Sing Second Alumni

It’s I-Day! And the Sing Second team welcomed the Class of 2030 and their parents to Naptown with a live recording from the Pod's original sponsor - Dry 85. Grant Vermeer '17 of Academy Insider joined John Schofield for a discussion about I-Day with parents and alums in attendance at Annapolis' best Bourbon Bar. Jason Salata '94 dropped his son, Leo, off today. He talks about his experience...the emotions...and the leadership lessons he gleaned from his plebe summer experience. Isaac Phillips '19 joins the pod, as well, to talk about his I-Day experience and some of the programs we have in place at AA&F to engage Mids and their parents now and in the future. That and more on the best Alumni Pod there is. Beat Army. Always.

It’s I-Day week here at the Alumni Association & Foundation, and we welcome the Class of 2030 to Annapolis with gusto. Chris and John talk a little about I Day and some podcast fun we have planned for the big day. We talk about the new Commandant, too. Capt. Clint Cornell ‘01 took the helm as the Dant June 22nd in a ceremony in Dahlgren Hall. We wrap up a successful week at Fluegel with the Entrepreneur’s Summit and we chat about the ceremony to present the Ripley family the Medal of Honor last week at the White House. Our feature interview brings us a conversation with three alums. Chance, Spencer and Bonnie work at Academy Securities. They talk about the company, their mission and their experiences as alums. That and more on the best Alumni Pod there is. Beat Army. Always.

We arrive at mid-June with an awesome pod updating you on the summer happenings in Annapolis. The big one this week is the Entrepreneur Summit. This annual event takes place at the Fluegel Alumni Center and features an all-star lineup of panelists, graduates and experts in the entrepreneurial journey. This is the true connection and support the Alumni Association & Foundation is here for. We preview the summit. We also chat about the AA&F Travel Program...our amazing service to alumni allowing them to connect all around the world through incredible vacations and excursions. John Schofield talks about his recent trip on the Historic Rivers of Europe. Our interviews this week feature AJ Bauer...our Teammate at the Alumni Association & Foundation. AJ is the Associate Vice President for Development. She talks about her amazing team...the national and global reach of the development team and the impact of philanthropy at USNA. Get to better Know one of our amazing teammates. And we chat with Valhalla Sailing's Mike Wood and Michael Kuiper '06. They discuss the organization's critical mission of the organization to help vets...period. They deliver the camaraderie and sense of belonging that many veterans struggle to find after transitioning to civilian life. That and more on the best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army. Always

June is here…and the pod keeps on keepin on. We jump into the summer season with a little discussion about the progress on the yard with McDonough Hall and the other major NAAA announcements about the Navy/Marine Corps Stadium south end zone renovation project and the new Naval Academy Athletic Foundation Pavilion. Chris and John discuss. We chat about the travel program and some of the happenings on the calendar in June. And our Alumni interview this week is with Clint Carroll ‘89. Clint is a proud member of the Class of 1989. Served as a SWO. Came back to USNA to serve as the DepDant as a Captain. And now he’s in the Pentagon…retired…working as a civilian for the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, ADM Jim Kilby ‘86. Clint and John talk Black Shoe Navy…what makes the Academy so special…and a little about Warren Zevon. Clint is a worldly guy with amazing perspective. We loved this interview. That and more on the best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army. Always

Don’t like reading magazines? Want to hear some of the behind the scenes of how the greatest Alumni Association & Foundation Magazine comes together? Tune in for Sing Second Shipmate…where Emily Lucht, John Schofield and Shipmate Editor Jimmy DeButts talk about the stories in the latest issue. From the amazing cover photo to discussion about the continued 50 Years of Women Legacy of Valor series, this pod dives deeper into the content of your magazine. Jimmy breaks down the details of his exclusive interview with Tom Ripley about his father’s medal of honor…and we dish about the great Sandy Spadaro, who is featured in the magazine on the occasion of her retirement from AA&F after 29 years. Tune in for a great conversation.

