NAVAIR Leadership Development Program (NLDP) Spotlight NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — A new job was just what Frank DiGeorge needed. For 12 months, DiGeorge traveled from Patuxent River more than 50 miles to the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., where he worked with the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy (ASN) as part of a job rotational assignment. “It was the best experience I’ve ever had,” he said, “and tested my abilities to perform. I was humbled by the experience.” DiGeorge is slated to graduate from NAVAIR’s Leadership Development Program (NLDP) in October 2012. The command’s flagship leadership program is designed for high performing NAVAIR employees with demonstrated leadership potential, such as DiGeorge. The program, established in 2005, serves to develop leadership, management and productivity improvement skills and provide mid- to senior-grade employees a systematic and logical approach to clarify their career goals. “NLDP incorporates developmental rotational assignments as a key program requirement, because they are instrumental in expanding our future leaders’ breadth of experience and corporate knowledge,” said Stephanie Peppler, program manager for NAVAIR leadership development programs. “These experiences are key tenants to leadership development.” Peppler cited several benefits to job rotations, including: • Knowledge transfer and hands-on experience between and within competencies • A method to fill critical and emergent skills gaps • A more agile workforce, ready for challenging opportunities • Managerial, executive and leadership experience “Rotational assignments are a key developmental activity aligned to the commander’s intent of creating a long-range workforce plan,” said Kim Tennyson, program manager for the Developmental Assignment Registry. The registry is an online national interactive database that allows DoN civil service employees to post their resumes and search and apply for rotational assignments. DiGeorge said he applied to NLDP to learn more about NAVAIR’s decision-making process at a higher level. “Since day one, it’s been a learning experience, and that’s exactly what I wanted,” he said. “I didn’t want to get into the program and just go through the motions. If you apply yourself, you can get a lot out of it.” Now the deputy Integrated Product Team lead for Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS), DiGeorge helps manage the integration of UCLASS on the aircraft carrier. UCLASS is an aircraft carrier-based aircraft system, providing persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and strike capabilities that will enhance an aircraft carrier’s versatility. DiGeorge’s time at the Pentagon improved his time management, writing, presentation and note taking skills, he said, as he helped the Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons answer data calls for congressional and senate briefs and served as a representative on an unmanned aerial systems task force. “If you want to better yourself professionally, [a job rotation] is the only way to do it,” he said. He also passed his newfound knowledge of the ASN Office to the 2010 group of NLDP participants during the Washington Arena Seminar class, where he gave them a private, behind-the-scenes Pentagon tour. This seminar provides a practical introduction to the interactions between NAVAIR, the DoN and DoD, with briefings by top officials. DiGeorge advises his co-workers and fellow NLDP participants to take charge of their own careers and the direction they want to go. “You are responsible for your career,” he said. “Take responsibility for where you want to be and how you want to get there.”