Mr. Dale W. Sisson, Jr. is the Technical Director for the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), Dahlgren, VA. He was appointed to the position in November 2021 and has been a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) since June 2018. As the NSWCDD Technical Director, Mr. Sisson is the senior civilian leader for the 4,930 member NSWCDD workforce and is responsible for the execution and technical excellence of Dahlgren’s $1.8 Billion portfolio of research, development, test and evaluation, including complex naval combat, sensor, weapon and strategic systems engineering, analysis, integration and certification.
In his previous role, Mr. Sisson served as the Executive Director of the Naval Ordnance Safety and Security Activity (NOSSA) and the Deputy for Weapons Safety, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). In this capacity, he provided executive and technical direction for all ordnance surety programs assigned to NOSSA and was the NAVSEA Deputy Warranting Officer for Weapons Systems and Ordnance – Explosives Safety and Security. Mr. Sisson also served as chairperson of the Department of the Navy’s Weapon System Explosives Safety Review Board, which provides system safety compliance of all Navy and Marine Corps munitions, ordnance items, weapons and combat systems prior to fielding to operating forces. He also co-chaired the Joint Weapon Safety Working Group which provides multi service reviews of joint munitions.
Prior to his appointment to the SES, his career highlights include 21 years of experience at NSWCDD in various organizational and technical leadership roles, including serving as Deputy Technical Director from 2016 to 2018.
From 2010 to 2016, he served as Head of the Electromagnetic & Sensor Systems Department at NSWCDD. In that role, he was promoted to the executive ranks as a Senior Scientific Technical Manager (SSTM) and also completed a one-year executive detail as Director of Systems Engineering within the office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Test, & Evaluation (DASN (RDT&E)).
A native and resident of King George, VA, Mr. Sisson is a strong believer in serving his community. He is a founding and current member of the King George Family YMCA Board of Directors, Vice-President of the Rappahannock Area YMCA Board of Directors, and a Sunday school teacher. For three terms, Mr. Sisson held elected office as a member of the King George County Board of Supervisors and served in numerous county and regional leadership roles.
Mr. Sisson holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Systems Engineering, both from Virginia Tech. He is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute and has been a Licensed Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia since 1998. Recognized for his contributions
to the Navy’s development of laser weapons, Mr. Sisson was awarded the Department of the Navy’s Superior Civilian Service medal in May 2015. Prior to joining NSWCDD in 1997, he spent five years in industry as both a manufacturing engineer and product designer.