Second Female CEC Officer Promoted to Rear Admiral

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- The first female Deputy Commander of the First Naval Construction Division and the second female in the Civil Engineer Corps to be promoted to Rear Admiral (lower half) was advanced in paygrade during an Oct. 2 ceremony at the Seabee Memorial in Washington.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Paula C. Brown was promoted to her present rank and relieved Rear Adm. Scott A. Weikert, who was promoted to Rear Adm. and is now the Deputy Commander for Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

The promotion and assignment caps a series of first for Brown, who was also the first female commander of a Seabee Regiment in combat.

A Washington native, Brown graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of the Pacific, Stockton, Calif., and was commissioned as a Civil Engineer Corps officer in July 1982.

She served on active duty in Washington through December 1986, and later earned a Masters Degree at George Washington University in January 1987.
Brown began her affiliation with the Navy Reserves in 1988.

Brown said that as an Ensign, her ambition was to one day become a Captain.

"I always looked up to the Captains I was working for and held so many of them in highest esteem, that I wanted to do that someday," she said. "Today, I am not sure that it has really sunk in as far as achieving the rank of Rear Admiral."

Although there is a long list of officers, teachers and other professionals who have inspired her over the years, Brown credited much of her success to her parents and husband.

"With their support, particularly from my husband, Pat, I have been able to find the balance to continue to step up to the challenges and opportunities that have been presented," she said. "Pat has helped me to stay firm in my convictions and he has always been there after long deployments and being gone for weeks at a time."

Brown has served as Commanding Officer of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 18 and Commander of the First Naval Construction Regiment (1st NCR). During Operation Iraqi Freedom, she mobilized as the Commander, 30th NCR (rear) for seven months in Pearl Harbor with the Pacific Seabees, and then served as Commander, 30th NCR (Forward) in Iraq from September 2005 to March 2006.

Returning from deployment, Brown became the Commanding Officer, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Contingency Officer In Charge of Construction, and then served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Engineering, Commander Naval Forces Korea. She also served a six-month active duty tour as Vice Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific in 2009.

After 28 years of Navy service, Brown said she still finds great enjoyment in her career.

"The Civil Engineer Corps has always offered exciting new challenges and has given me a sense of accomplishment that I frankly have not gotten in my civilian career," she said.

A qualified Seabee Combat Warfare Officer, Fleet Marine Force Qualified Officer, and Defense Acquisition Workforce Level III Contracting Officer, Brown has earned two Legion of Merit awards, the Bronze Star, two Meritorious Service Medals, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Battle 'E', the Navy Unit Commendation and the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation


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