Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst (NAWCAD LKE) recognized its Support Equipment (SE) Department team members with honorary awards for exemplary support to the fleet during an Aug. 31 ceremony.

NAWCAD LKE Executive Director Kathleen P. Donnelly and NAWCAD LKE Officer-In-Charge Cmdr. Walt Reynolds presented James Deffler, Jennifer Etri and Sharlene Hampton with the Navy Civilian Service Commendation Medal, and Luis J. Salinas with the Navy Civilian Service Achievement Medal, the fourth and fifth highest Navy civilian awards, respectively. In addition, team member Sofia A. Ryan received a letter of appreciation from Donnelly.

“It is an honor to recognize our Support Equipment teammates for going above and beyond in support of the Warfighter,” Donnelly said. “Some of today’s honorees have been part of the NAWCAD Lakehurst family for many years, while others only a few months. No matter how long their service, their efforts will benefit the fleet for many years to come.”

Deffler, the Common and Commercial Systems Division head, was recognized for developing the Program Manager, Air Flight Plan, allowing program managers to generate funding profiles for potential upgrades or replacements of aviation support equipment. In addition, the program will serve as an online record for SE procurements, including cost and fielding data. He was also recognized for his work as F-35 Multipath SE lead and his participation on the Common Spend Plan Tool Tiger Team.

Etri, SE acquisition manager, was recognized for her work as the Military Standards Requisitioning and Issue Procedure (MILSTRIP) subject matter expert and Unmanned Aircraft Systems SE acquisition manager. She worked above and beyond to process MILSTRIP requisitions for SE and Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment programs. As part of that effort, Etri assisted with a training briefing and job training in addition to coordinating with the Site Operations Office to help develop a process for locating lost or misplaced requisitions.

Hampton, SE Readiness lead, was recognized for her work as the project lead for the Software Analytics and Fusion Environment with the Model-Based Systems Engineering Collaboration Lab. This lab allows NAWCAD LKE team members to work collaboratively in a virtual environment to develop, review and update logistics products to reduce turnaround time and increase the speed and readiness of the fleet. She was also commended for her ability to keep the development of the lab on schedule despite hardware delivery delays.

In his role as P-8A Support Equipment lead avionics engineer and P-8A Maintenance Laptop Set subject matter expert, Salinas was recognized for developing new capabilities and sustainment support for the P8MC Laptop Set used by the Navy and other foreign military entities. Thanks to his efforts, the team met critical milestones supporting new Weapon Replaceable Assemblies, which limited aircraft downtime and improved aircraft readiness.

Despite only being on the SE Integrated Program Team for 20 months, the letter from Donnelly noted that Ryan had made an immediate impact on both Systems Engineering and Design Engineering, with the results benefitting Sailors and Marines in the field. In her brief time at NAWCAD LKE, Ryan has worked on developing, selecting and procuring SE. In addition, she has been the chairperson of the Professional Development Group Recreation Committee, helping to welcome new team members and promoting a work-life balance.