Brittni N. King, a native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, was recently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in a ceremony held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., She began her naval career in 2010, after attending the University of Arkansas but being unsure if she would be able to afford tuition.
While attending a career fair, King met a Navy recruiter who told her about the Civil Engineer Corps (CEC), which is responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of the Navy’s on-shore facilities. Though a military career had never occurred to her before, King joined the CEC, which paid her way through her undergraduate studies.
“Before the promotion board, I had a dark cloud of fear and doubt over my head. I knew I could do great things if given the opportunity,” said Lt. Cmdr. King during the promotion ceremony. “I’m thankful I get to continue to serve and answer the call, to lead, and be inspired every day by great people.”
This promotion comes after a 4-year tour of duty with the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) in Washington, D.C., where she worked as a construction manager at Public Works Department Washington and as an assistant public works officer (APWO) at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). In these roles, Lt. Cmdr. King managed 17 construction projects worth a collective value of $94 million and led a team of 35 military and civilian personnel in the planning, development and execution of the NRL’s infrastructure sustainment requirement. She plans to spend the next year pursuing a master’s degree in project management at the University of Maryland.
Lt. Cmdr. King addressed her wife, Ashleigh, during her promotion ceremony:
“Ashleigh, I love you and I appreciate you for giving me the grace to endure those moments of fear and doubt and also to reframe my perspective and internalize all the successes I’ve had. I’m just thankful for all the opportunities the Navy has afforded me.”
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