Senior Enlisted Staff Leadership Award 2022

On April 28, 2022 the Class of 1970 Senior Enlisted Staff Leadership Award was presented to ABHCS (AW/SW/IW) DaQuann Woodall, 16th Company Senior Enlisted Advisor.. The award is bestowed annually to a senior enlisted member (E-7 through E-9) from the Commandant’s staff whose contributions to the leadership, professional, and moral development of midshipmen reflect the highest principles of excellence in professional and leadership development. Joining the Superintendent, Commandant, and Dean in presenting the award was '70 Classmates Clint Adams.

The 2020-2021 Faculty Dedication Ceremony was given the go ahead on Thursday, October 28 at 3:45 pm, after being delayed due to COVID. Both the recipients of the Senior Enlisted for the years 2020 and 2021 were recognized. The recipient for the Class of 1970 Senior Enlisted Staff Leadership Award for 2020 was FCCS (SW) Erich Jefferson, 6th Company Senior Enlisted Leader, who had been transferred and was not present. The recipient for 2021 was Senior Chief Pamela McGee, 8th Company Senior Enlisted Leader, who was presented her award by '70 Class President Ed Moore.

The 2019 Award was presented to EMNCS (SW / AW / IW) Jose E. Garabis, USN, 15th Company Senior Enlisted Leader (photo not available -- on the day of the awards ceremony he was in Newport finishing his Senior Enlisted Academy education). Upon graduating from Miami Southridge Senior High in Miami,FL, Senior Chief Garabis enlisted in the United States Navy and completed basic training at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois in July of 2003. After graduation, he began training at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC) in Charleston, SC. There he attended Electricians Mate A School and Nuclear Power School. During the course of his career Senior Chief Garabis has been awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and various unit and campaign awards.

On April 26, 2018 the inaugural Class of 1970 Senior Enlisted Staff Leadership Award was presented to AMCS (SW) Ryan Washa, 28th Company Senior Enlisted Leader. The award is bestowed annually to a senior enlisted member (E-7 through E-9) from the Commandant’s staff whose contributions to the leadership, professional, and moral development of midshipmen reflect the highest principles of excellence in professional and leadership development. Joining the Superintendent, Commandant, and Dean in presenting the award were Classmates Doug Guertin, Mike Novak, and Clint Adams.

Senior Enlisted Staff Leadership Award Background

The publication of Commandant of Midshipmen Instruction 1650.15 establishes the “Class of 1970 Senior Enlisted Staff Leadership (SEL) Award”.

This award is presented annually to a senior enlisted member (E-7 through E-9) selected from the Commandant’s staff (immediate staff or any division or department in the Commandant’s Cost Center) whose contributions to the leadership, professional, and moral development of midshipmen reflected the highest principles of excellence in professionalism and leadership development. The inaugural award is expected to be presented in April of 2018.

Since they became a part of the Bancroft Hall experience, the Navy and Marine Corps Senior Enlisted Leaders have provided a unique perspective to the development of midshipmen. They deserve to be recognized and rewarded for the long hours they devote to developing the next generation of our Navy and Marine Corps leaders. This award is long overdue, and we want to thank Classmate Clint Adams for proposing the award, drafting the instruction, and shepherding the instruction through the approval process.

As you may already know, this award is made possible through the generous contributions of our Classmates to a USNA Foundation Giving Fund. We thank those who have already donated to the fund, and to encourage all Classmates to also donate.

We still need additional funding to make the award self-sustaining. If you would like to contribute, you may do so via the USNA Alumni Association and Foundation web site and follow the steps provided below.



  1. Go to www.usna.com. DO NOT log in, as that will cause problems later in the process.
  2. Click ““Donate Now” at the upper right of the page.
  3. On the “Choose an amount to give” page, click on the amount you would like to donate, or enter a different amount in the “Other Amount” field at the right side of the menu.
  4. In the dropdown menu adjacent to “I would like my gift to go to,” scroll down to the bottom of the menu and select “Other.”
  5. In the field below “How would you like this gift(s) to be used?” enter “Class of 1970 Senior Enlisted Leader Award.”
  6. In the dropdown menu adjacent to “I would like to make my gift,” select “a One-Time gift” or “a Monthly gift.” Be careful here! If you choose “a Monthly gift,” then the donation amount you selected at the top of the page will be charged to your credit card every month.
  7. Scroll down and enter your name and contact information.
  8. Click on the “Next” button.
  9. That will take you to a screen where you enter your credit card information.
  10. Enter your credit card information and click on “Make My Gift.”
  11. In a few seconds you will see a message on your screen thanking you for your donation.
  12. In a few minutes you will receive an email receipt. If there is anything amiss on your receipt (e.g., wrong amount, gift allocated to the wrong fund), immediately contact Dan Quattrini at the USNA Foundation, 952-210-5533, or [email protected].
  13. If you would prefer not to use a credit card, you may send a check to the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, 274 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402. Make sure you specify that your donation is for the Class of 1970 Senior Enlisted Leader Award.
  14. If you experience trouble, you may contact Dan Quattrini at the USNA Foundation.

Updated: May 12, 2022
Curator: Ed Moore