributor to the overall mission of the Naval Academy to develop midshipmen morally, mentally and physically. She challenges her players to dare to dream and dare to try; and her former players have gone on to distinguished careers in the military, government and public sectors, many crediting Coach Gabarra for setting an example of professional hunger. Those past players who have gone on to great accomplishments now take an active role in the mentoring and leadership development of the current student-athletes. It really cannot go unsaid that her specific impact on no fewer than 400 female
officers in the fleet and operating forces is the very basis of what Admiral Larson defined as leading by example. Those officers laud the tools she gave them for navigating their own dreams, whether flying jets, or going to space or starting families. Coach Gabarra’s peer leadership should also gain recognition under this principle of leadership by example. She routinely fields calls from fellow coaches, and formally she sets the example for service as a member of the U.S. Soccer Athlete Advisory Council, the U.S Olympic Committee Athlete Advisory Council and the Maryland Physical Fitness Council.
4. Strive for excellence without arrogance. By her humble demeanor and actions, one would not know that Coach Gabarra was an eight-time All-American (four in high school and four in college), a 1991 FIFA World Cup Champion and Golden Ball recipient, a member of the 1996 Olympic gold-medal winning U.S. National Team, a 2004 U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame inductee and a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Under Coach Gabarra’s leadership, the Navy women’s soccer program has grown from a club-level organization to a flourishing national program achieving excellence along the way. In the team training program, two of the Navy women’s soccer core values are “strive for excellence in all our pursuits” and “confidence without arrogance.” Those values are evident in the success of the program and the conduct of the players on the field. Navy women’s soccer has claimed at least a share of the Patriot League regular-season title eleven times, made five NCAA Tournament appearances and produced 26 winning seasons. Coach Gabarra is the Patriot League’s all-time wins leader (366) and joined an elite group of coaches with her 300th career win in October 2015. A five-time Patriot League Coach of the Year, her focus is always on her players and the program.
5. Treat everyone with dignity and respect. Success on the field does not come without intensity. However, another of the Navy women’s soccer core values is “intensity without disrespect.” When players walk out of the locker room, they all exhibit the strength and focus of quiet professionals, but inside, they are visualizing crushing their next opponent, without fanfare or un-clean play. Coach Gabarra’s ability to maintain a team with this personality for 30 seasons speaks to her consistency as a coach and role model for treating others with dignity and respect. She stresses service with unselfish motives, encouragement of one’s teammates and a positive attitude. Her alumni often refer to her teaching them that when one player is weak, the others must be stronger; that the team plays as one and that they are only as strong as each other. As detailed in her team handbook, Navy women’s soccer team members are expected to be “highly motivated, selfless, competitive, humble, respectful, committed and disciplined.” Coach Gabarra’s superb leadership and profound impact on the development of her players becomes most evident in interviews with members of the graduating classes. They collectively credit their experience in the Navy women’s soccer program with “90% of my leadership development at the Academy.” Each states their admiration for Coach Gabarra as a role model, that they “learned from her every day,” and that she taught them to “care about everything—being good people and leaders— not just athletes.”
While her impact on the women’s soccer program is evident, what is less obvious has been her impact on the entire Navy Athletics program. Coach Gabarra, through her demonstrated character and leadership, has become a role model and mentor within the entire organization. She is the one who all Navy coaches, old and new, admire and seek guidance from, and as a result, her leadership has directly impacted thousands of midshipmen over the years.
Coach Gabarra is the consummate ethical leader, “modeling, through word and deed,” the leadership principles of Admiral Larson and embodying the professionalism, integrity, moral courage, selflessness and devotion to duty demonstrated by the award’s namesake. She is most deserving of the uncommon recognition afforded by selection as the recipient of this prestigious award.
VICE ADMIRAL WILLIAM P. LAWRENCE ETHICS ESSAY AWARD DINNER
Then-MIDN Olivia Hunt ’24 and then-MIDN Eduardo Ramirez ’24 holding the National Championship trophy awarded to the USNA Ethics Debate Team at the National Finals of Ethics Bowl, hosted by the APPE in Cincinnati, OH. They are pictured here with their coach, Dr. Shaun Baker, assistant director, Stockdale Center.
Accepting on Coach Gabarra’s behalf was her husband, James.
