—10m —20m —30m —5m —15m
✦ Royal Canadian Navy · 2002 – 2023

Twenty Years
Under the Ensign.

Enrolled December 2002. Retired January 2023.
Petty Officer Second Class · HRA / RMS Clerk
Atlantic & Pacific Fleets · Two operational deployments

20
Years of service
9+
Units & ships served
2
International deployments
TS
Security clearance
400
Personnel administered
Notable Postings
Career Highlights
Washington Posting · Oct 2017 – May 2021

Canadian Defence Liaison Staff Washington

Operations NCO embedded with the Canadian military's liaison office at the US Department of Defense, Washington DC. High-trust, inter-allied environment requiring Top Secret clearance. Responsible for HR operations, records management, and administrative compliance in a classified multinational setting.

Operational Deployment · Sep 2006 – Mar 2007

HMCS Ottawa — Operation Athena

Deployed with HMCS Ottawa to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Athena, Canada's contribution to the multinational coalition in the region. Provided HR and administrative support aboard an operational warship in an active theatre. Awarded the South West Asia Service Medal with Active Force bar.

Operational Deployment · Feb – Jul 2013

HMCS Toronto — Operation Artemis

Deployed aboard HMCS Toronto to the Persian Gulf and Red Sea in support of Operation Artemis, the multinational counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics mission. An entirely ship-based deployment, operating across two bodies of water under multinational command. Awarded the General Campaign Star — South West Asia (GCS-SWA).

