FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 2, 2022
Release #2271 Point of Contact—Jeffrey Prater: (401) 832-2039
NUWC Division Newport appoints new business director
Dawn Vaillancourt, head of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport Strategic Planning Office, was recently selected as the command’s new business director. In this role, Vaillancourt will be responsible for aligning business operations with Division Newport’s strategic plan, mission and vision.
Vaillancourt, a resident of Tiverton, Rhode Island, will work across Division Newport leadership with a focus on both business process efficiencies and stewardship of technical domains. She will oversee the offices of Customer Advocate Office, Field Team staff and the Strategic Planning Office and be responsible for command strategy, workload planning, technical and business capability health, corporate investments, performance management, and workforce shaping throughout the Division.
Vaillancourt began her career at Division Newport in 1985 as a clerk typist. By 1990, she transitioned to an upward mobility engineering technician position in the Weapons System Department where she performed computer-aided design. Through the part-time academic degree and fellowship programs, Vaillancourt earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Rhode Island (URI) in 1993. As an engineer, she performed advanced structural modeling and finite element analyses on undersea warfare weapons systems to define and isolate complex engineering problems related to the analysis, design and fabrication of existing and prototype thermal, acoustical, structural and mechanical systems. She also earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from URI in 2000.
After spending a year in the Women’s Executive Leadership Program, Vaillancourt served as manager of the Division’s Investment Program until 2005 when she was selected as the director for Planning and Performance Assessment.
Most recently, she served as the head of the Strategic Planning Office where she has led high-level initiatives supporting technical and business operations in the areas of strategy, technical capability health, investments and performance management. For her considerable efforts, she earned a Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 2020. [link - https://www.dvidshub.net/news/375428/nuwc-division-newport-strategic-planning-office-leader-receives-meritorious-civilian-service-award]
NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.
Join our team! NUWC Division Newport, one of the 20 largest employers in Rhode Island, employs a diverse, highly trained, educated, and skilled workforce. We are continuously looking for engineers, scientists, and other STEM professionals, as well as talented business, finance, logistics and other support experts who wish to be at the forefront of undersea research and development. Please connect with NUWC Division Newport Recruiting at this site- https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NUWC-Newport/Career-Opportunities/ and follow us on LinkedIn @NUWC-Newport and on Facebook @NUWCNewport.
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