Dr. Joe Thomas, director, Stockdale Center; Lt Col Gordon Gerson ’58, USAF (Ret.), president of the class; RADM Fred Kacher ’90, USN, 64th Superintendent, USNA; Mr. Gabarra; and Mrs. Sally Larson.
Guest speaker and first director of the Center for the Study of Professional Military Ethics at the U.S. Naval Academy, Dr. Al Pierce.
Midshipmen enjoying the reception.
Class of ’58.
STUTT ETHICS LECTURE
The 2024 Stutt Ethics Lecture was presented by best-selling author Ryan Holiday on 15 April 2024. The lecture was on the cardinal virtue of justice as seen through the life of former President and USNA grad Jimmy Carter ’47, and was delivered to all 1,180 members of the Class of 2026. Every member of the class will also receive Holiday’s forthcoming book Right Thing, Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds. The following is a summary of the book:
For the ancients, everything worth pursuing in life flowed from a strong sense of justice— or one’s commitment to doing the right thing, no matter how difficult. In order to be courageous, wise and self-disciplined, one must begin with justice. The influence of the modern world often tells us that acting justly is optional. Holiday argues that that’s simply untrue—and the fact that so few people today have the strength to stand by their convictions explains much about why we’re so unhappy.
In Right Thing, Right Now, Holiday draws on fascinating stories of historical figures such as Marcus Aurelius, Florence Nightingale, Jimmy Carter, Gandhi and Frederick Douglass, whose examples of kindness, honesty, integrity and loyalty we can emulate as pillars of upright living. Through the lives of these role models, readers learn the transformational power of living by a moral code and, through the cautionary tales of unjust leaders, the consequences of an ill-formed conscience.
The Stoics never claimed that living justly was easy, only that it was necessary. And that the alternative—sacrificing our principles for something lesser—was considered only by cowards and fools. Right Thing, Right Now is a powerful antidote to the moral failures of our modern age, and a manual for living virtuously.
ETHICS DEBATE TEAM, COACHED
BY DR. SHAUN BAKER, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE STOCKDALE CENTER
The Academy’s USNA Ethics Debate team has competed in ethics debate, business and engineering ethics case competitions annually for 20 years. 2024 was the tenth year the team has hosted a military ethics case competition for sister service and military academies. In Ethics Bowl competitions, teams debate in a panel format similar to traditional debate, but focused on the ethical aspects of cases taken directly from the realms of personal ethics, business, medicine, science, popular media, journalism, environmental and public policy and international criminal justice among others. Business ethics case competitions involve 20- to 30-minute presentations centered on ethical dilemmas or challenges encountered in the business world, followed by question-and-answer rounds. The Lockheed Martin Engineering Ethics Case competition involves teams in role play of negotiations with partner firms in search of solutions to ethically charged engineering dilemmas the cooperating firms face. They must balance ethical with financial and legal concerns. The military ethics case competition is a 30-minute presentation format, dealing with ethical challenges in operational military scenarios, followed by question-and-answer sessions. All of these competitions allow midshipmen to hone their ethical reasoning, leadership, communication and team building skills. It gives members the opportunity to represent the Academy in civilian venues.
Dr. Shaun Baker, an assistant director for the Stockdale Center, coaches the Ethics Debate team.
The USNA Ethics Team participated in the following case competitions in 2023–24:
OCTOBER 2023: The Eller School of Management Collegiate Ethics Case Competition, University of Arizona, Tucson. The team won second place in its division, and placed tenth in the 32-team field. Other schools included The University of Texas, Boston College, Elon University, Georgetown University, Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh, and Canadian schools, University of Calgary, Concordia University and Simon Fraser University, along with Mexico’s Universidad Panamericana.
NOVEMBER 2023: The Association of Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE) Ethics Bowl Northeast Regional, University of Baltimore, MD. The team finished 4-0-0 placing third in a field of 25, competing with colleges including Yale, Harvard, Tufts and West Point, who they bested in headto-head competition. This qualified them for the Nationals competition.
FEBRUARY 2024: The team took part in the National Finals of Ethics Bowl, hosted by the APPE in Cincinnati, OH. The team finished 3-1-0, besting the University of Chicago, San Jose State and Coastal Carolina. Other schools included Yale University, Tufts, VMI, Youngstown State University, Whitworth University, DePaul University, The Colorado School of Mines and Macalester University. The field was 36
Two members took part in the Lockheed Martin Engineering Ethics Case Competition, with more than 100 schools, and gained valuable experience. This was their first competition.
