12.11.2023 –
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) honored employees during its Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Fourth Quarter Awards Ceremony on Nov. 28, 2023.
The hybrid ceremony recognized NSWCPD personnel with internal awards for career service milestones and completion of the Scientist and Engineering Development Program (SEDP). In addition, the ceremony highlighted recipients of external awards including patents for inventions, Letters of Appreciation, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Warfare Center Awards, the Department of the Navy (DON) Superior Civilian Service Commendation Award, and the Naval Acquisition Development Program (NADP) Award.
“What we do here contributes directly to the safety, security and prosperity of the United States. We unite for common purpose. We unite by recognizing the people next to us, acknowledging our common cause and then doing whatever we can to accomplish it. We unite by taking times like this to acknowledge the success of our colleagues, how they contribute to our goal, and be reinvigorated by it,” said NSWCPD Commanding Officer Capt. Joseph Darcy in his opening remarks.
NSWCPD employees recognized with Career Service Awards as part of the first segment of the ceremony included Lisa Littleton, Steven Swindler, Michael Grady and Jack Pezza, with 25 years of service; Paul Ditaranto, James Fries, Stephen Kovacs, James Winward, Lisa Hall, James Kidd, John Lodise, James McDonnell, and Jennifer Jardine, with 35 years of service; John Kirschner and Brian Fauvell, with 40 years of service; and Gary Howey, with 45 years of service.
Special thanks and recognition were also given to NSWCPD personnel with 10, 15, and 20 years of service.
Scorpio Collins, Ryan Weikel, Catherine Walker, Haley Galloway, Taylor Barnett, David Abrams, Michael Miller, Ryan Rimmele, Ayrton Jean Louis, Matthew McCormick, Shagar Biswas, Timothy Kelly, Robert Ortiz Sanchez, Jorge Martinez Santiago, and Michael Koppel were acknowledged next during the ceremony as NSWCPD employees who graduated from the SEDP.
The event then shifted to the external awards portion, starting with honoring personnel granted patents during the last year and welcoming those employees to the Philadelphia Division Inventor’s Club as first-time patent awardees:
• James McDonnell (Hammer Actuated Measurement System for Testing and Evaluating Rubber and Other Mater)
• Michael Resciniti and Jeremy Lamb (Compact Self-Aligning Complaint Joint)
“Our patents continue to be at the forefront of everything we do here. It’s where things get started. It’s really important to recognize the innovation that is present here at the command,” said NSWCPD Technical Director Nigel C. Thijs, SES.
The next prestigious award presented was to Joseph Hungerbuhler who received the Navy Civilian Service Commendation Medal.
“Mr. Hungerbuhler is recognized for his superior performance of duties while serving as mechanical engineer at NSWCPD. In his 42 years of dedicated service, he exhibited exceptional technical expertise in surface ship, aircraft carrier, and submarine steam and fluid systems design, operation, inspection, maintenance, and repair,” NSWCPD Human Resource Specialist Celynda Cortez and the event’s emcee said, reading aloud the Navy Civilian Service Commendation Medal award citation for Hungerbuhler.
Accolades were also given to Chad Balliet and Lauren Hummel who completed the NADP.
“The NADP is a rigorous and centrally funded training initiative established by the Department of Navy that provides highly qualified and talented entry-level employees an opportunity for rapid advancement, regular promotions, systematic development, career-broadening assignments, and functional area training through a structured career development process using a Master Development Plan,” Cortez said while reading aloud the award letter to Balliet and Hummel.
Continuing the honors was the recognition of NSWCPD employees who received NAVSEA Warfare Center Awards, including:
• Jeff Gosch, Nicole Hanley, Dorothy Kraynik, Jason Mayo, Mark Rosen of the Nondestructive Evaluation Team (John C. Mickey Award for Collaboration)
• Sean Carey, Lisa Fittipaldi, Nang Tran, and Glen Roames of the Combat Systems Operational Sequencing System Transition to Naval Logistics Technical Data Team (John C. Mickey Award for Collaboration)
• James Covert, James McClain, David Vought, Zachary Bean, Steven Berry, Sean Buckley, George Reick, Timothy Sipe, Nicholas Stumpo, Luis Valledor, and Walter McDonald of the Coast Guard Machinery Control Systems Team (Technical Support Services Award)
“Serving on the selection committee, I really got to see the breadth and depth of all things that we do here at NSWCPD. I commend the three teams for winning these awards. I am happy with all the accomplishments, the support, teamwork, and the camaraderie with all of you here today,” Thijs said, in explaining the competitiveness of the NAVSEA Warfare Center Awards.
Finally, personnel were presented with Letters of Appreciation “written by various stakeholders acknowledging NSWCPD employees for their hard work and commitment to ensuring that the Navy’s mission is met,” Cortez said.
NSWCPD personnel who received Letters of Appreciation were: Christian Unda, Kyle Verrinder, Nirav Brahmbhatt, James Smith, Tristan Wolfe, Danielle Coates, Jorge Vilanova Del Valle, James Fries, Daniel Peterson, Ryan O’Sullivan, Craig Smith, Kevin Dinshah, Michael Murphy, and David Rosmarin.
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.