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| U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation Unveils their Strategic Plan |
 The U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation is proud to announce our Strategic Plan 2030. This plan was approved by the Alumni Association Board of Trustees in May, and it will guide how we as an organization Connect, Communicate and Support our members, as well as how we Anchor our activities and tactics in a sound and effective financial execution. A central thrust of this Strategic Plan is our new Mission Statement:“We strengthen our members' bonds to the academy and each other, to help them thrive as leaders in and out of uniform, and reach their full potential.”—We will achieve this mission through strategic outreach, support activities, and a more effective approach of connection with our members throughout their lives. These activities have always been the core of our enterprise, but we know we can improve to meet the evolving needs of our members. We are grateful for the input provided over the past year during the planning process, which included surveys, focus groups, and valuable conversations with you—our membership and alumni community. The future looks bright, and we look forward to these changes as we transition to the Fluegel Alumni Center, welcome the Class of 2027, and continue to support the Naval Academy and our members. Hear Jeff Webb ’95, President & CEO, share more details. |
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| USNA Welcomes Class of 2027 and Families |
 The U.S. Naval Academy welcomed the members of the Class of 2027 on Induction Day (I-Day) 28-29 June. Meanwhile, families attended the I-Day Family Picnic & Expo on Hospital Point sponsored by the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation. The event featured food, speakers, photo ops and tents introducing programs and services available to families during their midshipman’s time at the Academy and beyond. Along the way, parents had the opportunity to hear from Superintendent VADM Sean S. Buck ’83, USN; Commandant of Midshipmen Col James P. McDonough ’94, USMC, and USNA Alumni Association and Foundation President and CEO Jeff Webb ’95. The swearing-in took place on Thursday evening, 29 June. Check out our coverage on Facebook, Instagram, and on our parents web page. |
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| Join us in San Diego for SACC, 17-18 August! |
 Discover your next career path at the San Diego SACC! Whether you have an entrepreneurial spirit, want to continue your service with a federal agency, or join one of the many small and large companies represented, attending this event gives you the best opportunity to explore them all in one location. Interested in pursuing an advanced degree but don’t know where to start? SACC also gives you a chance to meet with representatives from numerous graduate schools. If your organization is searching for top-tier talent, look no further than the unmatched candidate pool attending SACC. SACC is a two-day event featuring employer and advanced education seminars and the SACC Social on Thursday, 17 August, followed by the career fair on Friday, 18 August. Register now or contact us for more details. Don’t miss this opportunity! |
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| Celebrating Pride Month |
 The Department of the Navy and The Honorable Carlos Del Toro ’83, SECNAV, joins the nation in celebrating LGBTQI+ Pride Month during the month of June and promotes strides in a diverse and inclusive military that promotes national security. Pride Month celebrates what each diverse group brings to the U.S. Naval Academy and the Fleet. It also acknowledges the accomplishments and contributions of the LGBTQI+ community to the military and civilian sector. The Department of Defense began observing Pride Month in 2012. Find out more at our Heritage Month website. |
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| Call for 2024 Distinguished Graduate Award Nominees |
 The U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association considers the Distinguished Graduate Award (DGA) the highest recognition we bestow on a living graduate, recognizing leaders who through their personal example of service personify the fulfillment of their “potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship, and government.” As an additional criterion, we consider it vital that our DGs demonstrate sustained and active support to the Naval Academy and our alumni. No graduate, no matter how worthy, can be a Distinguished Graduate if they are not nominated by an Association member—so this is your call to action! The window for nominating graduates for the 2024 DGA cycle opens 1 July 2023. We will consider packages for the 2024 cycle submitted on or before 15 October 2023. Please find complete nomination process and selection criteria here. Please direct questions to CAPT Wes Huey ’87, USN (Ret.), DGA program manager, at wesley.huey@usna.com or 410-295-4023. Watch ADM Mark Ferguson '78, USN (Ret.), share details about the DGA program. |
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| A Challenge Worth Taking |
 As a young man growing up in northern Louisiana, John Wroten ’65 had no idea what he wanted to do in life. “My father had been an enlisted man in the Navy,” Wroten described. “He had a ‘Bluejacket’s Manual’ that enlisted men had, and I used to read that on occasion. There was also a TV show in the ’50s which I watched called ‘Men of Annapolis’ that featured the U.S. Naval Academy.” A few subtle introductions were all it took to give Wroten not only a sense of direction on where he wanted to get his degree but a lifetime of opportunities and meaningful connections. Wroten initially received an alternate appointment to the Naval Academy out of high school and attended college for a year elsewhere, however, he did not let that deter him from wanting to take on the challenge of the Academy. “I got the opportunity to reapply after that first year, which I did, and I was able to come into the Naval Academy after one year of college.” For Wroten, that opportunity has paid dividends well beyond his years at the Academy and as a Marine officer. Read more of John Wroten’s story on our website. |
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| Call for Nominations for Mid-Atlantic and Western Regional Trustee Candidates for Board of Trustees |
 In May 2024, CDR Juliana Vida ’94, USN (Ret.), Mid-Atlantic Region Trustee and CAPT Barbette Lowndes ’80, SC, USN (Ret.), Western Region Trustee will complete their first three-year terms on the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Board of Trustees (BOT). Both trustees intend to stand for reelection for a second three-year term. The nomination window for additional candidates is open from 1 July to 1 September 2023. Regional trustees must reside in the region they represent for the duration of their trusteeship. Any regular member of the Alumni Association may propose any regular member (including themselves) to the Nominating Committee during the nomination window to be considered as a candidate for the regional trusteeships. The Nominating Committee will consider the merits of each nominee and submit its slate of candidates for approval by the Board of Trustees at the fall 2023 meeting, and this final slate will be presented to the region for election by ballot between January and April 2024. Candidates can also qualify for the ballot through petition: any regular member must collect 150 signatures from other regular members residing in the region they would represent to have their name included on the ballot as petition candidates. These petitions must be submitted to the Nominating Committee by 12 September 2023. Submit nominations and petitions by email to nominating_committee@usna.com or by regular mail to Nominating Committee, U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association, Fluegel Alumni Center, 301 King George Street, Annapolis, MD 21402. As always, we encourage nominees who represent our alumni community’s great diversity of experience and background. Make your voice heard on our Board of Trustees! |
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| USNA Alumni Travel Commemorates History |
 With the passing of the D-Day Anniversary in June, USNA Alumni Travel would like to focus on the 80th Anniversary of both D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge in 2024. We are offering tours to both locations and would love to see the support of USNA Alumni. AHI Travel offers two land tour departures in April and May, and the World War II Museum offers a cruise on the Seabourn Ovation in late May. Battle of the Bulge is another milestone anniversary tour with AHI Travel will be departing in December. Finally, we are excited to announce we are running the WWII Easy Company Tour in 2024 as a joint venture with Notre Dame. The relationship between the schools is a special bond that formed in WWII and will be a focus on what is already an amazing tour of the Band of Brothers. We hope to see many of you traveling in 2024 and the years following! Continue to visit the alumni travel website for the latest updates. |
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| Honoring World War II Veterans’ Legacy |
 Shipmate wants to share the stories of U.S. Naval Academy alumni who served in World War II or were at the Academy during that time. We would like to interview living alumni or their families to document their service and honor the Greatest Generation. To share your story, please contact Shipmate Magazine Editor Jimmy DeButts at jimmy.debutts@usna.com. |
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