Recognizing Captain Dave Richardson, United States Navy, Ph.D., for Winning the 2024 United States Naval Academy Military Professor Teaching Excellence Award

Floor Speech

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Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Captain Dave Richardson, United States Navy, the 2024 recipient of the United States Naval Academy Military Professor Teaching Excellence Award.

This award, initiated in 2014, is bestowed biennially in even- numbered academic years upon a military faculty member at the Naval Academy whose contributions to the academic, professional, and moral development of midshipmen reflect the highest principles of excellence in education. Eligible faculty are those military faculty members who have exhibited continued excellence in teaching and sustained contributions to the intellectual professional development of midshipmen.

A third generation Navy Sailor, Dave is currently a Permanent Military Professor and academic Department Chair of the Political Science Department at the United States Naval Academy. He has achieved excellence at every echelon of academia: graduating with merit from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1995, with his M.S. in Leadership from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2000, with distinction from the Naval War College in 2007, and finally with his Ph.D from The George Washington University in 2018. Prior to his selection as a Permanent Military Professor, he earned a noteworthy reputation as a career Surface Warfare Officer of the highest caliber, culminating with his service as the 10th Commanding Officer of the USS Porter (DDG-78) out of Norfolk, VA.

Teaching a wide range of political science core, elective, and capstone courses, as well as courses in naval leadership, CAPT Richardson continuously inspires midshipmen to the highest levels of academic accomplishment through innovative and interactive classroom activities. Focused on the holistic development of future officers in the naval service, he is widely recognized for his ability to achieve course objectives while also personally engaging every midshipman in his classroom regarding their unique leadership journey. From freshmen courses in U.S. Government and Constitutional Development to upper- level courses in Political Science Methods and Civil-Military Relations, his students respond positively to his ability to be simultaneously rigorous, enthusiastic, caring, and firm but fair. In addition to serving as the department chair, Dave actively leads from the front as an academic advisor, honors program advisor, and senior honor and conduct remediator. His dedication and impact to the mission of the Naval Academy are evident from his consistent engagement with groups of midshipmen large and small based on his significant operational tours, command at sea experience, and scholarly work.

The people of Minnesota's Third Congressional District and this Nation are lucky to have people like Dave teaching at our service academies and leading the nation's sons and daughters in our military. I wish to congratulate him on this great accomplishment and thank him for his decades of faithful service to the Nation. Bravo Zulu to Dave.

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