Thirty-three members of the NAVAIR Leadership Development Program (NLDP) class toured USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) May 22, the first aircraft carrier tour in program history.
“The carrier tour on the USS George H.W. Bush was an amazing experience,” said Supervisory Human Resources Specialist Selina Vik. “All Navy civilians should be afforded this opportunity, because it provides a personal and direct connection to the fleet.”
As part of the NLDP Contemporary Leadership Issues and Practices seminar, NLDP participants toured the hangar bay, flight deck and bridge, and observed a briefing on flight deck operations. They also visited the onboard museum, displaying models, artifacts and videos of Bush’s early experiences as a young aviator and though his presidency. Employees maneuvered through the steep, narrow, open stairways and saw the ship’s dining area, which serves more than 15,000 meals daily.
One of the world’s largest warships, USS Bush is the Navy’s 10th and final Nimitz-class supercarrier and was commissioned in 2009.
The tour resonated with NLDP participants because it offered an immediate connection and demonstrated the importance of the work they do and the fleet they serve.
“This was a great way to see the impacts of our work and helps give our day-to-day jobs more meaning,” said Frank Snook, maintenance and reliability engineer.
Precision Attack Weapon Systems Technical Project Office Lead Brad Weich agreed.
“It was good to go and see the actual operational Navy, versus just the management that we do of programs,” he said. “It’s always great to get aboard and connect to our Sailors.”
The NLDP serves as NAVAIR’s flagship career developmental program, blending critical leadership learning with vital productivity skills to better prepare civilian and military employees for future leadership roles. The Department of the Navy and NAVAIR offer several career tools, including programs such as NLDP, to attract and keep a strong and vital workforce.
“As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., said, ‘We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.’ I love the NAVAIR boat. We have an incredible organization and purpose,” said NAVAIR Career Development Office Director Diane Wallace.
NAVAIR’s goal is to develop, deliver and sustain aircraft, weapons and systems on time, on cost, with proven capability and reliability, so Sailors and Marines succeed in every mission and return home safely. The NLDP program seeks to ensure its participants support and help fulfill this vision.
“Participants in this program are transitioning to a new level of leadership and are often far removed from the waterfront,” said Program Manager for NAVAIR Leadership Development Programs Stephanie Peppler. “They step up and learn everything they can from these leadership courses to become the future leaders of NAVAIR. Sailors and Marines may seem far away when we do our daily work, so it’s important to maintain a connection to the fleet to keep our mission in perspective.”
