• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

SURFOR Represents Navy at National Image Conference

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080429-05
Release Date: 4/29/2008 12:30:00 PM

From Commander, Naval Surface Force Public Affairs

LAS VEGAS (NNS) -- Three Commander, Naval Surface Forces (SURFOR) officers participated in the 2008 National Image Conference that was held in Las Vegas, April 14-18.

Cmdr. Geno Autrey, Lt. Cmdr. Jaja Marshall and Cmdr. Ferdinand Reid attended the event to present briefs on opportunities within the surface Navy to a distinguished group of federal government civilians, Hispanic educators and 600 high school students.

"These very bright and motivated young people seemed very eager and receptive to various presentations," said Cmdr. Reid after the first day of presentations.
"The ability to present education opportunities and reinforce the value of post high school education to a predominantly Hispanic audience will prove beneficial to our nation in the future."

The conference concluded with a Department of Defense military awards banquet where service members in the Hispanic community are recognized for their significant achievements in military and government service. Capt. Kathleen Contres, Lt. j.g. Eduardo Garza and Cryptologic Technician Interpretive 1st Class (AW/NAC) Gloriana Mejia received awards for their achievements.

"It is always noble to see our Sailors recognized for their exceptional and noteworthy achievements" said Marshall after the banquet. "The National Image military banquet provides an opportunity to showcase the professionalism and commitment of dedicated people in our Navy."

The annual conference is an opportunity for all Hispanics to gather together to share ideas, discuss issues and promote sense of community. The conference also supports the professional development and advancement of Hispanics serving in the federal government and civil service.

"National Image Conference is a great venue that is dedicated to equity and the representation of Hispanics in the federal government," said Reid. "As my first participation in this event, it was outstanding and serves a viable and important purpose. The most beneficial part was the inclusion of the future leaders/workforce of tomorrow: high school students. Their exposure is a trend that must continue and should become a major focus of future events."

For more news from Commander, Naval Surface Force, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnsp/.