An education technician for the Navy College Office at Naval Base Coronado was honored as the Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center (NETPDC) Civilian of the quarter for the third quarter of 2016 at an All Hands ceremony Sept. 29.

Filipe (Phil) Cataquiz, a 25-year Navy College employee, received the award based on his service to more than 45,000 service members in the Coronado area, including working with the Navy College Office staff and coordination of the San Diego Education Fair Week.

Cataquiz said he appreciated the COQ recognition, and being able to help the many military members in Southern California.

"As a veteran and current college student, I've been in their shoes, and realize the value of pointing them in the right direction so they can make informed choices about their education," said Cataquiz. "You get a lot of job satisfaction when you help people with their education and then run into them after they have made their way up the ranks."

At the award ceremony, NETPDC Commanding Officer, Capt. Lee Newton said he is constantly reminded of how much skill and knowledge the talented civilian professionals on the VOLED staff bring to the Navy.

"Mr. Cataquiz is a direct example of the profound effect our people have on our Sailors - an impact that will be felt for the rest of our service members' careers and beyond." said Newton. "Voluntary education prepares our personnel for the future with the ability to think analytically and improve processes."

Susan Hannasch, director of the Navy College Office at Coronado, said that Cataquiz' hands-on approach allowed him to conduct more than 55 command briefings and help more than 8500 patrons that came through the NCO door.

"Phil was also able to obtain an on-base location for the Western Navy College Program for Afloat College Education (NCPACE) division, resulting in a significant cost avoidance for the VOLED program, helping many Sailors in the process," said Hannasch. "His efforts to market and publicize VOLED included developing and maintaining Navy College links on the Commander, Naval Installations Command website, keeping our Sailors up-to-date with the latest education information."

NETPDC, located on board NAS Pensacola's Saufley Field, provides products and services that enable and enhance education, training, career development, and personnel advancement throughout the Navy. Primary elements of the command include the Voluntary Education Department, the Navy Advancement Center and the Resources Management Department.

For more information on the Navy College Program and the Virtual Education Center visit https://www.navycollege.navy.mil/.

Get the latest information by liking Navy Voluntary Education on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NavyVoluntaryEducation/.

Additional information about the Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center can be found via https://www.netc.navy.mil/netc/netpdc/Default.htm .

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.