Two plebe members took part in the Stetson University Business Ethics Case Competition, in Deland, FL. This was also the first competition for these team members.
APRIL 2024: The team organized and ran the tenth annual Military Ethics Case Competition (MECC), held in person at the Academy, Luce Hall. Here again, two members were taking part in their first competition, one in his second, gaining valuable experience that will pay dividends in the 2024-25 competition year. Other schools participating included the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the Air Force Academy and Virginia Military Institute.
MILITARY ETHICS CASE COMPETITION
On 20 April 2024, the Stockdale Center and Class of 1964 hosted the tenth annual Military Ethics Case Competition, which remains the only ethics competition in the nation that focuses on military ethics.
Teams from the Air Force Academy, West Point and the Virginia Military Institute joined the USNA team. The teams received a case, two months prior to the event. It focused on the unique role of chaplaincy in the armed services with regard to confidentiality expectations. Teams had the task of evaluating the role, and determining whether or not it should be modified in some way, allowing report of potentially important information chaplains may be entrusted with.
Judges for the competition included volunteers from Engineering Solutions and Products Inc., North Star Alternative Solutions and members of the USNA Class of 1964. All judges have considerable military and post military careers. They continue to be the best rated judges for any competition we attend, according to midshipmen members of the USNA team and members of other competing teams, who also take part in nationwide competitions throughout the year.
The Naval Academy took fourth place, while West Point came in first. VMI took second and the Air Force Academy placed third. Judges considered all the presentations as very well considered, and testified to how well teams dove into and explored the challenges faced by chaplains on deployment.
AMERICAN SERVICE ACADEMY PROGRAM
The American Service Academy Program is a 16-day educational initiative in Poland created by the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation (AJCF) for a select group of cadets and midshipmen from the military service academies and the Coast Guard Academy.
The eight selected Naval Academy representatives participated in intensive workshops, listened to lectures from Holocaust survivors, met with scholars, high-level government officials, students from Eastern Europe and citizens of Poland, and visited Warsaw, Krakow, Auschwitz and the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York and the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. The purpose of the Service Academy Program is to display in vivid terms what can happen in the absence of free, open and democratic governing institutions and the dangers of passivity in military professionals. Through learning in detail about the Holocaust and events leading up to it, the Academy representatives understand what can happen when evil is
given free reign, when democratic ideals are not defended and when ordinary citizens choose to be passive bystanders when evil occurs, electing compliance over action.
Midshipmen returning from this program write papers on their experience and these papers are distributed to other midshipmen and posted on the AJCF website. Additionally, the midshipman participants have used their experience to prepare plebes when they visit the American Museum of the Holocaust in Washington, DC. Through these interactions, the participants in the Auschwitz Program touch the lives of hundreds of midshipmen.
The Naval Academy representatives for 2024 were midshipmen Jimmy Flanagan ’25, Kenneth Hernandez ’26, Kyla Manning ’25, Elizabeth Meyer ’25, Eli Paddack ’26, Nicole Rosenfeld ’25, Lydanice Ruiz-Gonzalez ’26, and Michael Strehle ’26.
THE INGERSOLL ROOM
The Director of the Stockdale Center’s office has been designated “The Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll Room.” Because of the constant flow of visitors through the Stockdale Center, to include midshipmen, alumni, staff, faculty, coaches and representatives from other institutions, the center director, in coordination with Mr. Royal Ingersoll, decided Admiral Ingersoll’s legacy would be best represented by naming the office after Admiral Ingersoll. In addition to the director’s office, a front office display has been dedicated to highlighting Admiral Ingersoll’s achievements to include a written summary of his career, his Lucky Bag, his flag, a globe with a plaque and a shadow box with his personal decorations.
The Ethics Resource Room is also associated with the Ingersoll name and houses books, journals and archived case studies related to ethical leadership for the use of faculty and midshipmen. Within the Resource Room, the center continues to maintain the nation’s most complete collection of books related to Admiral Stockdale and the Vietnam POWs in addition to a lending library used by all Honor Remediators working with midshipmen accused of honor violations.
