News & Events

This Friday, we’ll be talking with Patrick Shearon, founder of supply chain project leadership company, North Sky Leaders. Though his background as a USMC Logistics Officer got him an early start in this field, Patrick attributes much of his success to the principles he learned and practiced at USNA. Join us to learn more about the field of supply chain management, founding a company, and how USNA set him up for success. He’s got an inspirational message as well as client cases to share–you DO NOT want to miss this!

The New ’96 Hour with Patrick Shearon
Topic: Delivering Success through Supply Chain Leadership
Date/Time: September 24 at 1pm ET

Register here. Remember that you’ve got to be *LIVE* with us to get your questions answered. See you then!

Mark Mhley takes “mission-driven” to a new level. On Friday, March 26th, we get to hear from Mark about two big transitions: the first from active duty into civilian life, and the second from one business venture to another. The pivot in his business is an extraordinary one, led by both an evaluation of the market and a steady commitment to his purpose. If you’ve struggled with the balancing act of making the “smart” decision with staying true to yourself, ideally hoping to make the “right” decision, you’ll want to join us! Mark faced down fear and uncertainty, built connections, and found fulfillment and success on a very different path than the one he started on. Learn more about how he made the difficult decisions required to execute such a shift.

The New ’96 Hour with Mark Mhley
Topic: Navigate the Pivot
Date/time: March 26 at 1pm ET

Register here! Remember that you’ve got to be *LIVE* with us to get your questions answered. See you then!

You can’t miss this event on Friday! Whether you want to transition into a new role or sector, or you have entertained entrepreneurial ideas, you’ll want to join me as I interview Eddie Buckles Jr for the New ’96 Hour. Eddie’s track record is incredible. He has held a wide range of roles and has started companies across multiple sectors, and when we talk on February 26, he’ll be sharing his insights on how his Naval Academy and active duty experience set him up for success.

The New ’96 Hour with Eddie Buckles
Topic: Seize the Initiative: What a USNA Grad Can Contribute to the Corporate World
Date/Time: February 26 at 1pm ET

Register here. Remember that you’ve got to be *LIVE* with us to get your questions answered. See you then!

On Friday, 25 Sep, at 1pm ET, Harrison Schramm will be our first guest of the 2020-21 season of the New ’96 Hour. While on active duty, Harrison (then, a helo pilot) entered the realm of Operations Research at NPS and has made it his full-time pursuit since retiring in 2016. What’s Operations Research? I’m glad you asked, and…you’ll have to tune in to learn more! Harrison will be sharing his insights on how to get people to believe your model, listen to you, and follow your recommendations.

Join us to hear Harrison talk on the subject of Persuasion: Bridging the Gap between Analysis and Policy by registering (ahead of time) here. Sure, you can stream the recording when it’s over, but for Q&A, you’ve got to be *LIVE.* I know you’ve got questions, so we look forward to seeing you then!

From Jenn Campbell – on Friday (5/23), Heidi Fearon Barker will be on the New ’96 Hour, and you seriously don’t want to miss it! When she and I connected a few months ago, our conversation left me buzzing with inspiration and excitement. She has made bold transitions herself, and now she specializes in supporting people through their own transitions by applying a powerful blend of practices, including acupuncture, meditation, yoga, visualization, and more. Her wisdom is applicable to any kind of transition–whether out of uniform, out of injury, out of a relationship–so, no matter the chapter of life you’re in, you’ll want to tune in.

Join us on *Friday at 1pm ET* by registering here (and remember you need to register ahead of time).

Sure, you can stream the recording when it’s over, but for Q&A, you’ve got to be *LIVE.* I know you’ve got questions, so we look forward to seeing you then!

Email sent via Classmail 12/10/19

Greeting ’96 Classmates.

It’s time for an annual update.  In no particular order…

PENSACOLA SHOOTING

First, a moment to recognize our classmate (CAPT Tim Kinsella) for the incredible leadership during the horrible events this last week in Pensacola.  Let’s also remember ENS Joshua Watson, a recent USNA graduate that helped save peoples’ lives after being shot 5 times.  A true hero.

COUNCIL OF CLASS PRESIDENTS

I attended the COCP on 6 Dec and captured some of the highlights:

From the Alumni Association (full brief):

• They are looking to fill an open position for their V.P. of Finance.  If you have a CPA/MBA/accounting background and are interested, they would love to have you.
• Ground breaking for the new Alumni building in ~1 year.
• They will sell the old building that we know outside gate 3 (Ogle Hall).
• Next week, they will begin dismantling the chapel dome.  90 years of neglect took a toll on the dome and it will be completely replaced.  Once replaced, it will be a bright copper for ~7 days, then for ~25 years, it will be brown until the patina chemical reaction occurs.
• They will recover all of the copper and make a variety of keepsakes to sell.

From the Supe (full brief):

• ADM Buck hasn’t made any drastic changes since CoC on 26 July 2019.
• They have introduced numerous outdoor small-team leadership programs in austere environments to force people outside of their comfort zone (e.g., not just leadership in a company or sport team).  Similar to YP training but with a variety of options.
• USNA Grounds are in bad shape.  The yard is underfunded.
• Flooding is a huge issue.  Affects Hampton Roads and downtown Annapolis too.
• Sleep deprivation is a big issue.
• Addressed recent Satanic Cult rumors.  At no point has USNA ever (or will ever) allow a Satanic Cult to worship as an official club/activity.  If they choose to meet on their own time, they have the freedom to assemble.
• King Hall is in bad shape.  There are issues with quality and quantity.
• 96% of Firsties got their 1^st or 2^nd Choice at Service Assignment night.  2020 is a very small class so there are minimal people that selected Restricted Line.

