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Darren Barnes, acting technical director at Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport since October 2023, leaves a lasting legacy as he prepares to return to his permanent role as deputy technical director at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division at the end of May.
Barnes brought long-term changes to NUWC Division, Keyport during his tenure here—including shifts in end strength allocations, a reorganization of the command customer advocate structure, and changes to its leadership culture—to ensure its ability to meet its mission amidst a resource-constrained operational environment.
Other command leaders praised his proactive leadership and dedication to decisive action.
“The first thing he brought to the table was ‘We're going to make decisions,’” said NUWC Division, Keyport Acting Deputy Business Director Bill Carlson. “‘If there are things we need to do, we're going to do them.’”
NUWC Division, Keyport Commanding Officer Capt. Clint Hoskins added, “He did not shy away from things. I think it would have been very easy for him or any acting technical director to say, ‘All right, I've got six weeks left; I can hold out and not worry about this and just leave it on the next guy.’ And he absolutely didn't.”
After graduating from Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor's in computer engineering and a minor in computer science, Barnes began his federal civilian service in 1995 as a computer engineer at NSWCDD. He later earned a master’s in public administration from Indiana University.
A senior scientific technical manager since 2016, Barnes has held various key engineering and senior management positions throughout his career. Notably, he served as department head for the electromagnetic and sensor systems portfolio at NSWCDD, overseeing electronic warfare, radar systems, electromagnetic environmental effects, and chemical, biological, and radiological defense.
He also earned a Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award for his outstanding performance in the role of acting director of Integrated Fires for the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance.
In his current permanent role as NSWCDD’s deputy technical director, he oversees engineering and business operations for a $2 billion annual portfolio at the command.
Barnes’ nearly 30 years of experience in the Warfare Center enterprise, along with previous leadership roles at the Pentagon, provided a solid foundation for his appointment as NUWC Division, Keyport’s acting technical director. However, as a newcomer to the undersea domain, he also brought an invaluable outsider’s perspective that enabled him to challenge long-entrenched biases and assumptions within the NUWC Division, Keyport community.
“He spent a lot of time getting context, talking to subject matter experts, asking people, ‘Okay, if we went down this path, what would happen?’,” said Carlson. “As someone who didn't have a Keyport background, he was able to say, ‘Well, I don't understand that. Why don't you explain it more?’ And in the course of doing that, sometimes we realized the way we were wanting to do something wasn’t necessarily the best course of action.”
Barnes said he agrees these types of probing questions helped spur creative solutions by encouraging fresh insights and perspectives. “If I did anything to foster innovation, it was by asking questions,” he said.
One of Barnes’ notable achievements was reshaping the command’s leadership culture. Drawing inspiration from the book “Death by Meeting,” which he made required reading for the entire senior leadership team, he initiated a shift toward more disciplined, purpose-driven meetings, after inefficient meetings were identified as a significant drain on productivity.
He also fostered a culture of open dialogue and mutual support within the leadership team.
“I think he really strove hard to make the senior leadership team cohesive and get us to a level of interaction where we could be direct with each other, but at the same time professional and realize we’ve got each other's backs,” said Carlson.
Barnes, reflecting on his time at NUWC Division, Keyport, said he was particularly impressed by the command’s far-reaching footprint and the extent to which the Navy relies on it for core bodies of work. He added that it was “eye-opening” to see firsthand the widespread global presence of its detachments.
In a testament to his hands-on leadership style and eagerness to engage with all aspects of the command’s operations, he made a point of visiting all the detachments as soon as possible.
Of all his achievements as acting technical director, Barnes said he considers the strategic restructuring of the command’s workforce to be the most significant. Faced with hiring constraints limiting workforce growth across the Warfare Center enterprise, Barnes initiated a sunset of the Customer Advocate Department and the redistribution of its personnel among the various respective technical departments, a move meant to streamline operations and improve efficiency by aligning customer advocacy directly with technical functions.
Another restructuring involved the crucial Undersea Weapons Department, where Barnes increased personnel with staff drawn from other technical departments.
Barnes called these shakeups “hard but necessary decisions,” adding that he expects them both to have “very positive implications for many years to come.”
Barnes’ decision-making process involved thorough research and active engagement with his leadership team.
Kylie Schmuck, Barnes’ executive assistant, praised his ability to prioritize tasks, willingness to listen to diverse viewpoints, genuine interest in connecting with employees, laidback demeanor and sense of humor.
“We're all going to be really sad when he leaves, because he has brought such a good attitude,” Schmuck said. “And he's hilarious. He has made coming to work a lot of fun.”
As he prepares to depart, Barnes has advice for aspiring leaders at NUWC Division, Keyport: Be open to adventure, seize opportunities, and work on developing your emotional intelligence and becoming known as a technical expert in your field.
His message for the command at large is one of optimism and encouragement: “The future is bright. Keyporters have very high integrity and a strong commitment to the work. Everybody needs to continue having that mindset because the Navy and the nation are depending on Keyport.”
-KPT-
NUWC Division, Keyport provides advanced technical capabilities for test and evaluation, in-service engineering, maintenance and industrial base support, fleet material readiness, and obsolescence management for undersea warfare to expand America’s undersea dominance.
| Date Taken: | 05.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.22.2024 19:53 |
| Story ID: | 472056 |
| Location: | KEYPORT, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 152 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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