By Joe Garvey

An ϲ alumna made history on Friday, becoming the first Black female commanding officer of Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval base.

Capt. Janet H. Days, 54, was installed as the 51st commanding officer of the 106-year-old base during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk, which employs more than 67,000 military and civilian personnel.

Days, a Chicago native, relieved Capt. David Dees, who moved on to become the chief of staff for the commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic.

She noted the historic nature of her promotion.

“I wandered down the halls of (the) headquarters where my office resides and took note of the majestic pictures and leadership boards displaying the previous commanding officers of Naval Station Norfolk ... As my eyes moved from name plate to name plate, it was painfully obvious that in 31 years from the day I enter the Navy, still not one person of color was displayed. And finally today, that changes,” Days said during the ceremony, according to .

She recognized the responsibilities that come with the position.

“I do recognize that my presence is uplifting and empowering ... So the importance of that is to be representative, but also to show young ladies — not just African American young ladies — that the opportunities you get are all based on hard work,” Days said according to The Pilot.

Days graduated from ϲ in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in business and received her commission through the Naval ROTC via the Enlisted Commissioning Program.

“Her leadership will have a positive impact on Naval Station Norfolk and the local community.” - Cmdr. John Peter Drosinos, executive officer for the Naval ROTC Hampton Roads Consortium

She earned a master’s degree in business administration from the Naval Postgraduate School and the Naval War College command and staff diploma. She also is a graduate of Joint and Combined Warfighting School at Joint Forces Staff College and is a qualified joint specialty officer.

“It is great to see a friend and colleague in one of the most important Navy positions in the Hampton Roads area,” Cmdr. John Peter Drosinos, executive officer for the ϲ-based Naval ROTC Hampton Roads Consortium, told ϲ News. “Her leadership will have a positive impact on Naval Station Norfolk and the local community.”

“It was an honor and a pleasure to attend the Naval Station Norfolk change of command ceremony on Friday to witness Capt. Janet Days, an alum of ϲ, take the helm of the world’s largest and most operationally complex Naval Installation," added Robert Clark, military activities liaison and special projects director at ϲ. "I know the sailors and civilian personnel who work at NSN are in great hands under Capt. Days’ outstanding leadership.”

Days’ father, George Hanks, also served in the military.

“I watched a strong role model as I was growing up,” Days said in an interview with WAVY, “and it was in my father.”

Days’ sea assignments include tours aboard the submarine tender Simon Lake, homeported at La Maddalena, Italy; the destroyer Mahan; and the destroyer Forrest Sherman as engineer officer, completing two deployments, one to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to conduct theater security cooperation and a subsequent deployment to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility to conduct counternarcotics operations. Days served as the Destroyer Squadron 28 material officer and staff director embarked aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, where she completed two deployments to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During her tour as executive officer and commanding officer of the destroyer McFaul, she deployed independently to the U.S. 6th and 5th Fleet areas of responsibility.

Ashore, Days was assigned to the Joint Staff J7 joint and coalition warfighting directorate as a military analyst and observer trainer augment to the deployable training team; she also deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan, as the Joint Staff J7 liaison officer to the International Security Assistance Force headquarters. Days completed a tour at Afloat Training Group Norfolk as a combat systems tactical mentor and graduated from the pilot Warfare Tactics Instructor/Integrated Air and Missile Defense course. As the director of Maritime Warfare at Surface Warfare Officers School, she was responsible for training and development of all surface warfare department heads as well as providing instruction for prospective executive officers, commanding officers and major command students.

After a tour as the executive officer of Surface Warfare Schools Command in Newport, Rhode Island, Days was appointed Naval Station Norfolk’s executive officer in 2021. She was also the first Black female to hold that position, according to The Virginian-Pilot.

Days’ awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (seven awards), Army Commendation Medal (two awards), Army Achievement Medal and Afghanistan Campaign Medal.