New leadership for Navy's Aircrew Systems Program Office

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (NNS) -- The Navy's Aircrew Systems Program Office (PMA-202), which manages all equipment that directly supports aircrew and troops in the performance of their missions, gained a new leader Jan. 30 during a change of command ceremony here at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

Capt. Nora Burghardt, who previously served as the deputy program manager for Air Vehicle Systems in the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office (PMA-265), replaced Capt. Roger Ligon as PMA-202's new leader during an afternoon ceremony in the Rear Adm. William A. Moffett Building.

Ligon's next assignment will be working as the military director of the Weapons and Energetics Department at the Naval Air Warfare Center - Aircraft Division, China Lake, Calif.

"The men and women of the Aircrew Systems Program Office have been instrumental in increasing the safety and effectiveness of Navy and Marine aircrew for many years," Ligon said. "It has been a distinct privilege to have led them in that enterprise these last three years."

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Burghardt earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering and a master's in administration as well as dual master's degrees in material logistics and financial management from the Naval Postgraduate School. Her assignments include stints at Barbers Point, Hawaii, as a maintenance materials control officer; serving aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), where she completed four major deployments, including being the first to arrive on scene in the Arabian Gulf after the 9/11 terrorist attacks; and as an Aviation Intermediate Maintenance Departments (AIMD) officer aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73).

I'm looking forward to managing the systems that support our aircrew and the fleet," said Burghardt during the ceremony, which was highlighted by keynote speaker Rear Adm. Randy Mahr, the deputy program executive officer for the F-35 Lightning II Program. "Roger has accomplished game-changing initiatives in this program office. I intend to lead those efforts to the next level of systems support of our aircrew and fleet."

Burghardt's career includes revitalizing George Washington's CVN AIMD after a two-year yard period; implementing AIRSPEED, which streamlines workloads and improves maintenance processes; and preparing the crew for Forward Deployed Carrier Operations and home port change to Yokosuka, Japan. Burghardt earned the Chief of Naval Forces Leadership Award for those efforts.

Additionally, during her tenure with PMA-265, she launched and led the program office's "Should-Cost Will-Cost" program and a cross-functional F414 engine readiness recovery from significant readiness shortfall.

Organized under the Program Management Organization (AIR 1.0), which includes common aviation and aircrew support equipment, PMA-202 develops, maintains and tests a wide variety of programs, including survival electronics, chemical-biological defense and fleet-support systems.

"Capt. Burghardt has a reputation as an innovative leader in the naval acquisition environment," said Keith Sanders, the assistant commander for Acquisition, who leads AIR-1.0. "She is a creative problem solver and collaborative leader, who is known for energizing her team and producing results. I look forward to working with her on the AIR-1.0 team."

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