Nathan Howard ’25
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Commander Shelby Nikitin ‘04 was among the twenty guests invited by the First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, to the 2024 State of the Union Address that took place on Thursday, March 7. When announcing her guest list for this year’s annual address, Dr. Biden noted that the individuals selected “personify issues or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech,” and “embody the Biden-Harris Administration’s policies at work for the American people.”
Commander Nikitin is a Wakefield, Massachusetts native and graduated from Holy Cross in 2004 with a B.A. in Mathematics. She became a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Navy through the Holy Cross ROTC program. Following her graduation, she served as both the Electrical Officer and Training Officer aboard the USS Chosin. During this period, she completed two Arabian Gulf Deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2011, Commander Nikitin attended the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where she earned an M.S. in Operations Analysis and completed Phase I of Joint Professional Military Education. Commander Nikitin has served in many positions throughout her Naval career including as a Junior Officer Detailer and Officer Candidate School accessions coordinator assigned to the Commander, Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tennessee from 2008-2009, the Special Assistant and Flag Aide to the Chief of Naval Operations from 2015-2016, as well as the Shore Coordinator and Assistant Captain Detailer from 2016-2020. Additionally, she has served with teams that won both the Spokane trophy as well as the Battle ‘E’ ribbon. She is also the personal recipient of many prestigious awards including Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, as well as the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
Dr. Biden’s selection of Commander Nikitin as a SOTU guest follows her leadership aboard the USS Thomas Hunder during a recently completed tour on the Red Sea. Under her leadership, the ship was successfully stationed to protect maritime shipping from “illegal, dangerous, and destabilizing Houthi attacks” against vessels traversing the Red Sea. The recent, unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea include the utilization of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history. According to President Biden, “these attacks have endangered U.S. personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardized trade, and threatened freedom of navigation.” Commander Nikitin was awarded the Bronze Star Medal due to the ship’s actions in this combat zone under her leadership. Dr. Biden explained that the inclusion of Commander Nikitin among her SOTU guests was due in large part to the “extraordinary leadership and bravery” that Commander Nikitin displayed “in defending lives and protecting the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways.”
Featured Image Courtesy of surflant.usff.navy.mil
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