[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 143 (Monday, September 9, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1113]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING MS. ALLISON F. STILLER, UNITED STATES NAVY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 9, 2019

  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Allison F. 
Stiller, who is retiring from the Department of the Navy after more 
than 30 years of faithful civilian service to our nation, culminating 
as the Principal Civilian Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy 
for Research, Development & Acquisition, ASN(RD&A), for the past four 
years.
  Ms. Stiller's contributions to the Department of the Navy have been 
numerous. Her responsibilities include oversight and policy for Navy 
and Marine Corps research, development, and acquisition programs for 
shipbuilding, aviation, space, weapon systems, ground vehicles, 
munitions, and communication systems. This portfolio includes oversight 
of more than 100,000 people with an annual budget in excess of $50 
billion as well as hundreds of technical developments and procurement 
programs for the Department of the Navy. Ms. Stiller served as the 
acting ASN(RD&A) from January through July 2017, and leads the 
Department's Senior Executive Acquisition Corps. She is also the proud 
ship sponsor for USS Mississippi (SSN 782).
  In performing her duties as Deputy to ASN(RD&A), Ms. Stiller 
regularly appeared before the House Armed Services Committee and the 
Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee, which I chair, 
consistently offering valuable insight and testimony and enhancing 
Congressional understanding of the programs under her purview. She has 
been a true advocate for the Navy, and I can attest that my colleagues 
and I very much appreciated and benefited from her expertise.
  Ms. Stiller entered the Senior Executive Service in January 2004. 
Prior to her current position, she served as the Deputy Assistant 
Secretary of the Navy for Ship Programs. In this capacity, she was 
responsible for executive oversight of all naval shipbuilding and 
associated weapon systems programs, major ship conversions, and nuclear 
ship refuelings, as well as the maintenance, modernization and disposal 
of in-service ships. During her tenure, 96 ships and submarines were 
placed under contract and 70 ships and submarines were delivered to the 
operational Fleet, representing approximately 25 percent of today's 
operational battle force.
  Ms. Stiller has served in a number of shipbuilding acquisition 
positions throughout her career where she led in the development and 
procurement of complex ship programs in multiple phases of the 
acquisition life cycle. She served for four years as the Deputy Program 
Manager in the Amphibious Warfare Program Office, responsible for 
design, development, acquisition, and fleet introduction of amphibious 
ships and landing craft. Ms. Stiller also served as Director for Naval 
and Commercial Construction in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of 
the Navy for Ship Programs where her responsibilities included 
oversight of amphibious and auxiliary ship construction and conversion 
programs, as well as shipbuilding industrial base matters. During her 
tenure, Ms. Stiller helped develop and promote initiatives that focused 
the nation's shipbuilding industry towards commercial viability. Ms. 
Stiller also served as Acquisition Manager in the early phases of the 
Virginia Class Submarine Program, as well as division director in the 
Seawolf Submarine program during the design and early construction 
phases of that program.
  Ms. Stiller holds a BS in Systems Engineering from the University of 
Virginia and a MS in Engineering Management from Virginia Tech. She is 
also a graduate of the John F. Kennedy School of Government's Senior 
Executive Fellows Program at Harvard University and the Defense Systems 
Management College.
  Throughout her career, Ms. Stiller's leadership and performance has 
been recognized by numerous awards including the Presidential Rank 
Award (Distinguished and Meritorious) and the Department of the Navy's 
Superior and Meritorious Civilian Service awards.
  I am proud to recognize Ms. Stiller, and I thank her and her family 
for her honorable service to our nation. Madam Speaker, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in wishing Ms. Allison Stiller `fair winds and 
following seas' as she concludes a distinguished career of public 
service.

                          ____________________