Lourdie Powell Serves at Navy’s Senior Enlisted Academy
By Alvin Plexico, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Master Chief Petty Officer Lourdie Powell, a native of Linden, New Jersey, joined the Navy to travel and see the world.
Now, 23 years later, Powell is part of the highly-respected Senior Enlisted Academy (SEA), a leadership development program for the United States Navy’s active and reserve senior chief and master chief petty officers. The SEA is the Navy’s only professional military education institute for its senior enlisted force.
“I appreciate the opportunity to learn from different leaders from different parts of the Navy and from leaders who represent different backgrounds and experiences,” said Powell.
Powell credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Linden.
“I migrated to the U.S. from Haiti when I was 14,” said Powell. “When I moved to Linden, I met people from around the world for the first time. So, growing up in Linden I learned the importance of learning from anyone, regardless of their background. That was my first American experience.”
The mission of the academy is to strengthen senior enlisted commitment to professional excellence and mission accomplishment through learning and leadership development.
In 1979, the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) expanded the role of senior and master chief petty officers. No longer would they be just senior technicians; some would serve as mid-level managers. As a result, commands throughout the Navy appointed many senior and master chief petty officers to positions of greater responsibility. While some performed well in these expanded roles, others lacked the education and training needed to successfully carry out their new managerial duties. To meet this new challenge, the Navy established the Senior Enlisted Academy (SEA).
The U.S. Navy Senior Enlisted Academy (SEA) is a six-week leadership development program for active and reserve E-8/9 personnel from the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Guard, as well as our international service partners. The SEA focuses on management, leadership, national security, and physical fitness.
On April 1, 2021, a $1.77 million renovation was completed to accommodate an increase of class size for a total of 162 students per class and graduate 1,782 students annually. This expansion was implemented to meet the demand of the Navy’s senior enlisted promotion eligibility requirement to master chief petty officer. With the expanded class size SEA will also be increasing faculty advisors to support the larger class size.
This course helps to further develop senior enlisted leaders in their ability to provide ethical decision-support and communication skills for leaders in naval, joint and multinational environments.
Selection for the academy requires a combination of dedication and sacrifice, but Powell believes the accomplishments achieved along the way make the hard work worth it.
“The thing I’m most proud of is knowing I play a small part in someone else’s success,” said Powell. “Watching others get a promotion or earn an award warms my heart.”
According to the Navy Leader Development Framework, “top leaders inspire their teams to perform at or near their theoretical limits. By making their teams stronger, they relentlessly chase ‘best ever’ performance. They study every text, try every method, seize every moment and expend every effort to outfox their competition. They ceaselessly communicate, train, test and challenge their teams. They are toughest on themselves; they routinely seek out feedback and are ready to be shown their errors in the interest of learning and getting better. When they win, they are grateful, humble and spent from their effort. By doing all these things, great leaders bring their teams to a deeply shared commitment to each other in the pursuit of victory.”
According to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, four priorities will focus efforts on sailors, readiness, capabilities and capacity.
“For 245 years, in both calm and rough waters, our Navy has stood the watch to protect the homeland, preserve freedom of the seas, and defend our way of life,” said Gilday. “The decisions and investments we make this decade will set the maritime balance of power for the rest of this century. We can accept nothing less than success.”
With opportunities such as the SEA’s course available, Powell and other sailors continue to learn and take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.
“Serving in the Navy is an opportunity to give back to a country that’s given so much to me and my family,” added Powell.
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Amanda Rae Moreno.
