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USNA PSC Speaker Series with CAPT R. Sydney Abernethy III ’81 USN Ret.
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The USNAAA PSC Speaker Series will feature CAPT R. Sydney “Syd” Abernethy III USN Ret (USNA 81) at 1800 Pacific time on Wednesday, February 16, 2022. Syd’s discussion – “What Divides the United States” – will help us to better understand ourselves and the world around us while celebrating Black History Month.
An Annapolis, Maryland native, Syd graduated from USNA in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree following four years on the United States Naval Academy Men’s Lacrosse team. While on the team, Syd was named All-American twice, and was the second-ever Black All-American in NCAA Lacrosse history.
Syd Abernethy completed 26 distinguished years of service with the U.S. Navy, retiring in 2007. Syd’s tours of duty included qualification as a Naval Flight Officer and Mission Commander on Naval Maritime Patrol Aircraft where he flew numerous VQ/EP3-E aircraft missions in various theaters as a junior officer and later department head in VQ-1 and VQ-2. Syd also served as Commanding Officer for VQ-2 , the VQ detailer, as the U.S. Navy’s first Chief Diversity Officer, and onboard the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) as the C2WC (Command and Control Warfare Commander). In his final position as the Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor WA, he managed more than 30,000 personnel and was awarded numerous Navy awards including the prestigious 2006 Commander in Chief Installation Excellence Award as the top Navy base.
USNA PSC Speaker Series with BGEN Ty Seidule USA ret.
CAPT Carlton “Angus” McDonald ’47 USN Ret.
In July, CAPT Carlton “Angus” McDonald ’47 USN Ret gave us an comprehensive overview of today’s WA State/USA power status and provided interesting insight into his recommendations on curbing climate change and the types of power we need for the future. Angus commanded nuclear submarines. He was the Gold crew CO of the USS Ulysses Grant SSBN 631. He was in charge of all sea trials for both crews before launching her in 1963. After leaving the Navy in 1970, Angus had a distinguished civilian career at Exxon Nuclear Company in Bellevue, WA and with the Washington Public Power Supply System.
Speaker Series: Thursday, June 17, 2021 with Tony Vespa ’03, CEO Vespa Group
A proud member of the Class of 2003, Tony was a member of the Judo team and graduated with a BS in Computer Science. During his eleven years of active service, he graduated BUD/S class 252; had tours with SEAL Team FOUR, NSW Support Activity (now Special Reconnaissance) TWO, and NSW Development Group; and Completed six overseas deployments (Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen). He founded Vespa Group in 2014, an Indianapolis based technology consulting and staffing firm, with approximately 75 employees. In 2019, his business was named by Inc. Magazine as the 250th fastest growing company in the U.S. He is a proud husband and father of four, who is actively involved in his local parish community and kids activities.
Speaker Series: Wednesday, May 19, 2021 with Dr Jeff Tomlin ’76 and Dr. Riedo, Medical Director of Infection Control and Prevention
Speaker Series: Wednesday, May 19th, 2021 with Dr Jeff Tomlin ’76 and Dr. Francis Reido, Medical Director of Infection Control and Prevention at EvergreenHealth
It was very fitting that one year after launching our Speaker Series, we have our initial speaker, Dr Jeff Tomlin ’76 back to give us a COVID-19 update on Wednesday, May 19th, 2021 at 1800.
Dr. Francis X. Riedo serves as EvergreenHealth’s medical director of infection control and prevention. In addition to providing patient care for a broad array of infectious diseases alongside a team of expert physicians, Dr. Riedo also leads the hospital’s strategy for preventing and responding to infectious disease outbreaks in an environment of absolute safety. Under his leadership, EvergreenHealth became the first hospital in the nation to test and treat a surge of patients affected by COVID-19.
Before joining EvergreenHealth, Dr. Riedo trained as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was part of a team dedicated to helping stem the spread of meningitis and Ebola in West Africa. His work also led him to provide clinical care for refugees in Somalia and South Sudan as part of a multidisciplinary health care team.
Speaker Series: Thursday, April 15th, 2021 with Sarah Rhoads ’99, VP, Amazon Global Air
Sarah went Naval Aviation and was the first female aviator in the U.S. Navy’s Black Aces squadron.
- Vice President, Amazon Global Air; Sep 2019 – Present in Seattle, Washington
- Director of Amazon Air; Aug 2017 – Aug 2019 in Seattle, Washington
Responsible for the vision and leadership of a talented, high-performing, customer-centric team of professionals dedicated to delivering excellence across Amazon Air’s expanding air-haul network. - Director, Aviation Operations, Amazon Air; Mar 2017 – Aug 2017 in Seattle, Washington
- General Manager; Jun 2014 – Jan 2016 in Swansea Bay, Wales, United Kingdom
- Senior Operations Manager; Feb 2012 – Jun 2014 in Lexington, Kentucky, and Fort Worth, Texas
- Operations Manager; May 2011 – Feb 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky
Sarah Rhoads, Director of Amazon Air, was named the 2018 Air Cargo Executive of the Year by Air Cargo World
Speaker Series: March 18, 2021 – CAPT Barbette H. Lowndes ’80, Celebrate Women’s History Month
Captain Barbette Lowndes ’80 retired from federal employment after 35 years. She served 27 years active duty in the Navy and 8 years as a Navy civil servant. During her military career as a Supply Corps Officer, Barbette served at 10 commands including two tours at sea on USS MCKEE (AS-41) and USS CAPE COD (AD-43). She was the Commanding Officer of Defense Contract Management Area Boston. As a civil servant, Barbette was the Director of Total Force Management for Space and Naval Warfare System Command (now called Naval Information Warfare Systems Command).
Barbette graduated from USNA in May 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Oceanography. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Business Management from Webster University and a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. She is a graduate of the Senior Executive Institute at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Barbette is currently the President of the USNA Women’s Shared Interest Group (SIG) and was formerly the President of the San Diego Chapter and a Trustee of the Alumni Association Board of Trustees. She serves as a non-Trustee for the Admissions, Membership and Alumni Services, and Governance Committees for the Board of Trustees. Barbette was a member of the Special Committee on Alumni Culture, Diversity and Inclusion.