USNA Yard Leaders Flashcards
Superintendent
Vice Adm. Yvette Davids
-assumed duties as the 65th superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy on January 11, 2024
-native of San Antonio, Texas
-Surface warfare officer and 1989 graduate of USNA with a Bachelor of Science in Oceanography
-2002 graduate of the Naval War College with a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies and a 2012 graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces with a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy
For more info on her biography: https://www.usna.edu/PAO/Superintendent/bio.php
Academic Dean and Provost
Dr. Samara Firebaugh
(Academic Dean and Provost since Summer of 2023)
In 1995, Firebaugh earned her Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Princeton University. She earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1997 and 2001, respectively.
Firebaugh joined the Naval Academy’s faculty in 2001 as an assistant professor in the Naval Academy’s Electrical Computer Engineering Department. Since 2001, she has served in a number of faculty and leadership positions.
The Academic Dean and Provost is responsible for the entire academic program for the 4,400-member Brigade of Midshipmen, oversees nearly 600 faculty members, and serves as the primary source of information and advice for the superintendent regarding the education of midshipmen.
https://www.usna.edu/NewsCenter/2023/04/USNA_ANNOUNCES_NEW_ACADEMIC_DEAN_AND_PROVOST.php
Executive Director for Strategy, USNA
CAPT Steven Vahsen, USN (Ret.) 1985
Director of the International Programs Office
Paul Fujimura
Mr. Fujimura received his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley and Master’s degree in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. He served in the Navy as an A-6 Intruder Bombardier-Navigator (forward-deployed with Attack Squadron 115 aboard USS MIDWAY (CV-41)) and as an instructor in the Political Science Department at the Naval Academy. He flew 38 combat sorties during Operation Desert Storm. He then became a Foreign Service Officer and has held a number of positions within the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security before joining TSA.
Paul Fujimura was selected as the International Programs Office Director for the U.S. Naval Academy effective July 29, 2024. Mr. Fujimura, served as the Senior Liaison Officer to the Department of State for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
https://www.usna.edu/NewsCenter/2024/06/USNA_Selects_Paul_Fujimura_as_Director_of_the_International_Programs_Office.php
90th Commandant of Midshipmen
CAPT Walter Allman
-native of San Diego, California
-graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science and earned a Master of Science in Defense Analysis from the Naval Post Graduate School
-assumed his duties as the 90th Commandant of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in June 2024.
-decorations include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit (four awards), Bronze Star with Combat ‘V’ (five awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal (two awards) and others
https://www.usna.edu/Commandant/commandantbio.php
Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen
CAPT David Forman, USN
CAPT Forman, a native of Southern California, graduated with merit from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree in History. He became Airborne qualified as a midshipman and SCUBA qualified before starting the Nuclear Power training pipeline. CAPT Forman has been class president since his graduation.
As a submarine warfare officer, CAPT Forman served on five submarines that collectively completed four fast-attack deployments and seven strategic deterrent patrols.
Prior to assuming the duties as the Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen, CAPT Forman served four years in the Pentagon. First, he was the Deputy Director for Navy Strategic Systems in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Acquisition and Sustainment), and second, as the Assistant for Sea-Based Strategic Deterrence to the Director, Undersea Warfare (OPNAV N97). Both positions involved budgeting and acquisition oversight of the Navy’s #1 priority of strategic deterrence
Secretary of the Navy
The Honorable Carlos Del Toro
Sworn in as the 78th Secretary of the Navy August 9, 2021. As Secretary, he is responsible for over 900,000 Sailors, Marines, reservists, and civilian personnel and an annual budget exceeding $210 Billion. His priorities include securing the training and equipment successful naval operations demand and addressing the most pressing challenges confronting the US Navy and Marine Corps – China’s naval ambitions, climate instability, Covid’s ongoing impact, and strengthening a naval culture of inclusiveness and respect.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Del Toro immigrated to the U.S. with his family as refugees in 1962. Raised in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City, he attended public schools and received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering. Secretary Del Toro was commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer upon his graduation in 1983.
https://www.marines.mil/CM/Biographies/Bio-Display/Article/2478508/carlos-del-toro/
Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Colonel Eric Reid
Colonel Reid enlisted in the Navy in 1992 and attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School, earning an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1997 with an honors degree in History. He is an infantry officer.
https://www.usna.edu/HUMSS/Dean_of_HUMSS_bio.php
Associate Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Dr. Kurtis Swope, PhD
Kurtis Swope is a Professor of Economics and Associate Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the U.S. Naval Academy. He teaches Public Finance, Energy and Environmental Economics, and Economic Statistics. His research has centered on environmental economics and the use of laboratory experiments to study human behavior in social dilemmas including the provision of public goods, management of common-property resources, and land-assembly problems.
Swope received his B.A. from Heidelberg College in 1994 and his Ph.D. in economics from Indiana University in 2000. He joined the USNA Economics Department in the fall of 2000 and served as the Economics Department Chair from 2015 - 2021.
Professor, History Department
Dr. Tom McCarthy
20th-C. U.S.; Environmental; Psychology; Catholic Studies; Consumer/Business; New England
Emeritus Professor, History Department
Dr. Richard Abels
-medieval historian whose areas of specialization are Anglo-Saxon England and medieval military history.
-long term project is a study of the influence of culture on the representation and practice of medieval warfare.
-has taught history at USNA for 35 years
