GRAVELY CELEBRATION EXPERIENCE
NIGHTS TO REMEMBER
In 1962, Vice Admiral Gravely became the first African American to take command of a U.S Navy combatant ship. He continued to break barriers throughout his career, becoming the first African American commander, captain, rear admiral, and vice admiral of the U.S Navy before retiring. Each year, the Vice Admiral’s contributions are celebrated with a themed event honoring today’s trailblazers who exemplify Gravely’s motto:
Education, Motivation and Perseverance.
ABOUT THE EVENT
Who’s invited: 11th-grade high school stud ents (200 seats available)
Cost: Free! – Educators must RSVP for their 11th-grade students. Click RSVP button below.
Date: Thursday, FEB. 9, 2023
Time: 11:30am – 1:30pm
Location: Battleship IOWA | 250 S. Harbor Blvd. | Los Angeles, CA 90731
Program: Participating students will receive a free box lunch and beverage they can enjoy while listening to a panel of diverse individuals discuss their inspirations and motivations to break through societal barriers and find success. The panel will be moderated by Tanya Acker, co-host of CBS’ Hot Bench and host of The Tanya Acker Show podcast, and will include a Q&A session during which students may directly engage the panel speakers.
Attend Virtually!
Want to provide this experience to your students, but cannot secure transportation? Sign up for our live Zoom Webinar:
2023 Special Speakers
Lieutenant Commander Allice Gholson | USCGC BENJAMIN BOTTOMS (WPC 1132)
Lieutenant Commander Gholson currently serves as the Commanding Officer of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Benjamin Bottoms, homeported in San Pedro, California.
Recently, she served as the Logistics Officer at Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA) in Manama, Bahrain. While assigned, she oversaw engineering, procurement, facility, and administrative support for 300 active-duty members operating in support of U.S. Navy FIFTH FLEET operations in the Middle East.
Accumulating over 6 years of sea time, LCDR Gholson served aboard Coast Guard cutters in both naval engineering and operational roles. Upon commissioning, she was assigned to U.S. Coast Guard Cutter ESCANABA (WMEC-907) as the Assistant Engineer Officer, where she was responsible for maintaining electrical, auxiliary, and firefighting systems on board. She served as the Assistant Operations Officer aboard U.S. Coast Guard Cutter HAMILTON (WMSL-753), responsible for navigational planning and maritime law enforcement operations in the Caribbean. Transitioning into a dual career track, she was assigned to Civil Engineering Unit in Providence, Rhode Island as a Construction Project Manager. She oversaw the execution of over $16M in construction projects spanning from Massachusetts to New Jersey.LCDR Gholson originally hails from Lithonia, Georgia. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Savannah State University, a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and is a certified Project Management Professional. Her professional organizations include the National Naval Officers Association, the Society of American Military Engineers, the Coast Guard Officer Association, and the Coast Guard Women’s Leadership Initiative. Notable awards include the 2014 & 2019 Black Engineer of the Year Award for Modern Day Technology, the Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the Coast Guard Commendation Medal.
She enjoys cycling, hiking, and outdoor photography in her spare time. She also enjoys traveling and hopes to visit all seven continents and the North Pole within her lifetime.
Commander WarRear Admiral, Lower Half (Ret) Sandy Adams, USN
Rear Adm. Adams had a fulfilling 34-year active and reserve Navy career and is a graduate from Michigan State University and the Naval War College. She retired in 2015.
She reported to her first ship in 1982 just four years after women could start serving at sea. Her deployments included to Afghanistan where she served as a senior advisor to an Afghan Minster of Defense, and to Saudi Arabia for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
She served on two ships and numerous operational commands in the Mediterranean, Pacific, and Middle East regions. She was also selected to command Navy units five times.
After being promoted to Rear Admiral (O7), she served primarily as the Deputy Commander, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command which included 20,000 active and reserve Sailors serving around the world.
In her civilian career, she worked her way up in production and supply chain roles in four large companies. She had responsibility for 2200 employees in North and South America with one Fortune 100 company, and retired in 2018 from a Fortune 30 defense technology company as a Supply Chain Director.
