NSWC Crane makes selections for three key command roles
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, a Navy federal laboratory located in the Southern Indiana has selected Jenna Dix to serve as director of engagement, which is one of 10 positions on the Executive Leadership Team responsible for directing departments and leading NSWC Crane’s strategic vision. She brings more than 17 years of service to Crane into this new role and has spent the last 10 years of her career within the Chief Technology Office, cultivating valuable strategic partnerships both internally across NSWC Crane and externally with the Innovation Ecosystem partners.
Dix is responsible for the engagement and advocacy functions of NSWC Crane, representing NSWC Crane across the region, state, and country in order to further its strategic initiatives. She is the focal point in providing strategic awareness and leadership across the region to establish Crane and its Innovation Ecosystem as the “Destination of Choice” in support of the nation’s security needs. Dix will be leading Crane’s engagement with national, regional, and local organizations, promoting innovation and collaboration, connecting Crane’s expertise to key national defense priorities, identifying opportunities for growth, and ensuring Crane is bringing the full force of its ecosystem to bear on national defense challenges facing the nation.
As director of Crane’s Technology Transfer Program and Office of Naval Research designee as the Office of Research and Technology Applications, Dix was responsible for the strategic management of Crane’s intellectual capital and for developing key strategic partnerships that enhance the research and development capabilities of NSWC Crane. During her tenure, she demonstrated strategic thinking and decision making to create innovative initiatives to move Crane technologies into the marketplace and reduce barriers to collaborating with Crane. Dix received four national awards for demonstrated excellence and innovation in T2; three were from the Federal Laboratory Consortium and one was from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
Prior to serving as director of the T2 program, Dix was Crane’s subject matter expert in technology partnerships. She was responsible for connecting the science and technology community with external resources to achieve research and development goals and employed Technology Transfer as a catalyst for mission execution. Prior to serving in the T2 Program, Dix spent 10 years supporting the Navy’s Small Arms Program, providing multispectral programmatic and logistics support. Dix has a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, a Graduate Certificate in Public Management, and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
Monica Hutchins has been selected as command chief strategist where she will be responsible for leading strategic efforts that include development and deployment of NSWC Crane’s strategic intent, planning, and execution activities. She will lead strategic activities designed to enhance and expand NSWC Crane’s three mission areas and Command initiatives. Hutchins will work closely with key investment areas ensuring efficiency of resources available. She will continue to serve as the command’s representative to the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, additional regional economic forums, and a continued Navy Liaison/Mentor volunteer to the Air Force TechStars Accelerator.
Prior to this selection, Hutchins served as chief strategist for the Global Deterrence and Defense Department where she planned, developed, and implemented mission plans for Trusted Microelectronics, Nuclear TRIAD modernization, and Advanced Concepts. She also served as the inaugural regional director for the Midwest Tech Bridge creating and standing-up the new NavalX Tech Bridge capability to connect regional defense ecosystems. Over the course of her 24-year career with the Department of Defense, Hutchins has been an author of strategy and policy. During her career, she worked at various levels of the DOD including: multiple squadrons, Naval Air Facility, Airbase Wing, Major Command, Combatant Command, HQ USAF, and SECNAV & CNO senior staffs. She has served as an adjunct faculty member with Air University.
During a Combatant Command tour at U.S. Strategic Command, Hutchins served as a nuclear weapons analyst. In this capacity, she developed modernization and budgetary plans for the nation’s nuclear enterprise consisting of nuclear lab improvements, monetary policy, weapon system acquisitions, and Congressional testimonials. In addition, Hutchins worked at Air Force Space Command bases and multiple joint overseas locations including Keflavik, Iceland, and Misawa Air Base, Japan. During her first Pentagon tour, Hutchins served on the HQ Air Force staff managing worldwide personnel programs, ran a multi-billion dollar Information Technology portfolio, and worked extensively on Joint military task forces spanning from the Middle East through Central Asia. As part of the Chief of Naval Operations and Secretary of the Navy staffs, her second tour at the Pentagon, she led Department of Navy-wide strategy and innovation efforts which directly impacted warfighting innovation and technology advances.
Hutchins holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Management with an International Management concentration. She has completed the Professional Military Education levels of Squadron Officers School, Air Command and Staff College, and the Department of Navy Bridging the Gap Executive Leadership Program as well as numerous Executive Education courses.
Nancy Maloy has been selected as technical deputy for Contracts Department. She brings more than 30 years of service with both technical and business experience to this role. This position serves as a customer advocate for Contracts Department by interfacing with the mission areas and provides synergy between the business and technical functions. Maloy will begin this new assignment beginning in August, after a rotation through July as the Spectrum Warfare Department deputy director.
She will be responsible for overall strategic acquisition planning and direction in support of the technical product lines and business codes. This role requires comprehensive knowledge of NSWC Crane’s Mission Areas, engineering, and scientific goals, and uses this understanding to help bridge any gaps between the technical departments and the Contracts department. Maloy previously served as program lead for Navy Hypersonics since 2019, where she joined a small team of dedicated professionals who have grown Crane’s technical and program support in the areas of systems engineering, modelling and simulation, advanced concepts research and development, support equipment and logistics, pier side support equipment, test and evaluation, power and energy, program protection, and cyber security support. Along with this role, she has served rotations as deputy for the Global Deterrence and Defense Department and Contracts Department.
Maloy spent a few years outside of Crane as chief of staff for the NSWC Dahlgren Division Dam Neck Activity as the senior civilian to the Commanding officer, leading the Command staff and business operations. She previously served as the NSWC Crane Corporate Operations Department director, where she led the management of the Corporate Operations workforce to provide critical leadership of a 350-person department responsible in the areas of Human Resources, Infrastructure, Information Technology, Safety and Security, Business and Financial, and Property Management competencies.
In 1990, Maloy started her career as a budget analysist and then transitioned to a mathematician in a software branch. She has served in various key leadership roles since then in all three technical departments, such as Re-engineering Lead for Spectrum Department, branch manager roles in Global and Spectrum departments, and Division Manager of Specialized Munitions Division in the Expeditionary Department. Maloy has a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a certification in Public Management from Indiana University. She also holds a Master of Public Administration from IUPUI.