Aguayo is the 34th commander overall and the first female officer to oversee NAVFAC Atlantic. She is now also dual-hatted as the U.S. Fleet Forces Civil Engineer.
Rear Adm. John W. Korka, commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, and Chief of Civil Engineers, presided over the ceremony and presented VanderLey with a Legion of Merit for exceptional service.
He praised VanderLey for his guidance of the NAVFAC Atlantic team supporting both the Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Navy’s national response amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The citation likewise cited VanderLey’s supervision of crucial military construction projects at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, in support of the massive Hurricane Florence recovery effort, worth $1.67 billion in total in North Carolina.
“NAVFAC Atlantic is an important and powerful place to work. The mission you execute is critical to force generation and supporting power projection. NAVFAC Atlantic you stand triumphantly in the center of the arena today,” said Korka. “Dust, sweat, toil and triumph are your rations of success and today, I stand before all of you to say, well done.”
VanderLey led NAVFAC Atlantic since 2019. His next assignment will be a commander of NAVFAC Pacific.
In his remarks to the assembled audience on the lawn of the historic Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads Lafayette River Annex, VanderLey commended the men and women of NAVFAC Atlantic.
“Rear Admiral Korka said a lot of kind words and even gave me a medal,” said VanderLey gesturing to his audience. “But, all of that is really an acknowledgement of your work. NAVFAC Atlantic will always have a special place in my heart. I have served three tours here and while I am looking forward to NAVFAC Pacific, I will never forget the great professionals here at LANT. You are fantastic!”
Hailing from Arizona, Aguayo received her commission in 1993. A registered Professional Engineer in the state of Arizona, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Stanford University. Aguayo is also a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Executive Development Program and is a qualified Seabee Combat Warfare officer. Her most recent assignment was as Chief of Staff, NAVFAC Headquarters.
“To the men and women of NAVFAC Atlantic, I am honored to have the opportunity to work with you and lead this fine team of professionals,” said Aguayo. “For many years, I have admired your leadership, skilled execution and accomplishments, first as the operations officer at NAVFAC Southeast and then as the commanding officer of NAVFAC EURAFCENT.”
Declaring her utmost respect for NAVFAC and its support of the warfighter, Aguayo challenged the team by adding, “We all must continue to learn, adapt and urgently apply best practices to drive our desired outcomes focusing on safe, timely and quality results. It is our imperative and duty to our nation to do so, and to hold ourselves accountable to these outcomes.”
More than 9,000 military servicemembers and civil servants of NAVFAC Atlantic provide products and services across an area of responsibility stretching the entire eastern seaboard as well as NAVFAC’s forward deployed sites within the U.S. European Command, U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Central Command. In FY20, NAVFAC Atlantic executed $7.6 billion in nearly 17,000 contract actions, the largest volume of work this century.