Several Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division team members were honored with an Executive Director’s Award on July 10 for their pivotal role in transforming how the command invests in its future capabilities. The recognized individuals came from the technical, financial, infrastructure and workforce development communities.

The awards highlight a significant shift in how NAWCWD aligns its strategic plan with critical workforce development and technical infrastructure needs. This includes leveraging Naval Innovative Science and Engineering projects to support four key strategic focus areas: Weapon System Development Transformation, Integrated Spectrum Warfare, Air Wing of the Future Integration and Interoperability, and Advanced Live Constructive Capabilities. These efforts are crucial for delivering integrated warfighting capabilities.

To achieve this, NAWCWD Deputy Technical Director Andy Corzine spearheaded the formation of two dedicated teams. One team, focused on workforce development projects, operated under the direction of Workforce Key Enabler Richard Cracraft. The second team, addressing revitalization and recapitalization projects, was led by Infrastructure Key Enabler Justin French.

“We completely transformed the program from past years,” Corzine said.

This transformation culminated in the creation of the Strategic Investment Advisory Board, a unified NAWCWD team. The SIAB was tasked with the substantial responsibility of allocating more than $12 million for NISE workforce development activities and over $21 million for revitalization and recapitalization priorities, all while ensuring direct linkage to the NAWCWD strategic plan’s four focus areas.

“We now have a unified portfolio and are making decisions based on the highest priorities of the command; those things that make the biggest difference to our ability to deliver capabilities to the warfighter,” Corzine added.

The SIAB meticulously selected 63 critical projects for funding, chosen specifically to best serve the strategic objectives of NAWCWD and the broader needs of the Department of Defense.

Executive Director Dan Carreño presented the awards to the individual team members. Carreño emphasized the characteristics of a high-performing organization. “It’s about that consistent alignment to the mission,” he said.

Carreño further commended the collaborative spirit of the group. “I was so proud at how this diverse group with such a variety of skillsets came together to do something so tied to the warfighter capability,” he said. “This group truly is a dual bottom line of warfighting and workforce,” Carreño added. “Our command needs that motivated, excited workforce to be successful.” 

The recognized team members were:

Diana Sliva

Lisa Burchett

Dorothea N. Snelgrove

Felipe Jauregui

Meghan Baronowski

Will Heermann

Wei Li Young

Balaji Iyer

Charles R. Solomon II

Brian D. Dutton

Anthony Vitale

Steven Southworth

Phoebe Blowers

Thomas Johnson