CNO honored Thursday for promoting diversity - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

CNO honored Thursday for promoting diversity

The Navy’s top officer saluted the diversity of his service Thursday night with a focus toward the future as he received the Asian American Government Executives Network’s Outstanding Public Service Award.

Roughead received the honor for “exemplary leadership in promoting diversity in the most senior ranks of the U.S. Navy,” according to an AAGEN news release.

At the June 2009 AAGEN conference, Roughead signed a memorandum of understanding with the Naval Officers Mentorship Program to develop, implement and improve strategies for mentoring diverse generations of future officers.

Today, nearly 50,000 Asian and Pacific Americans serve the Navy, with nearly 19,000 in uniform. That includes 11 members of the Senior Executive Service, six flag officers, three others selected for their first star and 137 master chiefs, according to Navy statistics.

“I am extraordinarily proud of the fact that the Navy has been able to go from one Asian American flag officer to nine in a very short period of time,” Roughead said. “Those officers span the breadth of our great organization. They’re in our medical community, our Seabees, our logistics command. And Rear Adm. Brian Losey, a Navy SEAL, is commanding a joint task force on the Horn of Africa.”

The CNO said diversity has been an important part of his life. His father worked in the oil industry, so Roughead didn’t grow up in this country.

“I benefited from the different perspectives, beliefs and cultures that I was able to see,” he said. “I was able to appreciate the richness and value that can be derived from the many different viewpoints, ideas and thoughts that can come together and make any organization stronger, better and more effective.”

The network also presented the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award to Medal of Honor recipient and eight-term Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii.

The senator offered a brief but heartfelt speech in which he called the award “a high honor” and promised to “do my best to live up to your expectations.

Upon receiving his award, Roughead held back evident emotion as he honored the senator.

“For me to be included as an honoree on the same list as Sen. Daniel Inouye is the highest honor anyone who wears the uniform could hope to have,” he said.

Roughead spoke only briefly about the achievement, and instead focused on the “great talent that is coming up,” and the importance of developing and mentoring that talent so that they become the leaders of tomorrow.

“That’s really what we’re all about,” Roughead said. “It’s not about today. It’s about tomorrow. We cannot rest where we are. We have to look at those young men and women who are coming along. We must mentor them, provide opportunities for them, understand them and lead them into that future.

“The thing we must do is to have our young people be able to look up to their leadership and see themselves. Only then will they believe that there is opportunity.”