Cmdr. Michelle DeBourge relieved Cmdr. Thomas Gibbons as commanding officer of the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNATTU) North Island during a July 30 ceremony at Naval Air Station North Island's iconic Flag Circle.

CNATTU Commanding Officer Capt. Terrence Hammond presided over the event, as CNATTU North Island staff and students witnessed the ceremony, bidding farewell to Gibbons.

Gibbons assumed command of CNATTU North Island in January 2014, overseeing the delivery of technical instruction by ten maintenance training units (MTUs) dispersed across three locations and graduating nearly 8,000 students. During Gibbons' tenure, CNATTU North Island attained a grade of 100 percent during the 2014 CNATT Training Management Assessment Program (TMAP) inspection and received a Retention Excellence Award for an overall retention rate of 90 percent - exceeding Navy standards by nearly 20 percent.

"CNATTU professionals, you make a real difference every single day," Gibbons said. "Thank you for everything you have done for your schoolhouse, your community, and your Navy - you are awesome."

Gibbons is scheduled to report for duty as the aviation maintenance safety department head at Naval Safety Center, Norfolk, Virginia.

DeBourge shared her excitement about assuming command while addressing the CNATTU staff for the first time as their commanding officer.

"I am truly honored to have served under the guidance and tutelage of Cmdr. Gibbons as the executive officer in preparation for the journey of becoming CNATT Unit North Island's commanding officer," she said. "I am looking forward to engaging with the Sailors, Marines, and civilians of CNATTU, where everyone is a leader giving their full contribution to the Navy and providing training to the fleet."

CNATTU North Island is a training unit of the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training located aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. CNATT develops, delivers, and supports aviation technical training at 27 sites located throughout the continental United States and Japan.

CNATT is a technical training agent for the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) an organization designed to advance and sustain Naval Aviation warfighting capabilities at an affordable cost, and is the largest training center under the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) umbrella.

For more news from Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training, visit www.navy.mil/.