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Center for Seabees and Facilities Engineering Names 2013 Civilian Instructor of the Year
Story Number: NNS130621-09
6/21/2013

By Susan Lester, Center for Seabees and Facilities Engineering Public Affairs

PORT HUENEME, Calif. (NNS) -- The Center for Seabees and Facilities Engineering (CSFE) announced the Civilian Instructor of the Year June 21.

David Housh, an instructor at the Construction Electrician (CE) Schoolhouse, Naval Construction Training Center (NCTC) in Gulfport, Miss. has worked at NCTC for more than four years as a civil servant. Prior to that, he served as a CE instructor while on active duty.

CSFE Commanding Officer Capt. Kevin Brown recognized Housh's contributions in the citation accompanying the award.

"You were selected from an extremely talented field of candidates who epitomize the dedication and professionalism of instructors throughout the CSFE domain," said Brown. "I truly appreciate your personal commitment and individual contributions to meet the continuous and evolving needs of the fleet."

The NCTC Gulfport Commanding Officer Cmdr. Scott Anderson noted that competition was exceptionally keen for the award.

"Mr. Housh is just one example of the many outstanding professionals we have on our instructor staff here at NCTC Gulfport," said Anderson. "He sets himself apart by the tremendous enthusiasm he brings to everything he does and his unbridled commitment to imparting the knowledge he has gained to those he instructs and mentors. He is a tremendous asset to our staff and the NCTC team."

During 2012, Housh distinguished himself by providing technical training for 24 advanced CE students during three convenings of the 12-week CE 1 Advanced Course and 12 students in one convening of in the nine-week Cable Splicing Course.

"I feel very honored and privileged that I was selected as CSFE Civilian Instructor of the Year for 2013," said Housh. "I know there are a lot of great instructors, civilian and military, at NCTC Gulfport and throughout the other CSFE commands. I also know it's not just me. It takes the backing from fellow instructors and others behind the scenes to support daily evolutions such as ordering supplies, setting up labs and pre-starting vehicles. The team always motivates me to keep going. It also takes a great chain of command from the course manager to the CO."

David Donnelly, CSFE director of training, noted that civilian instructors are held to exceptionally high standards.

"You always go into an evaluation session with very high expectations of military instructors. These same expectations are doubled for a civilian instructor as they must truly establish themselves as subject matter experts and gain the confidence of the military trainees," said Donnelly. "Mr. Housh's trainees clearly demonstrated their absolute confidence in him by the quality of their in-depth questions and total interaction. His classes demonstrate that true mentor-apprentice relationships have been established. He is an exceptional role model to follow."

In addition to recognizing the efforts of Housh, Brown expressed appreciation for the entire cadre of naval instructors. "As we recognize your outstanding contributions, it is fitting to reflect upon the critical importance of every one of our instructors in the Naval Education and Training Command domain and throughout our Navy," Brown said. "Their hard work and professionalism produce the best quality and most effective naval training in the world."

CSFE manages four learning sites in diverse geographic locations: NCTC Gulfport, Miss.; NCTC Port Hueneme, Calif.; CSFE Detachment Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; and CSFE Detachment Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.

For more information about the Center for Seabees and Facilities Engineering, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/csfe/.

For more information about the Naval Education and Training Command, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil or https://www.facebook.com/NavalEducationAndTrainingCommand?ref=ts&fref=ts.