U.S. Navy Capt. Teresa Ferry, a native of Orange Park, Fla., serves as the commanding officer of Navy Reserve Center (NRC) Houston. In her leadership position, she advocates for building stronger relationships between staff and Reserve units.

“Our mission is to make sure we have medically and administratively ready Selected Reserve (SELRES) Sailors to deploy, whether for mobilization or in time of war,” Ferry said. “But I found that the way to do that best is to establish a teammate relationship between the staff and the SELRES. I give them three things that are my priorities: professionalism, treating everyone with dignity and respect, and being a teammate.”

Ferry was commissioned in to the Navy 25 years ago as an active duty naval aviator, after which she transitioned to the Navy Reserve, where she serves today in the Training and Administration of the Reserve (TAR) program, as full-time Navy Reservist.

“I joined the Navy because I have a heart for service, but also because I’m the youngest of six and I wanted to go to college,” Ferry said. Taught the importance of independence from her parents she earned a scholarship through the Navy ROTC program to pay for her education, where she graduated from Jacksonville University with a degree in history.

With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and internet access relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented individuals. Sailors like Ferry demonstrate the Navy Reserve’s singular focus on warfighting readiness in this era of strategic competition.

“We are here to preserve the peace, respond in crisis, and win decisively in war,” said Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations, in her America’s Warfighting Navy priorities paper.

Ferry represents one of the more than 56,000 drilling reservists and full-time support reservists who work around the globe to support the fleet.

“I am proud of where the Reserve Force is today. We have worked hard to build the strategic depth the Total Navy Force needs. But we have more work to do; work we will take on together. Our job is to fight and win our nation’s wars, and we must ensure our Sailors and their families are prepared to do this when the call comes,” said Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, Chief of the Naval Reserve and Commander, Navy Reserve Force.

While deployed to the Middle East as an individual augmentee, she served as a pilot and taught helicopter flight training to both U.S. and partner nation students.

Ferry serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security. “It’s all a part of being a team, so it’s not a matter of highlighting yourself and being the one with a huge accomplishment,” Ferry said. “It’s that the team succeeded.”

Ferry appreciates her family for instilling values that have guided her Navy career. “My folks really taught us to serve, and it’s not just a service to the nation, but in little things,” Ferry said. “It’s important to serve in a big way, but it’s also important to serve every day in little ways as well.”