PANAMA CITY, Fla. –
Two Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division’s (NSWC PCD) up-and-coming leaders are selected to participate in the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Journey Level Leaders (JLL) Program for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23).
Dan Bysina, NSWC PCD Quickstrike Extended Range Integrated Logistics Support manager, and Allie Williams, NSWC PCD Diving and Life Support Information Display Systems project manager, will represent the Navy Lab as they venture into future “Develop, Engage and Lead” opportunities within the One Team enterprise. Both have taken different paths to get to this point, however, their respective experiences will serve them well within this program.
Bysina, who retired as a U.S. Navy chief after 20 years of service, has been at NSWC PCD for three years and explained his motivation for applying.
“I have always enjoyed learning and implementing newly acquired leadership skills throughout my naval career, as well as the NAVSEA organization, with the ultimate goal of cohesion and development,” said Bysina. “My prime interest lies in furthering my personal capabilities, making a difference in the complexities of NSWC PCD, and influencing other NAVSEA organizations in identifying and prioritizing the scope of future projects. This leadership course will allow me to focus on such a development with a direct impact to the entire NAVSEA enterprise.”
Williams, who will take on a new role as the NSWC PCD Fleet Diving Systems In-Service engineering agent in FY23, has served at the Navy Lab for nearly eight years. However, Williams’ impact started long before that—when she began her journey at NSWC PCD through the Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program three years prior.
“I applied because I am interested in learning more about the U.S. Navy and NAVSEA as a whole. I am looking forward to learning about other commands, and how NAVSEA operates on a broader scale,” Williams said. “I am also looking to improve my leadership experience, and am interested in conducting an outside rotation, as well. This program is important because it gives employees a unique opportunity to gain experience and interact with programs that they otherwise wouldn’t have throughout their career.”
The JLL Program is NAVSEA’s premiere mid-level leadership development program with the goal to improve enterprise mission success by selecting and increasing the effectiveness of qualified professionals, or “leaders”, through participation in a special leadership course and hands‐on learning experiences.
“The program identifies a critical area of improvement within NAVSEA and challenges its participants to produce solutions that are tangible, cost-effective, and sustainable. My hope is to learn, implement, and bring back this knowledge so I may lead and grow our junior team members into future leaders of industry,” said Bysina.
The program not only helps to serve a critical role in NAVSEA’s strategy to attract, retain and develop a workforce, but also helps its selectees reach towards their professional goals.
“Throughout the program, my hope is to continue developing my leadership skills and gain new experience through working with different types of teams,” said Williams. “Seeing how NAVSEA operates at a higher level will be helpful for any positions I have in the future. I’m looking forward to creating new connections and gaining new experiences to take further into my career.”
This journey is only beginning for the newest FY23 JLL Cadre IX class, but it’s one that Bysina and Williams are ready to meet head on.
“Humbled and honored is the best expression,” said Bysina. “Humbled for being selected amongst so many talented peers and honored for what is now going to be demanded of me. It’s a challenge that I am excited to respectfully accept.”
They both were honored to be selected to represent NSWC PCD as part of the JLL Program and hopes their example inspires a future applicant.
“I’d like to encourage others to try something new or apply for a program like this, even if it takes some extra planning or stepping out of their comfort zone,” said Williams. “Other graduates of the JLL program were highly encouraging and advocates of gaining this type of experience, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it impacts my career.”