WORKING COMMITTEES
PEOPLE | Workforce Capability Modernization
Larry Horne has over three decades of experience in naval nuclear aircraft carrier and submarine construction, repair and nuclear overhaul of Enterprise- and Nimitz-class aircraft carriers at Newport News Shipbuilding. He has held positions in Reactor Services, International Marketing, Business and Technology Development, Government and Customer Relations and is currently working with Workforce Development at Newport News Shipbuilding. He graduated from Old Dominion University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology and a Master’s in Business Administration with a minor in Human Resources.
End State: A regional maritime workforce fully competent in next-generation skills that incorporate digital technologies including robotics, additive manufacturing, augmented reality, digitization and AI.
- An action plan to support upgrading maritime trades training curricula to “Industry 4.0” digital standards.
- A regional workforce communications framework that expands the current Workforce Council baseline to align a diversity of public and private sector stakeholders, across a diversity of emerging industries.
SUPPLY BASE OPTIMIZATION | Business Competency Improvement
Stephanie Simmons is the Director, Supply Chain Procurement at Newport News Shipbuilding responsible for Compliance, Small Business, Imports, Cost & Price Analysis and Buyer Training.
End State: A regional ecosystem with suppliers using business models that accommodate complex technological demands, overcome stove-piped certification requirements, and benefit from agile contracting models.
- Relative certainty of Navy sustainment contracts for up to five years, positioning suppliers to pursue effective recruitment, and affordably plan for investments.
- Navy sustainment projections enable labor and time demands to be shared with more detail and accuracy, providing clear workforce demand signals.
- Suppliers are assisted re costs associated with Navy qualification specifications, supplier training for cyber compliance, trade procedure requirements, and understanding government regulations and bid procedures.
- Standard metrics in a supplier assessment model define a “healthy maritime supplier,” with available assistance in developing corrective action plans.
- Provide access to technologies able to change business paradigms and rewrite business rules – for example, predictive analytics, new architectures for workforce training and business process engineering.
FACILITIES | Capability Optimization Through Advanced Manufacturing
RADM Mark Buzby (USN - Ret and former MARAD Administrator)
Facilities Assessment Project Advisor
Facilities Assessment Project Advisor
Bio
End State: Recognition as America’s most capable concentration of large/small, nuclear/conventional, build/repair yards and service firms, ready to meet the needs of a growing, aging fleet and support increased maintenance/modernization.
- Meet/beat all cost and schedule metrics.
- Lead the nation in innovative practices, and advanced manufacturing applications.
- Make wise capital investments over the next 10 years that will ensure facilities can handle the expected surge in maintenance and modernization due to the increasing size/age of the fleet.
INNOVATION | Technological Competency Improvement
Dr. Eric Weisel is Associate Vice President for Applied Research at Old Dominion University (ODU) and Executive Director at the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC). VMASC is ODU’s applied research enterprise, advancing the University’s innovation, workforce development and industry ecosystem engagement programs leading to digital transformation. Dr. Weisel is active in academic and industry service within the technology community—he serves on the Boards of Directors for the Society for Modeling & Simulation International and the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing; participates on the Executive Committee for the National Training and Simulation Association and teaches courses, also at ODU, in Engineering Management and Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Engineering.
End State: A regional ecosystem that embraces innovation and technology to spur technology creation, promote and support technology adoption and consumption, and drive efficiencies, preparedness, and sustainability (resiliency).
- Create: Collaborate across MIBE committees as these assess specific needs ranging from innovative R&D technology solutions to consumable/application-oriented technologies.
- Adopt: Support mining of Industry 4.0 solution inventories (e.g., cyber, data analytics, additive and advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence) to address Navy and other institutional contract requirements.
- Enable: Provide access to technologies with potential to change business paradigms and rewrite business rules – for example, predictive analytics, new architectures for workforce training and business process engineering.