NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, Patuxent River, Md. -- Rear Adm. Mark Darrah, program executive officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons, returned to his hometown Aug. 19 to support Navy Week, a week-long series of events to promote awareness of the Navy’s service, mission and its Sailors.

During his visit to Kansas City, Darrah met with business executives, community organizations, educational institutions and local sports organizations.

Darrah, who was a high school and college athlete, said a highlight of the week was speaking to the Kansas University football team about “leadership and selfless sacrifice for a bigger purpose.”  He said his experiences as a collegiate athlete paved the way for his Navy career.

"Some of these guys will wind up in the military after they're done playing here," Darrah said. "And hopefully they'll take the lessons they're learning today with them."

 One visit that hit “close to home” for Darrah was his meeting with the Shawnee school district superintendent to discuss Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) initiatives. Darrah attended school there and always had an interest in the sciences. His navy career allowed him to pursue that field and now he advocates for STEM and the development of the future workforce.

“My goal for this visit was discuss ways to help prepare young people from the Kansas City area to contribute to strengthening the foundation of what our country was built on....innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and a strong desire to serve whether in uniform or as a citizen,” Darrah said.

Later in the week, Darrah met with executives from Kansas City-based companies Sprint and Garmin and also had the opportunity to serve as an honorary captain at a Kansas City Chiefs pre-season game.

“This week gave me the opportunity to make connections with people across the Kansas City community,” he said. “I look forward to having the chance to participate in Navy Week again in the future.”