Tiverton Resident Earns Professional Honor from Navy

Tiverton resident Denise Szelag has been honored by the Department of the Navy (DoN) for her role in implementing a complex business management software system across ten naval warfare centers under the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).  She was presented with the DoN Superior Civilian Service Award in recognition of her accomplishment.

An employee of Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport, she served as the deputy project lead to bring Navy Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to more than 22,000 federal NAVSEA employees nationwide.  ERP represents a vast overhaul of systems tracking almost every aspect of business operations with an integrated set of tools and processes that align business, financial, and administrative practices. 

Szelag helped manage the overall ERP deployment preparation efforts and was responsible for overseeing ERP communications and knowledge transfer efforts, data conversion management, gap analysis, and meeting ERP implementation schedule requirements.  Her unparalleled knowledge of Navy systems and processes as well as managerial acumen and resourcefulness were critical to the seamless integration of the program into all operations. 

Szelag earned her bachelor of science in management from URI.  She also holds a master’s in business administration from Bryant University. 

NUWC Division Newport is one of two divisions of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. NUWC Division Newport’s mission is to provide research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, undersea offensive and defensive weapons systems, and countermeasures. NUWC’s other division is located in Keyport, Wash.