NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER WEAPONS DIVIONS, POINT MUGU, Calif. – Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division recognized 22 men and women for completing the Project Management 101 program during a ceremony Aug. 16 at Point Mugu; 54 more were honored in a ceremony at China Lake Aug. 25.   

PM101 is a home-grown, command-sponsored program dedicated to teaching key project management skills and tools. Participants complete 80 hours of training in six classes over the span of two months. In the five years the program has been active, 14 cohorts – about 400 personnel – have completed the curriculum. 

“A few years ago, we identified project management as a core skillset where we as a command needed to improve,” said PM101 Champion Rich Burr, director of the Threat/Target Systems Department. “It took us two years to develop the program, and it continues to grow and change.” 

The intent of the program is not to create dedicated project managers, but instead to arm participants with project management skills they can use in their specialized areas of expertise. More importantly, organizers hope participants will take those skills and help teach others. 

“Project management is a discipline,” Burr said, “and you are now its disciples. We want you to go out and spread the gospel of project management.”       

Tom Dowd, NAVAIR ranges director and guest speaker at the ceremony, noted that while project management courses just about anywhere, this class is unique.  

“We wanted a class that was tailored to how we at NAWCWD and NAVAIR do business,” he said. “We need you to be excellent practitioners of project management in this environment. I look forward to seeing what you do with what you know.”  

Fiscal Year 2016 Project Management 101 graduates from NAWCWD Point Mugu are: 

Angela Alston, Rogelio Alvarez, Tien Bach, Thomas Bao, Sara Becker, Jorge Delgado-Ibarra, Frank Dempsey, Todd Douglas, David Edlin, Christopher Fees, Enrique Flores, Lt. Drew Gaston, Jonathan Inake, Gil’Scott Jackson, Richard Probst, Matthew Ramos, Randall Sliva, Surapong Somkaew, Lt. Megan Stateler, Steve Stucker, Bac Tran, and Nolan Troublefield.