Gulf region contracting OIC hits ground running with NPS MBA

Navy Supply Corps Newsletter, May-June, 2005 by Barbara Honegger

When LCDR Jeffery P. Davis assumed charge of Naval Regional Contracting Center (NRCC) Detachment Dubai, he had a secret weapon--a defense-focused Masters in Business Administration degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.

"I was able to immediately apply what I learned in the NPS MBA program to making strategic resource allocation decisions as officer-in-charge of NRCC Detachment Dubai providing contract support for U.S. Navy forces deployed in the Gulf region," Davis said.

Davis' office administers contracts for air base support, port operations, force protection, ship repair, husbanding, lodging, and transportation services in the Gulf area of operations.

"A key takeaway from the NPS MBA program is a critical eye for framing complex problems and developing solutions that take into account the reality of second and third order consequences," said Davis, whose thesis outlined a new framework for evaluating high-risk investments. "Experience is said to be the best teacher, but lessons gained through experience can be incomplete if the right questions are never asked. NPS hones the ability to ask the right questions, with a singular focus on developing leaders able to excel in the midst of complexity, change and uncertainty."

"The defense-oriented NPS MBA program is itself an integral part of the process of transforming the Navy and Department of Defense to achieve the objectives of Sea Enterprise," Davis noted.

"Courses incorporate case studies from the public and private sectors and allow students to apply practical lessons to a wide range of DoD issues. A specific example is the Management of Change course, whose lessons and insights can be immediately applied upon returning to the fleet. Like many other MBA courses at the Navy's corporate university, it allows students to study and analyze lessons from industry, government and the military."

Davis has a simple message for officers considering attending the Naval Postgraduate School.

"Your experience at NPS will equip you for greater service," he stressed. "NPS provides a unique opportunity to study alongside colleagues with a shared commitment to service and loyalty to nation in a rigorous academic environment that is both professionally and personally rewarding."

His message to senior leadership and community managers is equally direct.

"Continue to increase the return on investment from NPS through sponsorship of targeted thesis research. Tomorrow's solutions are kernels lying dormant in the minds of today's sharp young military leaders. NPS uniquely waters those seeds for an eventual harvest."

Davis graduated with distinction from the Naval Postgraduate School in December 2003 with two degrees in Information Systems Management and Financial Manage merit, receiving the American Society of Comptrollers Award for Excellence in Research lot his thesis work. He was one of two Office of Budget and Financial Management (FMB) Conrad Scholars, which gave him the opportunity to brief his thesis to senior FMB staff and the Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer. Davis received the Naval Supply Systems Command Award for Academic Excellence in Management and the Louis B. Liskin Award for Excellence in Business & Public Policy, the top academic honor of the NPS Graduate School of Business and Public Policy.

LCDR Davis was also selected as an NPS Associate Fellow in the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group (SSG).

"The SSG is yet another example of the unique opportunities available to students at the Naval Postgraduate School," Davis said. "Each year, a select group of NPS students from a variety of academic disciplines is tapped to work with CNO Fellows--Senior O-6s competitive for flag rank--to develop innovative concepts to guide the future transformation of the Navy. The process used to develop these concepts exposes the group to corporate leaders and leading experts from around the world in a broad range of disciplines, including management, finance, physics, history, and technology. The NPS defense-focused MBA equipped me to use the analytical tools of business and industry as we worked to develop viable solutions to current and future challenges."

Davis concluded, "The Naval Postgraduate School provides a wide array of opportunities for both developing and harnessing the intellectual capital essential to propelling our Navy to future success."

As of Jan. 12, NRCC Dubai has been redesignated Fleet Industrial Supply Center (FISC) Sigonella Detachment Bahrain-Site Dubai.

For more information about the NPS Masters in Business Administration program. go to http://www.nps.navy.mil/gsbpp/. For more information about the Naval Postgraduate School, go to www.nps.edu.

Barbara Honegger

Senior Military Affairs Journalist, Naval Postgraduate School Public Affairs