NAVAL INFORMATION FORCES, SUFFOLK, VA – Charlene Cephus, Management Analyst for Naval Information Forces’ (NAVIFOR) attended the 2016 Black Engineer of the Year’s (BEYA) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) 30th annual global competitiveness conference held at Philadelphia’s Marriot Hotel, Feb. 18 – 20, where she received a certificate of achievement as a Modern-Day Technology Leader.
BEYA’s STEM community awards hundreds of professionals each year but this year, I was amongst those being honored nationally. This award also belongs to the mentors and staff at NAVIFOR that I work with every day, as this recognition is just as much a reflection of their hard work and determination as it is mine.”
For more than 30 years, BEYA has acknowledged STEM professionals at all levels of government, industry and academia who have excelled in their fields in helping students and society as a whole realize the contributions and importance of STEM programs.
“Charlene is a valued member of our team who always produces the highest quality results,” said Manny Ramos, Cephus’ supervisor. “Her stellar performance record is punctuated with many fine instances of superb customer service, effective cross departmental collaboration and expertise in searching, analyzing and reporting on information to support the DRRS-N PFOM (Defense Readiness Reporting System - Navy Personal Figure of Merit), which encompasses 32 commands and 22,000 employees.”
Cephus has been a civil servant for more than 28 years and is beginning her fourth year with NAVIFOR’s N14 (Manning and Readiness) division. Qualifications for the “Modern Day Technology Award” are based on both an individual’s career and volunteer work. Cephus has been continuously proactive in her community both in church activities as well as involvement in her neighborhood’s civic league, which has resulted in upgrades in the neighborhood.
“Charlene’s strong work ethic and commitment to excellence serve as an inspiration to others who emulate her ability to consistently produce superior results,” added Rear Adm. Matthew J. Kohler, Commander, NAVIFOR.
“One of several benefits offered to the awardees throughout the convention was being able to attend classes offered by area colleges like Morgan State University,” said Cephus. “They also had a ‘career day’ in which 37 colleges and numerous companies like Northrop-Grumman, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing and others advertised their wares.”
NAVIFOR is the Navy’s global readiness-focused TYCOM responsible for providing Information Warfare capabilities to operational commanders afloat and ashore that are forward deployable, fully trained, properly manned, capably equipped, always ready, well maintained, and combat sustainable.