The DGA ceremony was
originally scheduled to be held March 21st at Alumni Hall. This schedule change was made
so Suni Williams '87 can be present along with fellow 2025 DGAs after her return from
space. A new date for the ceremony will be announced later this
spring.
ANNAPOLIS, MD (11 December 2024) — The United States Naval Academy
Alumni Association and Foundation (USNA AA&F) is pleased to announce the 2025
Distinguished Graduate Award recipients, who will be honored in a ceremony at the Naval
Academy. on Friday, 21 March 2025.
ADM Jonathan W. Greenert '75, USN
(Ret.)
VADM Anthony L. Winns '78, USN (Ret.)
CAPT Sunita L. Williams '87, USN
(Ret.)
Ms. JoAnna L. Sohovich '93
ADM Jonathan W. Greenert '75, USN
(Ret.): ADM Greenert was born and raised in Butler, Pa. He attended the Naval Academy,
majored in Ocean Engineering, and was commissioned in June 1975. Greenert completed
studies in naval nuclear engineering and entered the nuclear submarine force. His
service in submarines (FLYING FISH, TAUTOG, NR-1, MICHIGAN (GOLD)) culminated in command
of the submarine USS HONOLULU (SSN 718) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. His flag assignments
were Commander, U.S. Forces Micronesia; Deputy Comptroller, Dept. of the Navy; Deputy
Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Commander, U.S. SEVENTH Fleet (Asia); Deputy Chief of
Naval Operations, Requirements and Resources (N8); Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces
(Atlantic); and Vice Chief of Naval Operations. Greenert served as the thirtieth Chief
of Naval Operations from 2011 to 2015. He retired from military service in October 2015
and currently serves as a director on corporate boards, as a consultant and advisor, and
as a volunteer for non-profit and philanthropic organizations. He served as chair of the
USNA Distinguished Graduate Award selection panel for the 2020 through 2022 selection
cycles. He and his family have enjoyed living in Japan, Guam, Hawaii, Bangor/Seattle,
San Diego and Washington, DC.
VADM Anthony L. Winns '78, USN (Ret.): VADM
Winns is a native of Jacksonville, FL and graduated with distinction from the Naval
Academy in 1978. He later earned a master's degree with distinction from the Naval
Postgraduate School. He was the first officer in his Naval Academy class to promote to
flag rank. On active duty, he commanded Patrol Squadron Eleven, USS ESSEX (LHD-2),
Patrol and Reconnaissance Force Pacific and Task Force 32, and served as Vice Director
and Acting Director for Operations (J-3), Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Naval Inspector
General. He retired from military service in 2011 and joined Lockheed Martin, serving as
President of the Middle East-Africa region and later as Deputy, Lockheed Martin
International and Regional Executive, Africa-Latin America, overseeing global
partnerships, business development, and corporate strategy. In 2007, Winns was the
recipient of the Becoming Everything You Are (BEYA) "Career Achievement in Government"
Award for inspirational STEM leadership. He currently serves as National Chairman of the
BEYA Stars and Stripes Military Alumni Association where he has made a significant
impact reaching over 40,000 students and professionals. Moreover, he founded the BEYA
National Scholarship Foundation and co-founded the BEYA National STEM Student Mentoring
Program which, to date, has inspired over 7,000 high school students. Winns currently
serves on corporate boards and is a trustee of the Naval Academy Foundation Athletic and
Scholarship Programs. He and his family reside in Orlando, FL.
CAPT Sunita L.
Williams '87, USN (Ret.): CAPT Williams was born and raised in Needham, MA. She
graduated from the Naval Academy in 1987 and began her naval career as a helicopter
pilot, logging over 3,000 hours in 30+ aircraft as a test pilot. Williams became an
astronaut in 1998 and has made three trips to the International Space Station (ISS). She
is one of two women to command the ISS twice, and one of five U.S. astronauts with over
500 days in space. Living by her creed to "inspire the next generation of explorers,"
she is an international role model and ambassador for the Naval Academy, Navy, and NASA
astronaut program. Williams is a perennial fixture at the Naval Academy Space
Convocation, relaying her Navy and NASA experiences to the next generation of leaders
and explorers. As a former captain of the USNA women's swim team, she stays engaged with
the team and offers her guidance and support. Naval Academy ideals are the foundation of
her successful career, and she emphasizes those concepts during her interactions with
midshipmen. Her many contributions to the space program include helping build the ISS;
designing systems, products, and processes for future space travel; recruiting and
training scores of astronauts from multiple countries; and creating strong and trusted
partnerships in both the U.S. and international space communities. Williams uses her
platform to encourage careers in science and technology, speaking with school children
both in person and from space. In October 2019, her hometown of Needham, MA dedicated
the Sunita L. Williams Elementary School in recognition of her life of character,
integrity, adventure, and service. She and her husband and classmate Michael Williams
'87 live in Houston, TX.
Ms. JoAnna L. Sohovich '93: Ms. Sohovich is a 1993
graduate of the Naval Academy. She began her career as a Navy Supply Corps officer,
serving at the supply depot, U.S. Naval Submarine base in Point Loma, California. She
later deployed to the Persian Gulf aboard the USS ESSEX (LHD-2), an amphibious assault
ship, as one of the first women following the repeal of the combat exclusion policy.
Sohovich's business career has spanned various industries, including technology,
manufactured goods, and general management, and she has held leadership positions with
some of the world's leading companies such as Chamberlain Group, Stanley Black & Decker,
and Honeywell. Sohovich is an independent board director for two prestigious public
companies: Barnes Group, Inc., and Ingersoll Rand. She chairs a private equity board
under Blackstone for the Chamberlain Group. She is a member of The Committee of 200, an
invitation-only membership organization of the world's most successful women business
leaders, and a member of YPO, the world's largest leadership community of chief
executives. Sohovich serves on the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation Board of Directors and
as a member of the Women For Navy Athletics. Her philanthropic projects include the
Sohovich Refueling Station in Lejeune Hall that provides nutritional resources and
custom tools needed for athletic programs based on training and competition schedules.
She is the proud mom of teenaged super-swimmer Xavier.
The USNA AA&F wishes
to thank the 2025 DGA selection panelists, led by panel chair Admiral Harry Harris '78,
USN (Ret.), for their diligent and difficult task in selecting these four outstanding
graduates from a highly competitive field of nominees.
We also thank the
Naval Academy alumni who submitted nominations – the panel was impressed by the
achievements of every nominee.
For more information on the nomination and
selection process for the Distinguished Graduate Award, and a list of past honorees,
please visit usna.com/DGA.
The U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and
Foundation is a non-profit, independent corporation with more than 69,000 members, 77
active alumni classes, 104 chapters, 78 parent groups, and 6 Shared Interest Groups.