CLASS GIFT UPDATE

30 Year Class Gift.  We are currently just over $200k pledged/donated toward our class gift (with 190 classmates participating.  About 30/190 is on recurring monthly pledges).

Help up improve midshipman development and the Yard: Consider pledging ~$1 a day.  You can set up the $30/month to be charged straight to your credit card.

Side Note: You could be on recurring pledges but they *may* not be going to the CLASS GIFT (so ’96 gets credit for your donation but it isn’t going towards our $600k goal).  The only way to know is by calling USNA or contacting Brian Reardon at Brian.Reardon@1996.usna.com.

Give here and make sure you choose “other donation options” then “support my class project” then select “pledge”.  Or call 410-295-4115 to donate.

ARMY-NAVY GAME

If you are in Philly for the game, we will have a no-host social at Tir na Nog Saturday morning about 10:00.  Show up and order what you want.  If you prefer tailgating at the stadium, Johnny Harnett will be there in the parking lot.  Contact him for details (john_a_harnett@yahoo.com).

NAVY-NOTRE DAME GAME

Don’t forget to plan for the trip to Ireland to watch Navy/Notre Dame 29 Aug 2020.  People are planning to meet up with friends and classmates.  Last time was a blast!

YOUR USNA.COM PROFILE

A message from Shane Macdonald to remember to update your profiles with the Alumni Association.  We spent time collecting a lot of updated details on people, however, USNA has now changed their policy and we can no longer make changes for people.  You are responsible for yourself now.

’96 WEB PAGE

As a reminder, for those that don’t have Facebook (or can’t stand going on it any more), Cara Albright maintains our class web page that repeats much of the same information from our class Facebook page.

ACTIVE DUTY RETIREMENT

As a wave of or classmates approach their retirement, don’t forget to reach out to your class for questions, recommendations, help, etc.  Other resources include:

• Jenn Campbell runs The New ’96 Hour. An opportunity to hear about various topics monthly. UPCOMING EVENTS: Rhoan Boucher is booked 24 Jan 2020 spot, TBD on the 21 Feb 2020 spot.
• Our LinkedIn page
• Service Academy Career Conference (SACC)
• Benefit Finder

SUICIDE AWARENESS

The class of ’96+2 is still pushing suicide awareness very hard after their string of incidents. Please consider downloading the app OBJECTIVE ZERO and becoming an ambassador today.  You just need to be ready to answer the phone if someone needs you.

ALUMNI WATCH BUY

The class of ’96-7 has organized a group Bremont USNA watch-buy.  Cost is $3k (retails for $6k).  Details here.

SINGING AT GAMES

There were questions about why some teams sing their alma mater after home & away games and others don’t.  The Academy coordinates with each team a couple of months before the game and asks if they would like to sing their alma mater after the game.  Some schools agree and some don’t care.  It is up to the individual school.

BLUE AND GOLD OFFICERS

USNA is looking for more people to be B&G officers.  We have several in our class so if you have questions about what it entails and job satisfaction, please reach out to Sharon (Eliassen) Barbins.

25 YEAR REUNION

Most of our large muscle movements are done and we eagerly await our 25^th Reunion.  It is scheduled for 1-3 Oct, 2021 (USAF Game) and our home base hotel will be the Westin.  We are working on some alternatives for other hotel blocks to give people options.  Put it on your calendars now and start saving!

25 YEAR CRUISE

Cruise Planners has put together a cruise trip that will provide a great opportunity to share in our 25th and ’96-5’s 30th anniversary of being commissioned. The 25th anniversary commissioning cruise that we have put together is a 9-night Norwegian Cruise Line cruise aboard the Norwegian Escape from May 28th, 2021 through June 6th, 2021 (second option is July 3rd –  12th, 2021). The cruise sails from Copenhagen, Denmark and sails to Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany; Tallin, Estonia; Overnights in St Petersburg, Russian Federation; Helsinki, Finland; and Nynashamn (Stockholm), Sweden before returning to Copenhagen. The current pricing has a 30% discount promotion running through December 16th, 2019. There may be other sales, and while our group pricing is better than “regular” prices, this promotional pricing should be the lowest we can get. Deposits are only $50 per person and refundable, so if you are interested, please contact Dan so he can give you more information as well as reserve a cabin for you. He can be reached at: 844-GoNavy-1 (844-466-2891); via email at Dan@GoNavyTravel.com. (price is ~$5k/couple)

Dan will be on this cruise with members of his class on the May/June cruise as well and he looks forward to sailing with you for your 25th anniversary of commissioning.

 

With that, I sign off.  Please feel to reach out with any questions or comments.

Nagel Sullivan

301-904-1526

From Jennifer (Campbell) Stillings: My interview with Tony Magrogan for last month’s New ’96 Hour was so much fun! Show notes will be coming soon. In the meantime, you can enjoy the video recording (available for a limited time only) right here. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on strategy, Tony!

Ryan Stone has been breaking barriers with his tech startup company, SmartSky Networks, based in North Carolina. Read his latest press release, learn about the history of this venture, and watch his featured interview with Jenn (Campbell) Stillings for the launch of The New ’96 Hour.

• USNA Website
• NavySports.com

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Class of 1996