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Navy leaders recognized five inspirational Sailors with leadership awards at the 2023 Joint Women’s Leadership Symposium.
Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Richard Cheeseman Jr. and Personnel, Manpower, and Training Fleet Master Chief Delbert Terrell Jr. presented the Capt. Joy Bright Hancock and Master Chief Anna Der-Vartanian Leadership Awards to five Sailors at the 2023 Joint Women’s Leadership Symposium in San Diego.
The two-and-a-half-day symposium, hosted by the Sea Services Leadership Association, brought together service members from the armed forces to focus on mentorship, leadership, and inspiring women in the military.
Captain Joy Bright Hancock Leadership Award Winners
Senior Officer: Cmdr. Cheryl A. Griswold, Naval Survival Training Center Miramar
Junior Officer: Lt. Andrea R. Howard, PCU New Jersey (SSN 796)
LDO/CWO: CWO3 Lureatha Harvey, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. 10th Fleet
Master Chief Anna Der-Vartanian Leadership Award Winners
Senior Enlisted: HMCM(SS/SW/EXW/AW) Amanda L. McDevitt, Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic
Junior Enlisted: HM1 Katy Jones(FMF/SW/AW), Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Beaufort
Inspiring Today’s Fleet
Established in 1987 and open to both men and women, these annual leadership awards honor the visionary leadership of Sailors whose ideals and dedication foster an inclusive culture while furthering the integration of women in today’s Navy.
This year’s group of recipients showcased the significant advancements the Navy has made toward greater inclusion on the operational front — specifically in the aviation, submarine, cyber, and medical communities.
As a leader in the submariner community, Lt. Andrea Howard said she could not imagine a greater honor than receiving the Captain Joy Bright Hancock Leadership Award.
“Amid the year’s largest gathering of uniformed women, the energy at JWLS felt tangible and electric,” Howard said. “The panels and invaluable side conversations proved that awesome women have already achieved the exceptional careers of service we hope to emulate with the Women in Submarines [Task Force].”
Candidates were nominated by their commanding officers and officers-in-charge with endorsements from their immediate superior in command. Boards, composed of senior leaders from the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations graded nominees on inspirational and innovative leadership, professional accomplishments, character, command climate, and community involvement.
The winners were selected out of 104 nomination packages for going above and beyond in every category, exhibiting extraordinary service like that of the awards’ namesakes.
Cmdr. Cheryl Griswold, the winner of the Senior Officer category, said it was an honor and privilege to meet the other winners and the Chief of Naval Personnel leadership during the event. She also reflected on the legacy of the awards.
“Capt. Joy Bright Hancock is an inspiration for her dedication to the promotion of women in the service at a time when many weren’t as accepting. Her groundbreaking work set the stage for our accomplishments today,” Griswold said.
Griswold received the Senior Officer Capt. Joy Bright Hancock Award for her leadership as the Director of the Naval Survival Training Center Miramar. Since 2015, Griswold has spearheaded several initiatives that have enhanced women’s inclusion within the naval aviation community.
Griswold’s citation noted:
“Between 2015 and 2018, as the aeromedical safety officer for Commander, Electronic Attack Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CVWP), she became a liaison between CVWP and the female aviators of the Wing’s 15 subordinate squadrons and Weapons School. As a staff corps officer supporting the all-male leadership of the Wing, the Weapons School, and 15 subordinate squadrons, she initiated a program to raise awareness of gender specific aviation issues impacting inclusion, safety, and morale of female aviators. She leveraged the work of CAPT (ret) David Smith’s “Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women,” to foster mentorship by male leaders to female subordinates. Her efforts at CVWP set the standard in proactive inclusion for the Navy, bringing in successful senior women as guest mentors for CVWP’s female officers, including Vice Admiral Sara Joyner, and NASA Astronauts CAPT (ret) Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, and CAPT (ret) Wendy Lawrence. She fostered a candid forum for women to speak and be heard through quarterly meetings with the commodore and deputy commodore, making a direct positive impact on overall job satisfaction and sense of value/inclusion within the Wing. During her tour with CVWP, CDR Griswold noted the shortcomings in the availability, safety, and effectiveness of lactation spaces on the flight line. She developed a program and codified it by writing an instruction signed by the CVWP commodore to align with Navy guidance and requirements for the availability of lactation spaces. Her efforts reduced lost working hours associated with driving to the health clinic lactation rooms, pumping breast milk in vehicles or in toilet areas, thereby saving time and improving the lives for women on the flight line. In 2019, while serving as a Military Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MITLL), she became an active member of the MITLL Women’s Network, a subset of the Diversity & Inclusion Office, to learn the strategies used by industry leaders to promote recruitment, retention, and promotion opportunities for diverse talent.”
Lt. Andrea R. Howard received the Junior Officer Capt. Joy Bright Hancock Leadership Award for her impact as the Navigator and Operations Officer aboard the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine Pre-commissioning Unit New Jersey (SSN 796), where she has actively led the charge on integrating women aboard submarines. Of the six submarines integrated with both officers and enlisted women, Howard is the first officer in the history of the U.S. Navy to oversee the integration of junior enlisted women aboard two submarines, specifically USS Ohio (SSGN 726) and New Jersey, the latter being the only fully integrated fast-attack submarine.
