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Sailors to Receive Honors at Black Engineer of the Year Awards
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy will be a key participant in the 2011 Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) STEM Global Competitiveness Conference Feb. 17-19 at the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC.
During an awards gala Feb. 19, Rear Adm. Bruce Grooms, assistant deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy (OPNAV N3/N5B ), will receive BEYA's Professional Achievement in Government Award; and Mr. Victor Gavin, SES, executive director for the program executive officer for littoral and mine warfare at Naval Sea Systems Command, will be honored with the Career Achievement in Government Award. Mr. Kerry Nichols, of Naval Air Systems Command, will receive BEYA's Outstanding Technical Contribution in Government Award.
Twenty-three Navy members will also receive awards at the Modern Day Technology Leadership Luncheon Feb. 18.
The Navy is also the sponsor of the Feb. 18 Stars and Stripes Dinner, during which Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead will provide keynote remarks. Several notable African Americans from across the military services will be honored at the event, including Rear Adm. Arthur Johnson, commander of Naval Safety Center.
The event, now in its 25th year, has been the conference of choice to recognize the significant accomplishments of African Americans in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
The conference is a product of Career Communications Group (CCG), an organization whose goal is to promote minority achievement and to promote opportunities for the black community to take a leadership role in technology.
The Navy has maintained a sustained relationship with CCG and with the annual BEYA Awards for the last 20 years. Additionally, in 2008, the Navy signed an agreement with CCG to promote further Navy participation in CCG events in an effort to reach a diverse workforce.
For more information on the Black Engineer of the Year awards, visit http://beya.org/.
For more news from Chief of Naval Personnel - Diversity Directorate, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnp-diversity/.
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Really? I thought we as a Navy were supposed to be indifferent to race and sex yet we support the nominations of Black engineers seems like a step in the wrong direction, not to mention the fact that if there were nominations for gay engineers, white engineers, Hispanic, Muslim ect...there would be a very big problem. I think if you deserve to be distinguished as an outstanding "engineer" or anything else it should simply be on the fact that its your job not that your best person in your race.