Photo By Nicholas Froment | Stephen O’Grady was recently selected as the deputy technical director for technical...... read more read more
NEWPORT, R.I. – With over three decades of experience in the undersea warfare domain, Stephen O’Grady, of East Providence, Rhode Island, has been selected as the next deputy technical director for technical excellence at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport.
Formerly the director of technology and strategy for the Undersea Warfare (USW) Combat Systems Department, O’Grady spearheaded the organization’s product vision. He will replace John Babb, who will retire in April.
“I love working here, and the opportunity to step up to this level of leadership, to represent, inspire and encourage the next generation is exciting,” said O’Grady, who also serves as a senior scientific technical manager. “I’ve been here for 35 years, and I have a strong understanding of our culture and how this place works and I’m passionate about it. We get to work on amazing problems for submarine warfighters, and submarines right now, arguably provide our nation’s most important warfighting capabilities.”
As deputy technical director, O’Grady will oversee the warfare center’s chief engineer, chief technology officer, quality assurance team and others to “direct the technical governance of our organization.” He will also have constant communication with Technical Director Marie Bussiere, a longtime colleague.
“The technical director and deputy technical director have to be in lockstep, because there must be an inherent trust there,” O’Grady said. “Marie and I have grown up together. We went to college together, and we’ve worked together for years.”
“O'Grady brings a wealth of expertise to this role,” Bussiere said when announcing his selection. "This is a significant achievement, and I wish him continued success in his new role.”
O’Grady got a taste of the deputy technical director position in the fall when he was one of four employees to serve in an acting role over a two-month span. After completing his stint, he knew he wanted the job permanently.
“When the chance to do the rotation came up, I thought it was good opportunity to grow and to help our new technical director, but it wasn’t a role that I explicitly sought out long term. But once I got in the seat, I loved it,” he said. “It clicked for me, and the role just felt right.”
With the Columbia-class submarine set to debut later this decade and looking ahead to the SSN(X) program, O’Grady said Division Newport has the people and expertise to ensure the very best capabilities are delivered now and into the future.
“When I came here in 1990, there was something called the new attack submarine, which became the Viriginia-class. Now it’s history repeating itself,” he said. “My mantra over the years has been, ‘What have you done for the fleet today?’ and now that is even more prevalent. We’re the extension of that uniformed warfighter, who can’t do what they do without us. We do things every day to make sure those platforms and those sailors can do their job.”
In addition to his role in the Combat Systems Department, O’Grady also served as the chief architect and technical lead for USW Project Overmatch, one of the Navy’s highest priority efforts. In this role, he led a team of more than 70 scientists, engineers and technicians to develop and deliver resilient command, control and communications (RC3) capabilities across the submarine force.
“Project Overmatch has been the opus of my career to date. It gave me the opportunity to lead this really important effort at the time in my career when I was most prepared to do so. I was given a team of all-star performers who were empowered to be agile and to move fast. We went from concept to installation in just 18 months. The response from the first platforms to put it to use have been overwhelmingly positive, making the experience even more gratifying.”
Previously to these recent roles, O’Grady served as head of the Combat Systems Department’s Command and Control Branch. His extensive background in Navy and joint command and control spans multiple mission areas, including strike warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
O'Grady is a nationally recognized innovation champion within the naval enterprise. As a founding member of Division Newport’s Rapid Innovation Center, he successfully led more than 20 design thinking and hackathon events, earning him the prestigious Secretary of the Navy Innovation Catalyst Award.
O'Grady holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computer electronic engineering from the University of Rhode Island and a master’s degree in software engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a two-time recipient of the Department of Navy’s Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the third highest honorary civilian award bestowed by the U.S. Navy.
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.
| Date Taken: | 03.14.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.14.2025 10:21 |
| Story ID: | 492853 |
| Location: | NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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