Howard’s citation included:
“Through her selection by the Submarine Talent Management Board for back-to-back sea duty, she volunteered to lead as the first female Department Head and strive to integrate Submarine Squadron Eight with enlisted women. Across both tours, Andrea has supervised over 30 female Sailors, comprising of roughly ten percent of all active duty female submariners and helped to achieve a 75 percent advancement rating for that group. During 2021, she rallied together eight future female Department Heads to form the Submarine Officers' Women Network (SOWN). Attracting over 270 members, SOWN is the largest conglomeration of female submariners and exercises a unique mission within the community: connecting present, past, and future female submariners and recruiting a more diverse, inclusive force. Through the organization, Andrea has developed 19 long-term, mentorship relationships and dedicates at least 100 hours annually towards conversations on leadership styles, workplace relationships, and submarine-specific professional milestones.”
Chief Warrant Officer Lureatha Harvey received the Limited Duty Officer/Chief Warrant Officer Capt. Joy Bright Hancock Award for her inspirational leadership spanning her career and while serving as System and Integration Technical Director of U.S. Fleet Cyber Command Cyber Mission Force Pacific. Harvey is the only African American female Cyber Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Navy. Using her experiences from serving in a community with few minorities or women, Harvey has inspired other Sailors to continue making meaningful contributions to the service.
Harvey’s citation included: “She has fostered an inclusive culture that tackles underrepresentation of women and minorities by addressing the barriers preventing them from enlisting in the Navy, from pursuing a career within the science and technology disciplines of the Navy, and from becoming senior Navy officers or Navy civilians. She educated and helped severely ill and injured Sailors’ transition to civilian life through the Wounded Warrior program. In addition, she has dedicated numerous off-duty hours to helping candidates with their applications for commissioning under various officer programs. Her commitment resulted in the selection of over 13 Sailors for LDO/CWO, OCS, Naval Academy, and MSC-IPP, directly improving talent retention in the U.S. Navy.”
Master Chief Hospital Corpsman Amanda L. McDevitt received the Senior Enlisted Master Chief Anna Der-Vartanian Leadership Award recipient for her leadership and persistent advocacy for diversity, equity and inclusion of women in the Navy throughout the breadth of her career.
Blazing the way for women aboard submarines, McDevitt was the first enlisted female selected to report to a submarine when the U.S. Navy began integrating women aboard the platform.
McDevitt’s award citation noted:
“In September 2012 while deployed as an Individual Augmentee in Manda Bay, Kenya, she led a team of non-medical personnel in the successful rescue of a passenger of a downed Kenyan Air Force plane. Without regard to her own safety, she navigated the Kenyan jungle at night to recover the survivor from the burning plane wreckage and return him to the Camp for stabilization prior to Medical Evacuation. She was selected as the first enlisted female to report onboard a submarine. As one of two senior enlisted women onboard she took it upon herself to mentor junior enlisted women and provided sage counsel to the chain of command about the integration of women aboard USS Michigan (SSGN 727) ensuring a smooth transition for all submarine crews to come. She is routinely sought out across all facets of the Navy to speak with Sailors in regards to inclusion of women within the submarine force. In her off-duty time she continues to regularly volunteer time to speak with women via multiple platforms. She administers multiple social media mentorship pages and continues to provide mentorship and discusses her experiences on what life is like onboard a submarine.”
Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Katy Jones received the Junior Enlisted Master Chief Anna Der-Vartanian Leadership Award for her impact and initiative at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Beaufort and previous commands.
Jones’ citation also included:
“At Naval Hospital Guam, she worked in Obstetrics and Gynecology and assisted in over 1,300 procedures used to identify cervical dysplasia and birth malformations. She recertified as an EMT and assigned to the patient transport and MEDEVAC watch team. When patients required transport to a higher echelon of care, she coordinated medical transport to Guam Memorial Hospital or the Anderson Air Force Base flightline. She devoted over 65 off-duty hours during multicultural presentations and coordinating the Hospital Corpsman Ball and volunteered 38 hours with Guam Animals in Need. Aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), she worked in female wellness, coordinating more than 450 exams and procedures for 468 female Sailors. She qualified in multiple sections in the medical department while working as the Flight Deck Corpsman. Deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, she responded during a flight deck mishap, providing medical treatment and transport for 10 casualties to Naval Medical Center San Diego. She volunteered 225 hours of community service in support of the Child Abuse Prevention Association, to ensure shelter was available for abused children and completed three levels of sign language training.”
The Trailblazers
These Sailors and all the nominees are living proof of the legacies of Hancock and Der-Vartanian.
Der-Vartanian made history as the first woman in the U.S. Armed Forces promoted to E-9. Hancock guided the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) through difficult years in the late 1940s and early 1950s, a period that saw the Navy's women achieve status as part of the regular Navy.
These iconic Sailors spent most of their lives acting as stewards for the integration of women in the Navy, blazing the trail for the 2023 award recipients.
The Navy’s Culture and Force Resilience Office continues its mission toward building the people, leaders, and teams that enable the Navy to fight and win.
For more information about these awards, visit: NAVADMIN 145/23 and https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Support-Services/Culture-Resilience/Womens-Policy/Hancock-DerVartanian-Awards/
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