Photo By David Stoehr | Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Tammy Tideswell, an adjunct professor at George Washington...... read more read more
NEWPORT, R.I. – Two guest speakers shared their personal histories with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport workforce as part of the command’s Women’s History Month celebration. Retired U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Patti Tutalo spoke on March 1 about “allyship” and retired U.S. Navy Capt. Tammy Tideswell shared lessons on leadership on March 8.
“Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories,” this year’s Women’s History Month theme, was the focus when Division Newport’s Equal Employment Office and the Federal Women’s Program invited both women to speak. Both events shared tips on how to advocate for women at work and tips on how to create an inclusive environment.
Tutalo, a women’s circles facilitator and holistic counselor/coach, spoke about her many achievements in her career which includes, serving in the U.S. Coast Guard for 20 years, spending a two-year rotation working at the Pentagon as a work-life supervisor, and earning an Executive Certificate in public leadership. Tideswell, currently an adjunct professor at the George Washington University Law School, spoke on International Women’s Day about “Lessons in Leadership,” and shared what she has learned after 32 years of studying leadership and experience in her assignments.
‘Allyship needs to be woven into everything’
Tutalo defined allyship as, using your power and privilege to help somebody else who might not have that same power and privilege.
“Allyship needs to be woven into everything,” Tutalo said. “Today what I ask is that, what you learn from allyship, you take it back and as you go to future trainings, weave these concepts into them and that’s when you start to bake it into the bread — it’s not just the icing on top.”
To be a successful ally, it’s important to become aware of how you speak and present yourself others. Tutalo talked about microaggressions, which are statements, actions or incidents regarded as an instance of indirect or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group.
Microaggressions against women occur when a woman is interrupted in a meeting or has her judgments constantly questioned. They can also occur through comments on a woman’s physical features, her reputation or her lifestyle.
“With microaggressions, start to become aware of them,” Tutalo said. “When you’re in meetings or interacting with somebody, start to notice them — for myself, as I started learning more about microaggressions, I had no idea that some of the things I was doing were considered microaggressions. That’s when I realized I had to start doing the work to learn and grow.”
The audience was asked to participate in a few sharing exercises with the goal of connecting with new allies. She asked audience members to discuss their “why” for attending the workshop.
Chris Kona, a senior warfare systems analyst in the Undersea Warfare Mission Engineering and Analysis Department, said he attended to learn more about one-on-one interactions.
“I am in a greater role of leadership within our department and wanted to be more aware of my co-worker’s interactions and experiences and I can an ally and provide the same opportunities that I was given,” Kona said.
Tutalo said it’s important to amplify the voices of others and distribute speaking time within a meeting.
“Speak up when you witness a microaggression, create leaders by sharing knowledge and career advice with others, accept feedback, and make introductions,” she said.
Johanna White, a systems engineer in the Ranges, Engineering and Analysis Department, shared her positive experience with allyship with co-worker, Jose Figueroa-Serra, an engineer in the Undersea Warfare Combat Systems Department.
“I have a male work partner, Jose, who is phenomenal, and I really appreciate working with him,” she said. “We have completely different personalities but the great thing about him though, is that he listens to me. He listens to me and learns from me and we talk about our experiences and our interactions with others. We discuss how in some instances we are treated differently based on our gender — not better, not worse just different. We talk about this and he doesn’t judge me, he doesn’t say I’m wrong, and he listens to my female point of view. He makes me feel valued as a person and I’m lucky to say that he is my ally.”
Another employee, who did not identify herself when she addressed the audience, said that her experience in the workplace has been very different.
“With our group, when we were talking, none of us could really think of a time that we experienced allyship in our jobs so far,” the woman said. “If anything at least, in my new role here it’s been quite the opposite — I am the only female in my building and there’s been so many times where the men only view me as the only woman and can be condescending toward me. I am very appreciative though, to the males who are at least trying.”
For those who haven’t felt allyship, Concepcion “Conchy” Vazquez, of the Undersea Warfare Combat Systems Department, suggested that they join Division Newport’s Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) group as a way to make new connections.
Being an ally is not always easy, Tutalo said.
“By being an ally to someone you have to make sacrifices — it can be inconvenient, it takes time, it can even be messy — I had an experience with someone that was uncomfortable and messy but in the end, we both were better for it,” Tutalo said.
