The Department of the Navy recognized its civilian employees in engineering during the 24th Annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards gala at the Baltimore Convention Center on Feb. 20.
Steffanie Easter, assistant commander for Acquisition at Naval Air Systems Command, and Sharon Smoot, assistant deputy commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, received awards for Professional Achievement in Government.
“It’s an extreme honor. I am humbled,” said Easter. “An individual has to work hard and prove themselves, but it’s also very helpful to have people that support you. I’ve had great mentors throughout my career who have encouraged me to do things that I would never have even considered doing, people who have pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to do more than I had ever dreamed of. I am thankful to all of them for this honor, because it’s really theirs as well as mine.”
“Steffanie and I do some speaking engagements together,” said Smoot. “We take everything that everyone has poured into us in our careers and we try to pour it into the workforces here, in encouraging our children to enter into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics careers and STEM fields. We really do go out and reach out to community, those we oversee in our day job, and even further out from that to ensure that we have a future workforce out there to support the Navy’s requirements.”
Maria V. Thorpe, head of the Avionics System Integration Branch at Naval Air Systems Command, was the first DoN employee to be honored that night. She received the Community Service Award for her volunteering efforts while assigned to NAVAIR.
Davede Alexander, the former director of Strategic Outreach at the United States Naval Academy, received recognition for Diversity Leadership in Government.
“[Davede’s] outstanding record led to his nomination as director of the newly-established Strategic Outreach Office [in 2005],” said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, who presented the awards to all the honorees. “Today, this department has generated dramatic results, increasing awareness and interest in the Naval Academy, and producing a spectacular 40 percent rise in applications for the Class of 2013 over the previous year.
“Through nationwide marketing campaigns, encouraging young people to become leaders and professional engineers at the Naval Academy, Davede is helping young people find the Navy and all its great opportunities.”
“My mother and I started very humbly in Savannah, Georgia,” said Alexander in his acceptance speech. “God, ironically through the U.S. Army, issued us a tremendous husband and father. Our new life experiences spanned from Germany to Washington, D.C. Through those experiences I learned that diversity means more than trite descriptions like race or ethnicity.
“It goes far beyond that. It includes varied talents, unique experiences, intelligence, perseverance, confidence [and] leadership. Those terms are the ones that actually legitimize the concept of diversity. When you look beyond color, and actually go after talent, the outcome really isn’t that surprising.”
BEYA recognizes significant achievements of black engineers throughout the United States. Those who demonstrate outstanding performance and help shape the course of engineering, science, and technology for the future are honored as Modern Day Technology Leaders, to include service members, students, executives, educators, and professionals.
