10.10.2023 –
Retired Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) employee Joseph Borraccini was presented with the Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award during NSWCPD’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Third Quarter Awards Ceremony on Aug. 29, 2023.
Borraccini performed in a multitude of roles during his 37-year federal government civilian career including serving as the program officer (PO) for the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR) Sea Warfare and Weapons Department from 2007 through 2023 and a five-year stint as the chair of the Interagency Advanced Power Group’s Electrical Systems Working Group.
NSWCPD Commanding Officer Capt. Joseph Darcy and Technical Director Nigel C. Thijs, SES, presented Borraccini with his Navy Superior Civilian Service Award medal and certificate to applause from his former NSWCPD colleagues.
“It is very humbling. I always questioned whether what I did was sufficient or really mattered. It is rewarding to hear from people familiar with my work that they felt it made a difference,” Borraccini said reflecting on both being honored at the event and on his career.
The Philadelphia native found his love for engineering at a young age from an innate curiosity to find out how things worked.
“I remember taking apart one of my parents' clocks as a kid to see how it worked. Unfortunately for my parents, I wasn't successful in putting it back together, but they were able to let it slide as a learning experience for me,” Borraccini said.
“I remember my Dad [an electronics technician at the time] building this electrical contraption comprised of four D-size batteries, a few toggle switches, and some incandescent light bulbs to teach me how series and parallel circuits worked,” he continued. “Between playing around with that and my Dad's analog multimeter my interests gravitated toward electricity, which led to my electrical engineering degree.”
The Drexel alum suffered from an all too common affliction for the average person which made joining the United States Navy’s war efforts a peculiar choice, but Borraccini wanted to utilize his talents in service of his country while seeing new horizons.
“As someone prone to seasickness, I could never understand why I chose to work for the Navy. I just thought it would be my small way of contributing to the military since I hadn't directly served.” Borraccini said.
I was born in Philadelphia and raised in its suburbs. As a young adult, I felt I needed to venture a little beyond where I grew up, so in 1985 I applied to what was then called the David Taylor Naval Research and Development Center in Annapolis MD, which eventually became NSWC Carderock Division,” he added.
Ignoring the threat of seasickness, Borraccini quickly found that his career path was indeed a fulfilling one which pushed him to continue striving forward along with added responsibilities outside of work.
“My work assignments varied and were always interesting to me and the senior engineers in my department were always extremely helpful … The early stages of my career provided me with opportunities to conduct research sponsored by the Office of Naval Research. It also provided the experience that enabled me to participate in the DDG 1000 program as part of the Navy team that oversaw the development of the Integrated Power System (IPS) for that ship,” he said, adding “In the mid 1990's, the Navy went through a series of Base Realignments and Closures (BRAC), which led to the closure of the Annapolis Lab, and a transfer of its function to NSWCPD in 1999.”
He continued, “At this stage of my career, I was transitioning over to management duties and was offered the opportunity to lead my branch in the transition up to Philadelphia. Since I was somewhat recently married, with a 3 ½-year-old son, it was a welcome opportunity to return to my hometown, be closer to my parents, and give them easier access to their grandson. Of all places that the BRAC could have moved us, I was really fortunate that it was back to my hometown.”
Borraccini seized the opportunity he was given with ONR, which led to the experiences that would earn him this Navy Superior Civilian Service Award.
“ONR is a great place to work [and] the leadership is extremely supportive. On top of all that, the research funds you apply to academia and industry put you in touch with the most intelligent and inspiring people this country and the world has to offer. I have learned so much throughout my career and I am truly thankful for the experience,” Borraccini said.
NSWCPD employs approximately 2,800 civilian engineers, scientists, technicians, and support personnel. The NSWCPD team does the research and development, test and evaluation, acquisition support, and in-service and logistics engineering for the non-nuclear machinery, ship machinery systems, and related equipment and material for Navy surface ships and submarines. NSWCPD is also the lead organization providing cybersecurity for all ship systems.