U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer to Operations Integrity Project Leader
When Anthony Harrell was around nine or 10 years old, he attempted to repair a broken Atari joystick on his video game system. Using his Dad’s tools, he opened up the joystick, hoping to fix it. He was not successful that day. But that early interest in STEM later propelled him toward the U.S. Naval Academy for his college education and then a 20-year career in the Navy. Today, Harrell puts that Navy education and career to work as the Operations Integrity Project Leader at Koch Pipeline in Rosemont, Minnesota.
Photo Contributed
In this position, Harrell says, “My primary responsibility is to develop and lead a team of 10 engineers in the planning and execution of integrity projects for our pipeline and its related components.”
Integrity projects are related to the reliability of the pipeline. For example, Harrell explains his team uses a “smart tool” to assess the pipeline, checking for any irregularities or potential problems. If they find a problem, they repair it, working to keep the pipeline operating and the environment safe. Koch Pipeline’s systems transport crude oil, refined petroleum products, chemicals and natural gas liquids.
Harrell was born and raised in Lamar, South Carolina.
“I was a kid in a small community,” he says, “but I had a lot of big ideas.” Armed with those big ideas, he received a congressional appointment and headed to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated with a degree in general science in 1996. Going to work in the Navy, Harrell was a surface warfare officer. These officers operate the ships and ships’ systems, along with supervising the crews.
Over the course of his 20-year career, Harrell had a number of operational and staff tours. Aboard the ships, he says, “I served in departments such as weapons, operations and engineering on the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. I served on the amphibious transport dock ships. And I served on one aircraft carrier, the Harry S. Truman, that was my last operational tour.”
Harrell started out in engineering, assigned as an auxiliary officer aboard the USS Mahan prior to the ship being commissioned. An auxiliary officer is similar to an engineering supervisor in the civilian world. After several months, he was given greater responsibilities aboard the Mahan as the main propulsion officer. In this job, Harrell was charged with maintaining the ship’s propulsion and electricity. “I was about 23 years old and my responsibilities went from leading a team of 7 to leading a team of 85,” he says.
For his next tour, Harrell headed to the amphibious transport dock, USS Juneau, home-ported in Sasebo, Japan. There, he was assigned as a navigator, where he gained valuable experience working with foreign navies.
Opportunities for Education
Following those successful operational tours, the Navy sent Harrell to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where he earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. After finishing at the Postgraduate School, Harrell had another operational tour aboard an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, this time as an operations officer. To compare this to the corporate world, Harrell explains, it would be like going from a supervisor to a manager. Next, he was assigned as a plans and policy officer stationed in Bahrain, where he had the opportunity to interact with officials in the Middle East.
After the tour in the Middle East, Harrell got the opportunity to attend the Naval War College, located in Newport, Rhode Island, where he earned a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies. He was also selected to participate as an operational planner for the Navy. Just a handful of surface warfare officers are selected for this course each year.
Equipped with what he had learned at the Naval War College, Harrell headed to the U.S. Fleet Forces Command for his next assignment, where he could apply some of that War College training.
Harrell’s last operation tour was aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, where he served as the damage control officer. He wrapped up his naval career with a tour at the Pentagon, working as a requirements officer for one of the Navy’s integrated fire control functions.
He retired from the Navy in 2015, the same year he came to work at Koch Pipeline.
Harrell reflects on his naval career and recalls some of the opportunities he gained during his time in the Navy.
“I had the opportunity to receive three degrees,” he says, “and I didn’t have any college loans to pay off. So if you’re looking to gain more education, the military may be an option. If you’re looking to develop your leadership skills, the military is definitely an option. And if you’re looking to eventually transition into corporate America- everything you learn from your background in the military is directly applicable.”
Embrace the Challenge
To a young person thinking about a STEM career today,
Harrell says, “Embrace the challenge. People rise to challenges every day. STEM, in my opinion, provides the opportunity to achieve greater things and make the world a better place to live.” He acknowledges that STEM courses can be challenging.
“Some people may think that’s intimidating,” he adds, “but I would say to use that as a motivation, to reach your untapped potential.”
Koch Pipeline is just one of many companies that makes up Koch Industries Inc. Based in Wichita, Kansas, Koch Industries owns companies involved in manufacturing, trading and investments, employing more than 100,000 people in more than 60 countries. They hire people in fields ranging from accounting and finance to engineering, information technology, skilled trades, business and more.
John Buckley, military relations manager at Koch Industries, notes the importance Koch places on hiring veterans for its workforce. “Our businesses employ thousands of military veterans,” he says. “We set a goal to hire another 1,000 before 2018, and have reached 844 as of Aug. 31. Our new goal is 1,800 before 2018.”
The U.S. Department of Defense has recognized Koch companies for providing a supportive workplace to employees who have served in the military, explains Buckley, including its Koch Vets program for providing mentorship and career coaching for veterans.
Koch Chairman and CEO Charles Koch said, “Character, dedication, perseverance and courage -these traits define the military men and women who serve our nation.” Buckley stresses that these are the same qualities they look for in their employees.
“Veterans also possess a wealth of skills that are extremely valuable to our companies. We hire in a variety of STEM fields for both office-based and manufacturing roles.”
Learn more about Koch Industries and career opportunities at the company by visiting kochind.com.
Story and photo courtesy of Donna McKinney /Diversity in Action