Kamin Samuel PHD, RTT, CLHYP | Rapid Transformation Coach, Speaker, Author
Kamin Samuel began her professional career as the U.S. Navy’s first female African American helicopter pilot. She served in the Navy for more than 9 years with various duties including being a Navy Flight Instructor. She transitioned to civilian life and the professional business world, working at technology and media companies and quickly climbing the corporate ladder, eventually being promoted to Vice President Global Website Operations at a billion-dollar company.
In her role as an International Rapid Transformation Coach & Therapist, Kamin helps entrepreneurs and leaders up-level their success and wealth mindset, be more strategic, more effectively lead their organizations, and be more outcomedriven, heart-centered, and develop stronger team leaders.
A sought-out expert by other coaches and leaders, Kamin’s unique expertise is to help her clients’ clear hidden barriers to achieving greater success and fulfillment in their businesses, as well as all areas of their life. Kamin serves on the faculty of Steve Chandler’s Online Prosperity School teaching wealth and success mindset. In addition to working with clients and teams, Kamin is a keynote speaker and conducts workshops on various leadership topics for corporate and military, and is a frequent podcast show guest.
She has a PhD in Positive Neuropsychology, three Master’s degrees in Information Systems, Spiritual Psychology, and Spiritual Science. Kamin’s unique background combines the technical and soft skills, allowing her to assist individuals in taking practical action in the real world that gets dramatic results.
Kamin is a bestselling and award-winning author. Her books include of Increase Your Abundance Starting Today!, the Wealth Transformation Journal, the Success Transformation Journal, coauthor of The Conscious Luck Workbook and now Wealth Creation for Coaches with Steve Chandler.
She is a philanthropist and is passionate about assisting educational organizations. Kamin has sat on several boards and is currently on the Board of EduCare Foundation, one of Los Angeles’ largest after school program providers. Kamin and her husband, Mark, make their home in Southern California.
RADM Sinclair Harris, USN (Ret.), VP of Client Relations, LMI
Sinc Harris is LMI’s client relations executive for the defense sector. He retired as a rear admiral after a 34-year career in the U.S. Navy. His service culminated as the vice director for operations to chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During his distinguished career, he led joint, combined, multinational, and interagency organizations both at sea and ashore across all aspects of defense, including full-spectrum operations, program management, strategic planning, and execution. He also commanded the U.S. Fourth Fleet, leading U.S. naval forces assigned to the U.S. Southern Command.
Sinc has been published in numerous journals on the topics of surface warfare, combat logistics, irregular warfare, and leadership. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from James Madison University, a Master’s in operations research from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Master’s in defense and strategic studies from the University of Madras, India. Sinc voluntarily serves as national vice president of the Navy League of the United States, chair of the National Defense Industrial Association’s Expeditionary Warfare Division, president of the National Naval Officers Association, board member for the Surface Navy Association, and member of the Northern Virginia Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.
CMDCM Jasen Williams | Expeditionary Strike Group THREE
A native of Birmingham, AL, Master Chief Petty Officer Williams enlisted in the Navy in December
1994 and began his career as an Electronic Warfare (EW) Technician. He has served in numerous sea duty assignments, including USS OLIVER HAZARD PERRY (FFG 7), USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV 67), USS BLUE RIDGE (LCC 19), and USS O’KANE (DDG 77). He served as Command Master Chief (CMC) onboard USS RENTZ (FFG 46), HELSEACOMBATRON SIX, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet Waterfront Chief Petty Officer Leadership Training Team, USS JOHN P. MURTHA (LPD 26) and Naval Base Coronado. He is currently serving as the CMC for Expeditionary Strike Group THREE.
Ashore, Command Master Chief Williams’ tours include Naval Technical Training Center Corry Station, Pensacola, Florida, as an instructor at EW’A” School, the Center for Information Dominance Learning Site, Yokosuka, Japan, where he served as Chief Petty Officer-in-Charge, and Afloat Training Group Western Pacific, where he served as an Afloat Assessor and qualified as an Afloat Training Specialist. He has completed 10 shipboard deployments to the Mediterranean Sea, Western Pacific, Arabian Gulf, Caribbean Sea, and Great Lakes. Master Chief Williams is a graduate of Navy Senior Enlisted Academy Class 170, Command Leadership Course class 070, and Keystone Class 17-2. Additionally, he has a Master of Science in Leadership from Trident University, and Bachelor’s and Associate Degrees from Excelsior College. His personal decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and various unit and campaign awards.
