Ms. Easter currently serves as the Director of Navy Staff, the senior civilian in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations, where she coordinates enterprise-level efforts across the entire OPNAV staff. Principally, she ensures alignment of more than 400 Flag Officers and Senior Executives, providing indispensable advice and support to the Chief of Naval Operations and the Secretary of the Navy.
Ms. Easter studied chemical engineering as an undergraduate at North Carolina State University. She earned her Master of Science degree from Catholic University’s engineering management program in 1995. Her career in federal services spans over three decades, including 17 years in the Senior Executive Service, the civilian classification equivalent to equivalent to military ranks of admiral or general.
Prior to her current position as Director of Navy Staff, she served as Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, and before that Principal Deputy to the Assistant Secretary, in which position, she was responsible for leading and supervising Army acquisition, procurement, research and development, and logistics endeavors within the Army acquisition enterprise. She also oversaw the development of policies, programs, and processes to streamline Army acquisition efforts.
Ms. Easter has also served as the Executive Director for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office, where she was the senior civilian overseeing the acquisition and management of the program chartered to deliver the next generation of tactical aircraft for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps.
As the Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education, Ms. Easter was the civilian executive advisor for the planning and programming of manpower, personnel, training, and education resources, budgeting for Navy personnel and for developing the information systems and tools to effectively manage the Navy Total Force.
Previous assignments include Assistant Commander for Acquisition for Naval Air Systems Command and Deputy Program Executive Officer for Tactical Aircraft Programs.
She has been given numerous awards for outstanding civilian service to our country’s military, including the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award, the Secretary of the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award, Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the Meritorious Executive Presidential Rank Award, and the Army Exceptional Civilian Service Award.
She was also the recipient of the 2010 Black Engineer of the Year Award for Professional Achievement and the 2009 National Women of Color Award for Managerial Leadership.
In recognition of her outstanding career in service to our nation, the Catholic University of America is pleased to present Steffanie Easter with the 2019 Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award.