‘Tis the season for giving and for giving thanks! LSM members know that when we give to our community, we get much in return for which we can be thankful. Giving to LSM is one way to give to our community. In return, we get a stronger Southern Maryland with passionate leaders addressing our community’s needs.

Please consider LSM for your holiday and year-end giving this year. We are thankful for your unending support and for all you do for Southern Maryland.

GIVING TUESDAY – NOVEMBER 29 

LSM’s new campaign for nonprofit and small business scholarships! Sybol Anderson will match your gifts, dollar for dollar, up to $1,500.

 
LSM YEAR-END GIVING – THROUGH DECEMBER 31

Your gifts enable LSM to continue delivering on our mission to educate and inspire leaders to address community needs in Southern Maryland.

 
AMAZON SMILE SHOPPING – FOR THE HOLIDAYS AND FOREVER

Visit smile.amazon.com, and designate LSM as your preferred charity. Amazon will donate 0.5%
of the price of all eligible purchases to LSM.

Bravo Zulu! Executive Program Class of ’23 Goes Behind the

Scenes at NAS Pax River

     Executive Program participant Denise Kopel tries to bargain with US Naval Test Pilot School Commanding Officer CDR                  Jeremy “Silas” DeBons for a Blackhawk helicopter flight. “So that’s not a ‘No’?”

The Executive Program Class of 2023 strengthened their leadership wings behind the scenes at Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS Pax River) on Nov. 3.

NAS Pax River Commanding Officer CAPT Derrick Kingsley LSM ’21 welcomed the class with a morning brief about the base, along with Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Executive Director Stephen Cricchi and NSWC IHD Technology Transfer Program Manager Dr. Christopher Wilhelm LSM ’22.

 
A guided windshield tour showcased the people, processes and partnerships that make up Pax River’s research, development, test and evaluation cycle. Participants climbed the air traffic control tower, visited the Aircraft Prototype Systems Division and Atlantic Test Range, took the controls of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) robotics from NSWC IHD, and took to the sky on
manned flight simulators. U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (TPS) Commanding Officer CDR Jeremy “Silas” DeBons shared a bit of life inside the elite “schoolhouse” and guided the class on a tour of the TPS flight line.

“I’ve supported NAVAIR for over 20 years, and this was my first opportunity to tour the air traffic control tower and Test Pilot School,” said Yu-Hsuan Chen, vice president and co-founder of Integrated Program Solutions, Inc. “The aerial view of the naval base certainly provided a unique and insightful perspective on both the overall base and how it fits within the Southern
Maryland region.”

“I learned that so much more happens at Pax River than what I thought,” said SMECO Energy and Technology Programs Manager Jennifer Raley, a lifelong resident of St. Mary’s County. “I almost wish I had chosen that career path, as I felt like I missed out on some exciting stuff happening right here in St. Mary's County that I want to be part of!”

Participants learned that they can be part of the Southern Maryland defense community. LSM Founding Sponsor Bonnie Green, CAPT (Ret.) Tom Garrison LSM ’15, and CMC (Ret.) Tim McKinley invited class members to join forces with The Patuxent Partnership, the Southern Maryland Navy Alliance, and the U.S. Navy League, critical advocacy groups that champion
Southern Maryland’s military bases, enlisted and civilian personnel, and their families.  

“Connecting the dots among Southern Maryland’s industries, support organizations, ourselves, and the wider world is a key element of the LSM experience,” said LSM Executive Director Dr. Sybol Anderson. “Seeing the importance of Pax River and Indian Head to our national defense, and the interdependence of the Southern Maryland and naval base communities, helps us
appreciate the significance of Southern Maryland to the world.”

This excellent Defense Session was organized by Patuxent Partnership Program Director Jennifer Brown LSM ’19 and Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Director of Strategic Education Kenneth “Kee” Abell LSM ’22.