THE WAY AHEAD: THE AY25 VISION FOR THE STOCKDALE CENTER FOR ETHICAL LEADERSHIP
The Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at the U.S. Naval Academy was originally chartered in 1998 to serve as a “Beacon for the Nation.” It aspires to stand at the forefront of ethical leadership development. In 2023, it contributed to that end with a broad variety of programming, media and outreach. Achieving “plank owner status” through the Carnegie Foundation’s Leadership for Public Purpose classification acknowledged the efforts of the center and collaborating entities across the Yard. To sustain this legacy and amplify our impact, this year’s five lines of effort follow. These initiatives outline our priorities, commitment to excellence, innovation and future direction of ethical leadership at the Naval Academy and beyond. We invite our supporters and stakeholders to join us in shaping the future of this critical aspect of the Academy’s mission.
1. Enhance and Further the Academy’s Capabilities as the Premier Leadership Development Program in the Nation
- Objective: Strengthen our position as the nation’s leading institution for ethical leadership development.
- Strategies:
• Enhance and diversify our programmatic offerings focusing on cross-cultural competence, advanced leadership theories, military ethics and experiential leadership development.
• Strengthen partnerships with leading universities, service academies and federal agency leadership programs to exchange best practices and insights.
• Expand internal collaborative efforts, such as the Leadership Excellence Council (LEC), and consistently engage external stakeholders such as distinguished alumni, military leaders and academic experts to help shape program development and evaluation.
2. Determine New Ways to Bring an Existing and Robust Ethics Research Program to Nontraditional and Existing Audiences
- Objective: Expand the reach and impact of our ethics research through innovative dissemination strategies.
- Strategies:
• Develop a series of on-Yard and public lectures, podcasts and webinars featuring our researchers and guest experts to engage a broader audience.
• Partner with industry leaders, government agencies and nonprofits to apply our research findings to real-world ethical challenges.
• Create a digital repository of research publications, case studies and teaching materials accessible to educators, students and practitioners worldwide.
3. Refine Center Mission and Focal Areas to Best Support the Coming Leadership Institute Construct
- Objective: Align the Stockdale Center’s mission and activities with the broader goals of the Leadership Institute.
- Strategies:
• Review and update our mission statement to reflect the evolving needs and priorities of the Leadership Institute.
• Identify synergies between the center’s programs and the Leadership Institute’s initiatives, ensuring complementary and cohesive efforts.
• Enhance our leadership development programs by incorporating insights and feedback from Leadership Institute and its component parts (e.g. the Center for Leadership Research and Assessment; Center for Coaching and Mentoring; and Center for Experiential Leadership Development), fostering continuous improvement.
4. Harness the Potential of AI, VR and Other Technologies to Build Programming for Midshipmen, Faculty and Staff in Areas Related to Ethical Leadership Development
- Objective: Re-establish an Innovation Lab focused on integrating cutting-edge technology to enhance learning and engagement in ethical leadership.
- Strategies:
• Develop AI-driven personalized learning modules that adapt to individual learning styles and progress.
• Expand our offerings of immersive VR simulations that place participants in complex ethical dilemmas, allowing them to practice decision-making in a controlled environment.
• Refine a web presence that provides continuous learning opportunities, including webinars, interactive case studies and virtual workshops.
5. Explore Options for New and More Fitting Physical Space to Conduct Teaching, Research and Program Development
- Objective: Secure state-of-the-art facilities that support our mission and accommodate future growth.
- Strategies:
• Conduct a needs assessment to determine the ideal location and design for a new facility that fosters collaboration, innovation and research.
• Engage the deputy for Facilities and Construction and others with experience in educational and leadership training facilities to create physical space that reflects our vision.
• Engage through the USNA Foundation and Alumni Association in a targeted fundraising campaign to upgrade an existing space or finance the construction and maintenance of the new space, ensuring it meets the highest standards of functionality and practicality.
The success of this “The Way Ahead” will be measured in stakeholders engaged, products created and through reputational enhancements. Although these complementary lines of effort target the coming year, they represent a multi-year strategy to build on our rich legacy. Our ultimate goal is a bold and comprehensive plan to elevate the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership to new heights. Through strategic enhancements, innovative technologies, cutting-edge facilities, expanded outreach and refined missions, we will solidify the Naval Academy’s role as the premier institution for ethical leadership development. We acknowledge the many supporters who enable this transformative journey, ensuring that the U.S. Naval Academy remains a beacon of ethical leadership for generations to come.
