Dear Shipbuilders,
In 2020, we began restructuring certain areas of the business to centralize similar functions for greater efficiency and to better align with the evolving Navy strategy. We are already seeing benefits from our initial changes and are continuing to look for additional opportunities.

Our next area of focus is on facility operations and ensuring consistency across four of our largest service and support organizations. To that end, we are consolidating Waterfront Support Services (X36), Facilities, EH&S and Security into a centralized Plant Operations group. This move will provide a better foundation for an enterprise-wide strategy that combines programmatic needs with safety, environmental and industrial hygiene, and security considerations.

Dru Branche will serve as director of Plant Operations. Her current staff will continue reporting to her, along with Dave Vandegrift, director of Waterfront Support Services, and Jim O’Brien, director of Facilities. Dru has 33 years of experience serving in leadership positions of increasing responsibility in Business Management, Trades Administration, Ship Repair, Aircraft Carrier New Construction, and most recently as director of EH&S and Security where she has been a leading force in our COVID-19 operations. She is a well-respected leader, a strategic thinker and a strong executor who puts people first, and I am confident in her ability to lead this new team.

The new Plant Operations division, along with Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management, will make up the new Material, Manufacturing and Plant Operations Division led by Bryan Caccavale, who most recently served as vice president of Material and Manufacturing. Dru will report to Bryan.

Today’s organizational change enables greater focus on our cost structure and how we invest in our people and in the facility. And, merging Plant Operations with the material and manufacturing division provides strong alignment and greater efficiency between these groups, which are critical to our daily operations. These changes are effective February 1. Please join me in supporting these leaders and their teams on this transition.

Respectfully,
Jennifer Boykin
President
Newport News Shipbuilding