Long before she was named Supervisor of the Year for Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst on Nov. 16, Michele Huk, the Director of the Workforce Operations Office (WOO), was a high school student from nearby Toms River getting her feet wet in government service as part of a co-op program with the local base. More than four decades later, Huk has worked her way up the ladder by learning from those above her while helping countless others start and advance their careers. 

“I think the team structure of the Workforce Operations Office is such that we provide cradle to grave support of our workforce,” Huk said. “So, I think my experience with coming up on 42 years is that I have extensive knowledge and expertise in the WOO swim lane. So I can lead the WOO workforce through the evolution of the career life cycle.” 

With a career devoted to helping other people thrive in their careers, Huk said she was “humbled” by the Supervisor of the Year honors. 

“In addition to the shock of it, it made me feel very proud to know that my team of folks that work for me nominated me for this,” Huk said. “To me, it just shows that they have trust and faith in me to mentor, to develop, to provide them opportunities, and to show that we do work well together as a team and that I’m providing what they need for their own careers and their own personal achievements.” 

As for what it takes to be a good leader, Huk said compassion is an essential quality to be successful from the human side of the job in addition to knowledge of their field on the professional side. 

“I think it takes being able to decipher or determine what issues there are and what could be future issues of the organizations within the realm of responsibilities and how to resolve them. And it doesn’t mean resolving them independently. It means seeing what resources can they tap into to resolve an issue.” 

“And then finally, it’s how can they keep their workforce tasked appropriately, but also keep them engaged, keep them aware, communicate regularly, help guide them, help support them, whether personally and within the workplace,” Huk said.    

Even before she passed through Lakehurst’s gates for the first time, Huk said her desire to serve came from her father, John Fetherman, who served in the Navy during World War II. 

“He would tell us stories about the friendships he’s made and the ships he’s been on. His duty piqued my interest in providing similar support but from the civilian side.” Huk said. “And to know that there was an opportunity so close to home to get that chance to serve was just phenomenal.” 

Since her time in the co-op program, Huk has gone from a clerk to a secretary, to a program assistant, to a management analyst, and then director of operations. She noted that not only has her time at Lakehurst allowed her to grow professionally, but it also helped her progress academically. Since starting at Lakehurst, Huk has earned her Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees and her MBA. 

“My supervisors during the co-op expressed interest in keeping me onboard as a civilian employee and expressed interest in developing me, not only to meet my career goals, but in the goals of the command. I took advantage of that opportunity,” Huk said. “So, realizing that the leadership of Lakehurst really does care for the workforce to ensure that not only the command’s goals are met through workforce development and training, but also for the employee’s career aspirations and what they perceive to be their career goals to be met.” 

Remembering the help she got from colleagues earlier in her career, Huk said she loves being able to pass that knowledge on to new employees, whether it’s a thank you note from an employee celebrating working at Lakehurst for 15 years or just seeing people she hired helping support the warfighter several years after coming on board. 

Emberle Pearson, NAWCAD Lakehurst workforce development supervisor, said Huk has played an integral role in her career as she progressed from a student at Manchester High School through to her current position. 

“For me, this is evidence of how large Michele’s impact is on the organization. She wears so many hats and plays so many roles with such grace,” Pearson said. “I have been so blessed to have Michele as my supervisor for the last three years. It has provided me an up close and personal look at her work ethic, skill, diligence, commitment and care. She truly is the best at what she does.”  

When she’s not working, Huk said she enjoys spending time with her family. Part of her time away from the office includes getting exercise, including walking with her dog, Bosco.