Posting History
Full Assignment Record
Chief Clerk
May 2021 – Jan 2023
1st Battalion, Royal Newfoundland Regiment
📍 St. John's, Newfoundland
Final posting of career. HR administration support to a Reserve Force infantry regiment. Maintained personnel records and compliance functions before retirement in January 2023.
Operations NCO
Oct 2017 – May 2021
CDLS(W) — Canadian Defence Liaison Staff Washington
📍 Washington, District of Columbia
Embedded with the Canadian military's liaison office at the US Department of Defense in Washington DC. Top Secret cleared. Managed personnel records, compliance, and administrative functions in an inter-allied, classified environment — the most senior and operationally sensitive posting of the career.
HR Clerk / 2IC — Release Section
Apr 2015 – Oct 2017
CFB Halifax — Base Administration
📍 Halifax, Nova Scotia
Second-in-Command of the Release Section, the specialised HR unit within Base Administration responsible for managing all member separations from the Canadian Armed Forces — medical releases, retirements, voluntary releases, and disciplinary cases. Required careful policy interpretation, empathetic case management, and precise documentation under significant regulatory scrutiny.
HR Clerk
Aug 2014 – Apr 2015
HMCS Ville de Québec
📍 Halifax, Nova Scotia
HR and administrative duties aboard the Halifax-class patrol frigate. Responsible for personnel records, pay administration, and compliance for ship's company.
HR Clerk — Deployed
Feb 2013 – Jul 2013
HMCS Toronto — Operation Artemis
📍 Persian Gulf / Red Sea
International operational deployment aboard HMCS Toronto to the Persian Gulf and Red Sea in support of Operation Artemis, the multinational counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics mission. An entirely ship-based deployment across two operational theatres. Provided HR and administrative support to ship's company under multinational command. Awarded the General Campaign Star — South West Asia (GCS-SWA).
HR Clerk
Jul 2012 – Aug 2014
HMCS Toronto / HMCS St. John's
📍 Halifax, Nova Scotia
Sequential postings to two Halifax-class frigates of the Atlantic Fleet. Maintained personnel records, pay, and HR compliance aboard operational warships.
HR Clerk
Mar 2012 – Jul 2012
CFB Halifax — Base Administration
📍 Halifax, Nova Scotia
HR administration at the base level following re-enrolment through CFRC Halifax Det Moncton. Transition back into regular force employment before posting to the Atlantic Fleet.
Supplemental Reserve — Civilian Development
Jun 2007 – Mar 2012
Canadian Armed Forces Supplemental Reserve
📍 Canada
Period of non-active employment on the Supplemental Reserve. Pursued further university education and worked in the financial services sector, including earning the Canadian Securities Course (CSC) — formal qualification in investment products and regulatory compliance. Maintained connection to the CAF and re-enrolled in 2012.
HR Clerk — Deployed
Sep 2006 – Mar 2007
HMCS Ottawa — Operation Athena
📍 Arabian Gulf
First operational deployment. Sailed with HMCS Ottawa to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Athena, Canada's contribution to the multinational coalition presence in the region. Provided HR and administrative support aboard an operational warship in an active theatre. Awarded the South West Asia Service Medal with Active Force bar.
HR Clerk — Pacific Fleet
2003 – 2007
HMCS Ottawa · HMCS Malahat · CFB Esquimalt · CANFLTPAC HQ
📍 Esquimalt, British Columbia
Initial career posting with the Pacific Fleet. Served at CANFLTPAC HQ and CFB Esquimalt, and was attached to HMCS Regina, and posted to HMCS Ottawa and HMCS Malahat — a reserve force Navy unit based on the Esquimalt dockyard. Developed foundational expertise in naval HR administration, payroll systems, and military compliance frameworks across shore and afloat environments.
Basic Training / Initial Trades Training
Dec 2002 – Jun 2003
CFRC Gagetown · CFLRS St-Jean · CFSAL Borden
📍 NB · QC · ON
Initial enrolment at CFRC Gagetown, NB. Completed Basic Military Qualification (BMQ) at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, and initial trades training at CFB Borden, ON, before joining the Pacific Fleet as an RMS Clerk.
Rank Progression
Promotions
Petty Officer Second Class (PO2)
Jul 2019
Final rank on retirement
Senior NCO rank in the Royal Canadian Navy. Led HR departments, mentored junior staff, and served as Operations NCO at a Top Secret-cleared inter-allied posting in Washington DC.
Master Seaman (MS)
Jul 2017
Promoted following completion of Primary Leadership Qualification and Junior Naval Environment Leadership Programme. Qualified as Force Evaluator and Instructional Techniques instructor.
Leading Seaman (LS)
Oct 2013
Promoted following operational deployment with TF Artemis and sustained performance in HR administrative roles across multiple Atlantic Fleet postings.
Able Seaman (AB)
Jul 2005
Substantive promotion following trades qualification and demonstrated performance with the Pacific Fleet.
Ordinary Seaman (OS) — Enrolled
Dec 2002
Initial enrolment rank. Began career as an RMS Clerk (Resource Management Services), the naval occupation responsible for HR, pay, and personnel records administration.
Honours & Awards
Decorations
🎖️
Canadian Decoration (CD)
Awarded for 12 years of honourable service in the Canadian Armed Forces
🏅
South West Asia Service Medal
With Afghanistan (AF) bar — awarded for operational deployment to the Arabian Gulf aboard HMCS Ottawa, Op Athena (2006–2007)
⚓
General Campaign Star — South West Asia (GCS-SWA)
Awarded for service in the Arabian Sea region during Operation Artemis, Task Force Artemis (2013)
Why It Matters
Military Experience → GRC

Twenty Years of Living GRC

The military runs on policy frameworks. Every decision — from pay entitlements to disciplinary procedures to security clearance eligibility — is governed by documented regulations: the QR&Os (Queen's Regulations and Orders), CFAOs (Canadian Forces Administrative Orders), and DAODs (Defence Administrative Orders and Directives). These are not reference documents you check occasionally. They are the operating system of military administration, consulted daily and applied with precision.

For twenty years, that was my work. Interpreting policy, applying it correctly under pressure, documenting outcomes, briefing leadership, and training junior staff to do the same. The frameworks change — QR&Os become ISO 27001, CFAOs become NIST RMF — but the discipline of working within structured compliance environments does not.

Add to that: secure data handling for hundreds of personnel under strict need-to-know principles, Top Secret clearance at an inter-allied posting, expenditure management accountability, and two operational deployments in which administrative functions had to remain reliable under stress. That's a GRC foundation most practitioners build over a career. I arrived with it.