Five new members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) were honored Monday by Vice Admiral Wally Massenburg, Commander, Naval Air Systems Command. The ceremony, held at NAVAIR Headquarters, Patuxent River, Md., welcomed the following new SES members: Michael Erk, Director, Logistics Management Integration, AIR-6.6; Todd Mellon, Director, Design Interface Maintenance, Planning, AIR-6.7; Garry Newton, Director, Aviation Readiness and Resource Analysis, AIR-6.8; Debra Raley, Director, Air ASW and Special Mission Programs Contracts Department, AIR-2.3; and Russell Spindler, Executive Director, Office of Counsel, AIR-11.A.

Promotions were awarded to new Senior Professionals Dr. William Frazier, Senior Scientist for Materials Engineering, AIR-4.9T and Dr. Gary Hewer, Senior Scientist for Image and Signal Processing, WD-4.9T, who received his award via VTC from China Lake, Ca.

Dr. Donald McErlean, former Deputy Assistant Commander for Research and Engineering, was presented with the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award. He also received three Presidential Rank Awards in 1993, 1999 and 2004.

Two SES members were also recognized at the ceremony with the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executive. David Steffee, Director, Enterprise and Analysis Planning, AIR-00A1 and George Dibiase, Highly Qualified Expert for ALRE were both honored with this distinguished award, Diabiase for a second time.

Massenburg presented each of the new SES members with a plaque, a pin and a signed aviation book. The new Senior Professionals also received signed aviation books. Those given the Presidential Rank Award received a pin and a framed certificate signed by President George W. Bush. Many family members were in attendance.

Of the 324 SES members Navy-wide, only 14 were awarded the 2006 Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executive. Two were from NAVAIR. Award winners are chosen through a rigorous selection process. They are nominated by their agency heads, evaluated by boards of private citizens and approved by the President. The evaluation criteria focus on leadership and results.

Erk, appointed to SES on August 8, 2005, began his NAVAIR career in 1983. In 1995 he became Assistant Program Executive Officer for Logistics for PEO (A), while also serving as Director of Logistics for the Maritime Surveillance Aircraft program office (PMA-290). Most recently he was principal Deputy Program Manager for Cruise Missile Weapons Systems (PMA-282).

Mellon’s SES appointment was made on July 24, 2005. After graduating from the Logistics Intern Development Program in 1991, Mellon was promoted to Assistant Program Manager for Logistics for the F/A-18E/F in 1997 and in December 2001 was made Division Director for Logistics Information Systems.

Newton was appointed to the SES on August 8, 2005. His career at NAVAIR began in 1991 in the Engineering and Scientist Development Program, continued in logistics research and analysis, and culminated in his receiving the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 2002.

Raley began her contracting career in 1981 as a GS-9 contract specialist for NATC, was promoted in 1991 to Head of Contracts at Patuxent River, and in 2005 was reassigned as Acting Deputy for PEO (A) Contracts Department, while also serving as Assistant Program Executive Officer for PEO (A). She received the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 2003.

Spindler, appointed to the SES on January 22, 2006, began his career in 1984 at the Navy Office of General Counsel. In October 1998, he joined the Naval Air Systems Command Office of Counsel at Patuxent River, Md., and was recently named Executive Director of the NAVAIR Office of Counsel.

Dr. Frazier was appointed on July 24, 2005, and has over 25 years experience in Naval Aviation materials engineering and science. Dr. Frazier is Chief Technology Officer / Chief Scientist in the Research and Engineering Sciences Department at NAVAIR and has authored 90 technical publications, edited 6 books and holds two U.S. patents.

Dr. Hewer was appointed on July 24, 2005. He has worked at the Naval Air Warfare Weapons Division in China Lake since 1968, published over 40 technical papers and in 2000 won the NAWCWP L.T.E. Thompson award for his work in image processing. In 2002, Dr. Hewer was inducted as a NAVAIR Fellow for his work on Signal and Image Processing.