• News

Rear Adm. Yvette Davids nominated as next U.S. Naval Academy superintendent

Written by Nick Blenkey
Rear Admiral Yvette Davids

Rear Admiral Yvette Davids

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael M. Gilday have nominated Rear Adm. Yvette Davids for appointment to the rank of vice admiral and assignment as the next superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.

If confirmed, Davids, a 1989 graduate of the academy, would be its first female superintendent. She would not, however, be the first female superintendent of any U.S. federal service academy, but the fourth.

Then Rear Adm. Sandra L. Stosz became superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2011, while Lt. Gen. Michelle D. Johnson became superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2015 and Rear Adm Joanna M. Nunan (U.S. Coast Guard, Ret.) was appointed superintendent of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Kings Point, N.Y., in November last year.

Davids is a career surface warfare officer and is currently serving as director of the Navy’s Learning to Action Drive Team.

She graduated the academy with a bachelor of science in oceanography. She is also a 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.

Davids’ sea assignments have included electrical officer, combat information center officer, and communications officer aboard USS San Jose (AFS 7) deploying in support of Desert Shield/Storm; operations officer aboard USS David R. Ray (DD 971); operations officer aboard USS Normandy (CG 60); executive officer aboard USS Higgins (DDG 76) during the initial combat operations of Iraqi Freedom; and later executive officer aboard USS Benfold (DDG 65).

Davids commanded USS Curts (FFG 38) deploying to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Subsequently, she commanded USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) serving as air defense commander for the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group. Her most recent operational assignment was as Commander, Nimitz Strike Group / Carrier Strike Group 11.

Her assignment to Curts made her the first Hispanic American woman to command a Navy warship. For this milestone, Davids was a 2008 recipient of the Mexican American Women’s National Association’s Las Primeras Award for Latinas who demonstrate important ‘firsts’ in their fields with a national impact.

Ashore, she served as aide to the deputy and chief of staff, U.S. Pacific Fleet; as a joint exercise communications planner at the Joint Warfighting Center, Joint Forces Command (J6); deputy executive assistant to the deputy chief of naval operations for Information, Plans, and Strategy (OPNAV N3/N5); director, Naval Academy Sailing, U.S. Naval Academy; executive assistant to the executive director of Commander, Naval Surface Forces Command; and assistant chief of staff for Requirements, Experimentation, and Innovation (N8/N9) for the commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet. Her flag assignments include senior military advisor to the Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs with the U.S. Department of State, Carrier Strike Group command, and chief of staff, U.S. Southern Command.

Categories: News Tags: , , , , , , , , ,