Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) announced their top Sailors during an award ceremony Oct. 20.

Petty Officer 1st Class Tara D. Jones, from NETC General Skills Training (GST) Learning Site (LS) San Diego, was honored as the third quarter Instructor of the Quarter (IOQ). Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander W. Lange, from NETC GST LS Sigonella, Sicily, was selected as the fourth quarter IOQ.

Chief Bernard F. Wiench, from NETC GST LS Groton, Connecticut, and Petty Officer 1st Class Shiane M. Heath, from NETC GST LS Dam Neck, Virginia, were honored as Sailors of the Quarter for the third and fourth quarter.

The honors were presented by Rear Adm. Mike White, commander NETC during an All Hands call with Jones, Wiench, and Heath present via teleconference. Lange will be publicly recognized at a future award's ceremony. The IOQ and SOQ programs are designed to recognize and reward the performance and dedication of outstanding enlisted Sailors.

As the lead instructor for five Naval Instructor Training Course (NITC) classes, Jones supervised three instructors delivering curriculum and evaluating 80 Sailor, Marine, and civilian student instructors.

An IOQ is selected for how they exemplify Navy core values while on and off duty.

"She sets the example for students as well as fellow instructors by providing mentorship and leadership, furthering her education, and dedicating time as an ambassador in her local community," said GST San Diego Regional Director Cmdr. Ryan K. Dunn. "Petty Officer Jones is continually growing as a Sailor and instructor."
"I really enjoy the interaction with students and sharing knowledge," said Jones.

Lange, from GST LS Sigonella, trained 102 leaders across 41 commands while facilitating Command Managed Equal Opportunity (CMEO), Drug and Alcohol Program Advisor (DAPA), and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Management Seminar for Leaders programs. In addition to his command involvement, he serves as the President for the NAS Sigonella First Class Petty Officer Association.

Lange spearheaded a weekly one-hour American Forces Radio Network leadership series broadcasting to eight countries with a potential audience of 800,000 listeners.

"I am really pleased with the reach of my 'Leadership With Lange' radio show," said Lange. "It allows me to disseminate information from senior leadership down to the junior Sailor level."

Wiench is a qualified GST instructor and DAPA managing day-to-day schoolhouse operations at GST LS Groton. Newly pinned as a chief petty officer, Wiench ensures all course changes and updates are incorporated to ensure appropriate curricula is provided to the fleet. During the third quarter, he ran three NITC and two DAPA classes for 104 Navy and Marine Corps personnel.

According to Chief Jason J. Roban of GST LS Groton, Wiench helped establish a productive learning environment tailored to meet the training goals of the command.

"As the supply petty officer, Wiench's dedication and commitment towards training and student support was instrumental to ensuring all training materials were stocked and on hand for incoming students," said Roban.

"Once you set your mind to something, stick with it until you achieve it, and then strive for something better," said Wiench.

As Region East Command Career Counselor (CCC), Heath scheduled and ensured the seamless transition of seven Sailors into the Fleet Reserve, conducted 11 Career Development Boards, and certified four special program screenings, ensuring all Sailors were prepared for their chosen career path.

Chief Laura Rudy from GST LS Dam Neck described Heath's additional accomplishments during the fourth quarter.

"She enthusiastically trained and developed 72 students to become Navy Career Information Professionals obtaining the 9588 Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) Code over three class convening's, directly impacting fleet readiness for our Sailors," said Rudy.

Heath was hand-selected to pilot and launch the new Career Options and Navy Skills Evaluation Program and First Term Success Workshop for 22 local Sailors and career counselors.

"The best thing I enjoy about being an instructor at the CCC course is teaching my students how to go and take care of our Sailors in the fleet, which allows them to mold and shape the future of our Navy," said Heath.

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