U S Naval Academy Foundation News

Maine Maritime Academy’s Board of Trustees announced that Jerald S. “Jerry” Paul has been named as the college’s 15th President. Paul, current President of Capitol Access and a 1989 graduate of the institution, will take office this spring.Paul will succeed President William J. Brennan, who steps down from the position at the end of April following 12 years of transformative leadership at MMA. “I am gratified that the Board has selected such a fine individual to lead this wonderful college when I step down next spring,” says President Brennan.

Philip M. Bilden has been elected to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) board of directors, effective November 7. Bilden retired last year as a co-founding member of the private equity firm HarbourVest Partners. He began his career in Boston in 1991 and relocated to Hong Kong in 1996 to establish the firm’s Asian subsidiary. Throughout his 25-year tenure at HarbourVest Partners, Bilden served in senior leadership roles in the firm’s global management, including the firm’s six-person executive committee responsible for governance.

Maritime training solutions provider Buffalo Computer Graphics Inc. (BCG) has donated its Enhanced Graphical User Interface (GUI2) simulation software to the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation in Annapolis, Md. for distribution to the academy’s seamanship and navigation department. BCG’s donation included four software licenses to support past donations from Northrup Grumman Corporation of the Navy’s Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) to train midshipmen on the charting system they will encounter once they graduate and move out to the fleet.

The Coast Guard Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced that its 35th Annual Salute to the U.S. Coast Guard will honor Mike Petters of Huntington Ingalls Industries for his long time support of the Foundation and its mission. Keynote speakers will include Captain “Sully” Sullenberger, captain of ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ US Airlines flight 1549 and Admiral Paul Zukunft, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Master of Ceremonies will be Gus Rosendale, news anchor with NBC 4 New York.

Northrop Grumman Corporation recently presented the 2014 Elmer A. Sperry Junior Navigator of the Year Award for 2014 to Midshipman Robert Francisco Yerkes-Medina in ceremonies at the U.S. Naval Academy. The award recognizes a member of the graduating class who has demonstrated outstanding navigation skills and knowledge during his or her four years at the academy and is part of a naval support tradition at Northrop Grumman. This is the fifth year the company has sponsored the award.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced today that Mike Petters, its president and CEO, was honored by the Navy League of the United States New York Council at a dinner last night in New York City. Petters was awarded the Rear Admiral John J. Bergen Leadership in Industry Award for his leadership of HII and the company's achievement in designing and building the ships that help maintain the sea power that assures the United Sates' security and economic prosperity. He was one of five individuals recognized by the Navy League.

The Navy League of the United States mourns the death of its past national president, Capt. Daniel B. Branch Jr., USN retired. He died on Oct. 21, 2013, of complications from mesothelioma cancer at the age of 75. Memorial services will be held Thursday Oct. 24, at 2 p.m. at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, 7520 South Boulder Road, Boulder, Colo. Burial services will be held at a future date at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. Dan was born in Greenbelt, Md., in 1937, and graduated in 1959 from the U.S. Naval Academy.

Northrop Grumman Corporation recently donated $3 million worth of training software to the U.S. Naval Academy, and also presented the Elmer A. Sperry Junior Navigator of the Year Award to Midshipman First Class Tyler Ledoux. The company donated 100 licenses of its Voyage Management System (VMS) software to the U. S. Naval Academy Foundation for midshipmen training use at the Naval Academy. The VMS software incorporates the Electronic Chart Display and Information System-Navy (ECDIS-N) which was selected by the navigator of the Navy and is now a fleet standard.

U.S. Naval Academy Foundation receives plus US$1-million In voyage management software from Northrop Grumman's Maritime Systems Business Unit. Northrop Grumman is donating the newest version of its VMS, which incorporates the Electronic Chart Display Information System-Navy (ECDIS-N) technology that has been selected by the Navigator of the Navy and is now the fleet standard. This version is currently installed, or under contract and scheduled for installation, on more than 200 U.S. Navy ships and submarines. Jeff Holloway, site director of Northrop Grumman Maritime Systems in Charlottesville, as well as a retired career naval officer, former Naval Academy instructor and graduate of the class of 1977, spearheaded the gift-in-kind donation.

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that Mike Petters, its president and chief executive officer, was recently elected to the board of directors for the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation. He will serve a four-year term. The mission of the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation is "to support, promote and advance the mission of the Naval Academy by working in conjunction with Academy leadership to identify strategic institutional priorities, and by raising, managing and disbursing private…

Northrop Grumman Corporation presented the second annual Elmer A. Sperry Junior Navigator of the Year Award to Ensign Jeffrey Iiams, USNA Class of 2010, in honor of the midshipman who demonstrated outstanding navigation skills and knowledge during the four years of professional development at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. The Elmer A. Sperry Junior Navigator of the Year Award was established by the company to honor Elmer A. Sperry, founder of Sperry Marine (now part of Northrop Grumman) in 1910.