The mission of the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) is to strengthen our national security through high-level, transformative programs. The coursework reflects this intention, but the development and leadership skills gained transcend well beyond the classroom, assisting its graduates in ways they never imagined and for years to come.
I talked with participants of the CHDS programs – Lt. Victoria Castleberry, Capt. Mark Kuperman and Megan Johns Henry – to learn more about their experiences, what they gained by attending and how learning continues for them, even after graduation.
Lt. Victoria Castleberry graduated from the Emergence Program in Jan. 2024. She is currently assigned as the Advancements & Career Retentions Section Chief at CG PSC-EPM-1.
Capt. Mark Kuperman is an Aug. 2024 graduate of the Executive Leaders Program (ELP) and serves as the Sector Commander and Captain of the Port for Sector Eastern Great Lakes. He was named the Ellen Gordon Award recipient for his cohort – an honor voted on by all the cohort participants. Named for the former longtime ELP director, the award recognizes program participants who exhibit the capacity to “seek knowledge beyond what is commonly known and to challenge the status quo.”
Ms. Megan Johns Henry is a current student of the Master’s Degree Program Cohort 2304, anticipating graduation in Spring 2025. She works in the Maritime Personnel Qualifications Division (CG-MMC-1), Office of Merchant Mariner Credentialing.
How has the CHDS program in which you participated helped you grow professionally?
Lt. Victoria Castleberry, Graduate of CHDS Emergence Program Cohort 2301:
The six months I spent learning with fellow Homeland Security professionals through Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security [Emergence Program] was exactly what I needed to strengthen my understanding of interagency relationships, the larger mission of DHS, and improve my critical thinking abilities. The material provided by the program for reading, discussion, and the capstone change-initiative project provided professional development that was unparalleled.
Capt. Mark Kuperman, Graduate of CHDS Executive Leaders Program Cohort 2302:
My favorite aspect of the program was seeing and learning from the vulnerability of my peers. I found it invigorating to be surrounded by confident local, state, and federal leaders who could let their guard down, admit what they didn’t know and share often deeply personal experiences. This collective trust-fall helped propel my own sense of growth and maturity to a new level. It also accelerated my learning curve, as we often dug quickly into deep and important issues.
Tell me about the difference the CHDS staff made?
Lt. Victoria Castleberry, Graduate of CHDS Emergence Cohort 2301:
The program director, Cynthia Renaud, truly invests in each student and brings in not only her own extensive experience and expertise but also a vast array of distinguished guest speakers during the program’s in-residence portions. We learned about the emerging threats to the Homeland Security enterprise through a national, regional, and private company lenses. Leaving those lectures we regularly launched into in-depth discussions on secondary and tertiary effects of those threats.
How has CHDS positively impacted you in your current role with the Coast Guard?
Lt. Victoria Castleberry, Graduate of CHDS Emergence Cohort 2301:
I used the capstone project to push for and gain support from my leadership for policy change that will impact enlisted members through reducing the administrative burden for early reenlistments to obligate service. My policy revisions, although not finalized, are in the proposed revisions to the updated Commandant Instruction currently under review.
Additionally, this program gave me confidence to make several smaller but impactful changes to standard business practices within my section that have improved workflow and reduced response timelines.
Capt. Mark Kuperman, Graduate of CHDS Executive Leader Program Cohort 2302:
The program has already changed how I approach team projects and will continue to do so going forward. Even in a hierarchal, military structure, it is important to leverage all variety of perspectives.
While I’d like to think I already knew this, this program has helped me understand taking that approach is not just a matter of the whole team feeling like they belong, this point is absolutely essential to making real team progress. People who are driven by a passion to improve their community, state or nation have to be heard and… it is also an obligation in bringing the new leaders behind us up through the ranks that we ensure their voices are heard and incorporated into solutions.
Ms. Megan Johns Henry, CHDS Master’s Degree Program Cohort 2304:
While I’m still in the middle of it, I can say that the program has given me a new perspective of my own work and how it fits into the larger landscape of Homeland Security. It has been really interesting to come back from the in-residence periods because I feel energized from time with my cohort and I’m usually inspired to incorporate something I learned.
In my experience, so many of us are so focused on “getting the work done” and the deadlines we must keep that we don’t get to try things out or play with other ways of doing them. Being in the CHDS Master’s Program gives me the chance to try things and to play with different options that our office might not have time to consider; having the opportunity to try things out and even finetune them with my class lets me bring back better ideas for tools we can use.
Based on your experience, what makes CHDS so valuable?
Lt. Victoria Castleberry, Graduate of CHDS Emergence Program Cohort 2301:
The CHDS Emergence Program is truly a unique fellowship. It connected me to new colleagues across the enterprise and innovative ways of thinking that I would not be able to duplicate through an independent graduate school class or through self-study, I cannot speak highly enough about it. Also, the time, energy, and dedication of the NPS CHDS staff make this program incredibly worthwhile
Ms. Megan Johns Henry, CHDS Master’s Degree Cohort 2304:
The real value in it is the people. It has been reassuring to find staff and instructors who are clearly invested in having us do well; it’s easy to see their dedication. The members of my cohort are really just a phenomenal group of people and I don’t know how I would have met them otherwise. They really do inspire me to want to keep up with them, plus they’ve become great friends when support is needed.
What made you want to take this program?
Capt. Mark Kuperman, Graduate of CHDS Executive Leaders Program Cohort 2302:
I applied to the Executive Leaders Program after receiving feedback from several trusted CG peers/ELP alumni that it was worth the investment of time and energy. My personal goal was to expand my mindset as a leader by surrounding myself with other leaders, who I presumed would be insightful, caring, and with vastly different backgrounds. I wasn’t wrong.
For more information, application due dates and eligibility requirements, see links below:
- Emergence Program (GS9 - 13, active duty officers, active duty enlisted E5 and above)
- Master’s Degree Program (GS11 - 15, SES or equivalent, active duty officers, active duty enlisted E5 and above)
- Executive Leader’s Program (GS14 - 15, SES or equivalent, active duty officers O5 and above, active duty enlisted E8-E9
The CHDS programs are part of the DHS Academic Programs. For questions, please contact the program manager, Ms. Alyssa Lombardi Blase.
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