‘Every day you lead’
At George Washington University Law School, Tideswell specializes in the areas of military justice, national security law, and leadership. She shared candid stories about her experiences and lessons that she’s learned over the years, including, the importance of adapting as a leader and the need to lean on mentors and the community.
“Leadership is like a pebble, when you throw it in a pond, it ripples out,” Tideswell began. “Every day you lead, and when I wake up, I say to myself, what kind of day am I going to have and who’s life am I going to touch?”
Tideswell views leadership as an individualistic practice.
“To me, leadership is about who I am leading,” she said. “I believe it is my job as leader to adjust, not for everyone else to adjust around me. For example, I won’t lead a seaman recruit who’s just out of high school the same way I’d lead a commander that has more experience.”
Tideswell stressed the importance and power of having mentorship and a support community.
When she was a senior military judge, Tideswell had a case that exhibited just how vital it is to have people with and behind you. The defendant’s Navy career was at stake, but luckily, the young man was surrounded by a community of people who cared and supported him, she said. Community members spoke as witnesses at the trial in hopes of saving his career. The former judge was moved by their support for the young man, and as a result, allowed him stay in the Navy.
“What I learned as a leader from this case and what I’ve taken with me ever since, was the power of community,” Tideswell said. “Everybody should have a mentor, a tribe or a community, because that’s who has your back with things go south.”
Tideswell also expressed how dreams and aspirations, whether your own, or others, should always be valued, and never underestimated.
In her career, Tideswell admitted a time when she doubted an officer who wanted to become a Navy SEAL. This officer did not particularly “fit the description” of a Navy SEAL, but had lots of conviction that he could do it. Later on, she learned that the officer did in fact, pass the training and became a Navy SEAL.
“As leaders, judge by the heart, and be the dream catcher, not the dream killer, you never know who’s going to surprise you,” Tideswell said.
Tideswell said that people need to be conscious of their impulse to make assumptions of others.
She shared her experience as a survivor in the 9/11 Pentagon attack, when former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld issued a command that everyone was to go into work the day after the attack, and in uniform, as a show of force.
“I was very self-conscious to be in uniform — we’re under attack, there’s terrorism, but I understood, a show of force. We weren’t going to be backed down,” she said.
As she was riding the Metro on her way to the Pentagon, she noticed people backing away from her. Her initial thought was, “maybe people think I am a target,” and then worried herself, “maybe I am a target” — or so she assumed. When she got off the train, she felt a tug on her jacket from behind and turned to see a woman in a burqa. The woman said to her, “You go get ‘em girlfriend.” Tideswell responded, “Yes ma’am I’ve got you covered, be safe.”
She told this story to highlight the power of an assumption — were those people backing away from Tideswell? Or were they backing away from their fellow American, who happened to look different?
Tideswell concluded her presentation with a lesson that she learned from an officer about well-being and how to focus on what is most important in life.
“What my captain said was, ‘Take care of your family, don’t always be working long hours, remember what you value and remember what’s important. Don’t let that part of your world fall to pieces.
“You need to cultivate your family and friends— don’t let them go awry,” Tideswell said. “Know what you value, stay humble, be authentic, communicate and know your people, and I think your journey will be as much fun as mine.”
Mary Ellen “Mel” Sweeney, an engineer in Undersea Warfare Combat Systems Department, who is a member of the Federal Women’s Committee and a close family friend of Tideswell, facilitated the speaker’s visit to Division Newport.
“I can honestly say a lot of what Captain Tideswell had talked to on International Women’s Day 2023 truly resonated with me,” Sweeney said. “Her experiences and the stories she told really spoke to the genuine and esteemed individual she is. She is proof that we all have roots and our own stories that come innately over the course of time. Every life is a story, no story is the same, and those stories impact us all differently and shape us into the individuals we become.”
Susan Balcirak, lead of the Federal Women’s Program (FWP), shared her takeaway and appreciation of both events that were hosted for Women’s History Month.
“There is a strong need for many Division Newport employees to feel connected and supported, and we want to make sure everyone in our organization feels that way,” Balcirak said. “There are a lot of great ways volunteers at Division Newport are offering opportunities for networking and connecting both socially and professionally, like the New Professionals Employee Organization, Women in Science and Engineering, and the LGBT Employee Organization. We need to keep finding ways to help our employees feel connected and supported.”
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.
| Date Taken: | 03.27.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.27.2023 15:52 |
| Story ID: | 441286 |
| Location: | NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 103 |
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