Commanding Officer Biography

Captain Stevens is from Fishertown, Pennsylvania, and is the son of a Master Chief Petty Officer. Captain Stevens graduated with high distinction from the Pennsylvania State University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering and received his commission through the Navy ROTC program. He is among the last officers to be interviewed and accepted into the nuclear propulsion program by Admiral Hyman Rickover. Captain Stevens is currently the Commanding Officer Boston Naval ROTC Consortium and Professor of Naval Science at Boston University and Visiting Professor of Naval Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Significant shore duty assignments include Squadron Engineer at Submarine Squadron 16 and Deputy Commander for Readiness at Submarine Squadron 7. Captain Stevens also served two consecutive tours on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations as a branch head in the Current Operations Division and as Assistant Deputy Director of Sea Shield/Antisubmarine Warfare. Most recently he was the Executive and Military Assistant to the Undersecretary of Energy for Nuclear Security and Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). During the final six months of his assignment to NNSA he served as the Deputy Director of the Policy Planning Office responsible for strategic planning, Congressional testimony and speeches for the Undersecretary.

Captain Stevens’ graduate education includes a Master of Political Science from Auburn University Montgomery, Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University and Joint Professional Military Education at Air Command and Staff College. He served as the Navy’s Federal Executive Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology and Policy at Boston University. Additionally he was a fellow in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI program in foreign politics, international relations and the national interest.

Captain Stevens’ at sea assignments include USS HENRY L STIMSON (SSBN 655) (GOLD), USS LA JOLLA (SSN 701) and USS DRUM (SSN 677). Captain Stevens served as Executive Officer on USS HARTFORD (SSN 768) and was the last Commanding Officer on USS WILLIAM H BATES (SSN 680). His crew earned a Secretary of the Navy Citation for operations conducted during the ship’s final deployment to the Western Pacific. Captain Stevens has made seven strategic deterrent patrols, five extended deployments to the Western and Northern Pacific and one extended deployment to the North Atlantic.