Commissioning Week came and went. The Blues did their thing. The graduation speakers were spot on. And the Class of 2026 joined the Fleet and Marine Corps. John and Chris recap the Ac Year and preview the summer ahead. Our featured interview this week involves a little conversation with two alums about Quantum Computing. Gib Armstrong ‘91 and Capt Peter Brereton ‘01 join John Schofield for a conversation about their thoughts on Quantum Computing and how they are advancing Quantum Computing forward from industry - Gib - and from the classroom - Peter, a Professor at USNA’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. What will happen when Quantum meets AI? Are the Mids postured and educated in this environment to meet the challenges of Quantum and speed of information? A fascinating discussion. That and more on the best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army. Always

Commissioning Week marches on…and the threat of rain is real. There is a forecast for rain for graduation, but the Sing Second team has your graduation day content in case you’re riding out the graduation in the rain. John and Chris talk about the graduation speaker - spoiler alert…there is no set schedule of speakers, so it wasn’t an oddity that POTUS didn’t speak. We shout out Maren Louridas ‘26 as the recipient of the annual Naval Academy Alumni Association Award, and we send an appreciation to the Class of 1976 as they see off the 2026ers as their Link in the Chain mentors. And our interviews this week are three mini-panels with our Thriving As Leaders Awardees. Hear from Bob Kuberski ‘93, Adrienne Griffen ‘87, Kevin White ‘92, Jake Harriman ‘98, Tom Schram ‘69, Kerwin Miller ‘75, John Schmorhun ‘77, Stefanie Goebel ‘80 and Lou Giannotti ‘69. These three panels drop the knowledge on leadership, resilience, giving back and continuing to serve. These panels are special. We also chat with Angela Domingos '00 this week about how to nominate amazing alums for these awards going forward. That and more on the best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army. Always

Commissioning Week is here, and John and Chris are pumped for the Class of 2026. The class of 2029 had a good week last week...Sea Trials...scaling Herndon in 2:17...Plebes no more!! Shout out to Jason Hedberg '94 and Mikie Sherrill '94, whose son Lincoln '29 was the capper. We also chat about a very special season for Navy Women's Lax, whose season ended in the elite 8 with a heartbreaking loss to Maryland. And we give the rundown on the activities that await during Commissioning Week. Our alumni interview this week features Bob Ravener '81, recently honored at our Joint Board meetings last month as one Of our Thriving as Leaders awardees in the Alumni Outstanding Achievement – Professional (AOA-P) category. Ravener’s visionary approach to veteran hiring has led to the employment of over 150,000 veterans across major companies like Home Depot, Starbucks, and Dollar General—each earning the Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Freedom Award under his leadership. We also chat with Angela Domingos '00 this week about how to nominate amazing alums for these awards going forward. That and more on the best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army. Always

Here we go! Welcome to May. The Sing Second team is steaming toward the end of the season with a special double interview segment featuring Perry Martini from 71 and CAPT Sydney Barber '21. Ever wonder why the Bill the Goat mascot wears #71? Well...Perry Martini can tell you. Perry also dishes about his time in the Athletic Department back in the day and being a long-time class president. Also joining us is Sydney Barber. Sydney was the first feamle African-American Brigade Commander back in 2021, but we chat less about that and more about what she learned as a leader balancing a Mechanical Engineering major, being a Track & Field varsity athlete and trying to lead the Brigade through COVID. An amazing conversation. Don't miss two different alum perspectives from two Link in the Chain classes. Chris and John also break down a great weekend for Patriot League Champion Navy Women's Lax and a successful Board Season for the AA&F. And it's now GREAT CLASS CHALLENGE week!! Get out there and give. Which class will run this ship? Let's see. And finally, we offer some appreciation for the Naval Academy community and our fellow podcaster and soon-to-be college alum Colin Schofield. That and more on the best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army. Always

Two pods in one week?!? Yesssssir. Chris and John run back another pod to celebrate the arrival of May. They discuss the recent Council of Class Presidents meeting and preview the weekend ahead…which features Navy Rugby playing for the National Title! And our interview this week features another prime example of our alums making it happen from the Fleet to the C Suite - Prudential Chairman and CEO Andy Sullivan. Andy talks about his origins in Delaware, his perspectives on leadership and his vision for Prudential. A great convo on a wide range of topics. That and more on the best Alumni Association podcast there is. Beat Army. Always