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A Suffolk native recently received a 2021 Safety Professional of the Year award in the U.S. Navy.

Rear Adm. F.R. Luchtman, Naval Safety Center commander, presented the 2021 Safety Professionals of the Year awards on Dec. 9.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jamerson Groves, of Suffolk, was the recipient of the Officer SPOY award and Senior Chief Willie Scott was the recipient of the Enlisted SPOY award. Luchtman congratulated the command award recipients for their outstanding accomplishments and presented them each with Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.

The annual awards recognize service members stationed at Naval Safety Center, who best represent the ever-growing group of dedicated safety professionals who serve as role models of professionalism and personal dedication. The officer and senior enlisted member recipients embody the core values of their service.

“Both Lt. Cmdr. Groves and Senior Chief Scott represent what is great about the Naval Safety Center,” said Luchtman. “Their dedication and day-to-day efforts ensure we are doing things that enable warfighting readiness and protect our most vital resources, our Sailors and Marines.”

Groves, originally from Suffolk, has been in the Navy for nearly 20 years and assigned to Naval Safety Center since January 2018, as an aviation safety analyst. Groves is the organization’s Aviation Safety Programs Airborne Early Warning, Carrier-on-Board Delivery, and Fixed Wing Training Command Analyst. Groves led efforts to align naval policy, risk management and assurance to assist Naval Safety Center and subordinate commands in establishing and improving their Safety Management Systems.

Groves knows the importance of the Safety Center’s mission and promoting safety culture throughout the naval enterprise. According to his leadership, he worked tirelessly to migrate mishap evidence, develop Risk Management Information policy and procedures, provided quality control of more than 350 safety reports, and conducted 18 unit safety assessments, directly contributing to readiness improvement throughout the naval enterprise.

“Without safe and healthy individuals, the Navy and Marine Corps team would be unable to achieve the objectives necessary to best serve our leaders and our country,” said Groves. “Having a culture of safety helps to ensure that we have capable sailors and Marines working towards short-term goals that build the path to the desired end-state.”

Scott, the Enlisted SPOY awardee, is originally from Detroit, Michigan, and has been in the Navy for 23 years.

“Our Navy and Marine Corps warfighters would NOT be capable, lethal, nor ready without the safety center’s assistance recognizing, mitigating, and eliminating hazards and mishaps,” said Scott.”