Naval Submarine School (NSS) named Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 1st Class Zachary Maxey as its 2017 Sailor of the Year (SOY) Oct. 20.

Maxey, a native of Caroline County, Virginia, is assigned to the Training Support Department as the command facilities manager who oversees the care and maintenance of NSS administration spaces, barracks, training buildings, and warehouses. He leads a team of 18 building managers in the submission and completion of work requests to ensure maintenance and operability of 11 submarine school buildings and 80 submarine trainers.

For Maxey, being a facilities manager requires a high level of coordination with the staff and training and contractor schedules. He said his goal is to coordinate all the moving parts and keep everyone up-to-date while minimizing the impact of facilities work so that training can continue.

"The two most rewarding aspects of this job are being able to support world-class training by ensuring building upkeep and contractor maintenance is performed, and the interaction I have with initial accession students," said Maxey. "This is my first assignment with Sailors from boot camp, and it is rewarding to have a positive impact on a young Sailor's life and career."

While attached to NSS, Maxey qualified as a Master Training Specialist (MTS) to make him a better leader and mentor and to help others learn and achieve their goals in the future. He also appreciated the college credits that came with becoming a MTS.

"The qualification process, specifically the theories and key learning aspects really do open your eyes to how different people learn," said Maxey. "It's not a cut-and-dried approach but is something that varies from person to person. Qualifying, I now know how to appeal to different types of learners and help them fully understand the material."

Maxey was previously recognized for outstanding performance as the NSS third quarter 2017 Sailor of the Quarter.

NSS Command Master Chief Eric Murphy said consideration and selection of the SOY was extremely difficult because of the caliber of the Sailors being considered.

"You're trying to name the most valuable player on an all-star team," said Murphy. "Every Sailor who was considered had consistently demonstrated sustained superior performance."

As NSS SOY, Maxey will represent the command when the Submarine Learning Center makes its selection from across its training sites for the opportunity to be named Naval Education and Training Command's 2017 SOY.

"My selection means a great deal to me, especially since there are over 150 first class petty officers from whom I was selected," said Maxey. "I know firsthand of the high quality of all those who were nominated, so just to have been considered is an honor."

Naval Submarine School trains officers and enlisted Sailors in the basic knowledge and skills upon which operational submarine commands in the Atlantic and Pacific can build competence and proficiency in operating and maintaining submarines and all their systems.

For more on NSS, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/slc/nss/ and https://www.facebook.com/navalsubmarineschool.

For more news from Naval Education and Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/.