Two Newly Pinned Navy Chiefs Reflect on the Challenges and Rewards of Leadership

Nineteen chief selectees from Commander, Navy Region Hawaii (CNRH) and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) commands were pinned to chief petty officers during a ceremony at Kilo Pier onboard JBPHH on Sept. 27.

CNRH spoke with two of the new chiefs about their leadership roles, how they advanced, their role models and what they hope to achieve in the future.

Chief Quartermaster (QMC) Unique Dante Thomas, 35, was one of the 78 Sailors selected out of 120 quartermasters who were selection-board eligible. He works as the CNRH foreign ship liaison officer with additional duties as a command fitness leader and the assistant suicide prevention coordinator. Thomas starts a new role as the regional casualty assistance calls officer (CACO) in November.

Thomas was born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey and graduated from Wellsboro High School in Pennsylvania after attending three other high schools in his mother’s effort to keep his two sisters, his brother, and him on track by avoiding neighborhoods with higher rates of crime. Thomas played basketball at Rowan College at Burlington County College before deciding to join the Navy in 2011. He was inspired to enlist by his grandfather who served as a private in the Army and his cousin, a Marine who manages logistics for his command.

Chief Operations Specialist (OSC) Shanaya Scott, 36, works at the CNRH Emergency Management Office as a disaster preparedness training specialist. She supervises two enlisted Sailors with an additional duty as the command fitness leader. In November, Scott will begin a new role as an instructor for the Afloat Training Group (ATG) for Middle Pacific (MIDPAC).

Scott was born and raised in Manhattan, New York and graduated from Park West High School. After witnessing the collapse of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, Scott felt compelled to join the military. Scott, who was in junior high school at the time, was crossing the Brooklyn Bridge by car with her sister when they saw the buildings fall.

“From that point on, I knew I wanted to give back to my country. That just fueled my fire,” recalled Scott, who joined the Navy in 2007 shortly after graduating from high school.

Who is a role model for you?

QMC Thomas: I have two: Senior Chief Quartermaster Leon Williams and my wife, Chief Yeoman Raven Bradley Thomas.

Senior Chief Leon Williams was my chief on the USS Sentry (MCM-3). He was there when I had a death in the family and going through a failed marriage at the time. I didn’t have anyone to tell me how to lead or how to be a role model. He helped me develop the confidence to be a leader.

The other person is my wife, Chief Yeoman Raven Bradley Thomas. She’s been an inspiration to me. I watched her get pinned. She got pinned two years ago to chief and that’s when it clicked in my mind that this is an attainable goal. She challenged me to pursue more: don’t just settle for the bare minimum, push yourself to the limit. She didn’t use the anchor to try and motivate me. She used our friendship and eventually our marriage when we got married and she’s still doing it to this day.

It took me out of my comfort zone, but I was happy I actually listened because as I pursued more, the recognition came and I was able to earn qualifications that most quartermasters and many first classes don’t get a chance to obtain like becoming a CACO, an assistant navigator, and an antiterrorism tactical watch office (ATTWO). I was able to accomplish that.

OSC Scott: My aunt, Master Sgt. Debra Reed who retired from the Air Force after 22 years of service, is a role model because I’ve seen her come from a lot of hardships in life but break through those which led her to be really successful in the Air Force, and the qualities that I loved about her are that she’s god-driven, she’s compassionate, she’s fair across the board, and she’s empathetic. I have that same kind of leadership style.

My other role model is retired Operations Specialist Master Chief Petty Officer Kenny Debnam. He was my very first chief and he took me and all of his Sailors under his wing during our time aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) in 2007. I served on that ship for about eight months, and I admired his compassion and sternness because he kept it real. Till this day, everyone we served with, he’s like our second dad.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

QMC Thomas: As a quartermaster, the most rewarding part of my job is navigating. I like traveling through different bodies of water like the Atlantic Ocean and being able to see different ports. I’ve been in U.S. 7th Fleet and U.S. 5th Fleet my whole career. I’ve had a lot of adventures on the U.S. Fifth Fleet waters in the Gulf as well.

I was a quartermaster stationed in Bahrain on the USS Sentry (MCM-3). We went to establish different relationships with other Middle Eastern countries. It was to build relations with these host nations and train with them. We were the first minesweeper ship in the last eight years with a crew of mostly minemen to travel across the Bab Al Mandab Strait. We were able to see different ports and we had a lot of swim calls. It was very eye opening. It was something new that I haven’t experienced as a more senior quartermaster.

OSC Scott: The most rewarding part of my job is being able to help people. What the day-to-day looks like for me is practicing training and drilling while we’re in the training environment because when a real crisis occurs, we’ll be needed to assist the community. I love helping. With physical fitness, I’m here to help people get in shape and have better nutrition, so they pass the physical fitness test.

In August 2007, we were on deployment aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard and I met them in Bahrain. That’s the first encounter that I had with that many people. I was an operations specialist seaman recruit, an E1, who was brand spanking new and I think that’s where I got my leadership foundational tools like how I wanted to be as I went through the ranks. This included the good things I wanted to take with me and the bad things that I wanted to harness but not use as I grew. That was one of the first times where I adopted a lot of the foundational tools that helped me to get where I am today.

What is a major challenge in your current role?

QMC Thomas: A major challenge is more responsibility. As a petty officer first class, you have collateral duties where you’re an assistant, but now as a chief you’re more of a program manager. These are your programs. It’s learning how to balance them as well as if you are dual hatted, how to balance them and knowing the fine line if you have too much on your plate or if you’re overwhelmed, just communicating with others for the assistance.

OSC Scott: The chiefs are the backbone of the Navy. You always hear, “ask the chief.” It’s our duty to not only train up, guide, and mentor our junior Sailors, but also train up, and guide the junior officers who will one day become captains and admirals. It’s a very important role. It meant a lot to me that the panel believed in me, believed in everything that I’ve done and sees potential in me that I can have a great impact and continue to make an impact on the junior Sailors and the officers.

What do you hope to achieve as chief?

QMC Thomas: To motivate and help Sailors. At this point, it’s not really about myself anymore. It’s about giving back to the junior Sailors and making sure that they are good to go. When Sailors join, their families’ biggest concern is who’s going to watch after my child because I can’t do it. As a chief that’s going to be my job to make sure that Sailors are safe, Sailors return home with 10 fingers, 10 toes, as well as helping my peers and junior officers wherever they need me.

OSC Scott: Seeing the enlisted Sailors I lead succeed is rewarding and seeing them grow. Seeing them advance in their personal and professional life. Just seeing them win.