Naval Technical Training Center welcomed a new commanding officer, Cmdr. Shane Harris, Wednesday during an official change of command ceremony, which was held in the Navy Operational Support Center on board NAS Meridian.

        Capt. Bernard Dunn, Jr., commanding officer, Center for Service Support, was the guest speaker during the ceremony, where NTTC personnel bid farewell to Cmdr. Christopher Bownds, who has served as the commanding officer since June 2008.

    During Bownds’ tour, he achieved tremendous success by focusing on the professional development and personal growth of his staff and students, spearheading the implementation of numerous initiatives lauded throughout the training community as benchmarks in student management.

        Bownds engaged in the future of the Navy’s rate structure by providing guidance and leadership in the Storekeeper/Postal Clerk merger into the Logistic Specialist rating. His leadership enabled a seamless transition while maintaining a steady flow of trained Sailors to the fleet. Through aggressive student and pipeline management, he decreased total time to train for the Logistics Specialist “A” school by 13 percent.

        Additionally, Bownds implemented numerous community service programs to cement strong relations between the Navy and the local area, resulting in receipt of three Navy Region Southeast Community Service Awards and the overall 2009 Navy Community Service Program Award for the Environmental Stewardship Flagship.

        Harris reports to Meridian from his most recent assignment as Executive Assistant to Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education). Before graduating from Purdue University and receiving his commission through the NROTC program, he enlisted in the Navy as an undesignated Seaman in the Seaman Apprentice Program.

    His previous staff assignments ashore include Echelon I Manpower Requirements Officer (N122D) on the staff of the Chief of Naval Personnel; Administrative Department Head, Naval District Washington; Administrative Officer, Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility, Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico; Officer-in-Charge, Personnel Support Detachment, China Lake, Calif.; and as Staff Officer, Officer Plans and Career Progression (PERS-21), Bureau of Naval Personnel.

    His operational assignments include G1 ARSIC-West, Combined Joint Task Force PHOENIX VI and Embedded Training Team S1, FOB APACHE, Qalat, Afghanistan; Training Officer, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75); Maintenance Material Management Officer, USS Nimitz (CVN 68); and as Engineering Administration/Repair Division Officer, USS Dahlgren (DDG 43). He has deployed to South America (UNITAS XXXII), to the eastern Mediterranean, the Arabian Gulf and Afghanistan.

         Harris holds a Masters Degree in HR Business Management from Marymount University and a Masters Degree in Military Studies from USMC Command and General Staff College.

        NTTC Meridian trains 100 percent of the Navy’s Administrative and Supply “A” School personnel and graduates more than 3,000 annually.

        Bownds’ next duty assignment will be on the staff of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Manpower and Reserve Affairs.