JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Petty Officer 1st Class Aisha R. Thomas, Naval Medical Leader and Professional Development Command, was selected as the 2023 Naval Medical Forces Support Command Sailor of the Year at a ceremony presided over by Rear Adm. Cynthia A. Kuehner, NMFSC commander, at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas on April 6, 2023.
Thomas was recognized for her work ethic, leadership, and values as an asset to Navy Medicine. Among her accomplishments as acting Leading Chief Petty Officer were leading 10 Petty Officers First Class, 74 Sailors, 60 civilians and guiding 48 officers in graduating 133 Joint Service Dental Officers from nine warfighting readiness postgraduate dental programs.
As a catalyst in providing warfighter-ready personnel, Thomas prepared two Sailors for immediate hot-fill taskers enabling the training and readiness of the Navy and Marine Corps personnel. Additionally, she chaired 16 directorate and command level Sailor of the Quarter boards and screened 20 packages, resulting in eight command winners. Her tireless efforts led to the outstanding success of her unit and the Navy!
Her selfless leadership was infectious, serving as the driving force behind seven departments in accomplishing 3,242 professional dental treatment plans for 1,731 beneficiaries valued at $1.7 million, successfully sustaining a 96% readiness rate across two commands.
Additionally, she pioneered the first-ever Master Training Specialist program for NMLPDC, which provided monthly trainings to enhance professional knowledge throughout the program.
Thomas will go on to represent NMFSC at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Sailor of the Year competition later this spring. The annual Sailor of the Year selection events are held to recognize superior performance of individual Sailors who exceed in personifying the Navy Core Values.
The other NMFSC Sailor of the Year nominees were Petty Officer 1st Class Jimmy Mixon III, assigned to Navy Medicine Operational Training Command; Petty Officer 1st Class Amanda C. Barton, assigned to Naval Medicine Training Support Center; and Petty Officer 1st Class Justin R. Moison, assigned to Headquarters, NMFSC.
Kuehner expressed that she was impressed by all the Sailors saying, “each of the Sailors embodies the principals and ideals of Navy Medicine. They have gone above and beyond their normal expected duties to display exceptional professional, technical and leadership skills. I could not be prouder of this group and their outstanding accomplishments.”