• STEM Hero Awards •

Currently the Branch Head of the Wastewater In-Service Engineering Branch at the Philadelphia Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Ramon A. Morales is responsible for oil pollution abatement, ship-to-shore compliance, and non-oily wastewater for the entire U.S. Navy surface fleet. In this role, he oversees and manages a diverse set of 31 engineeers and techinicans in Philadelphia, Norfolk, and San Diego. 

Mr. Morales’ technical expertise, leadership skills, strong communication ability, and his ability to innovate are amplified by his solid business acumen.  His duties include supervising  investments, overseeing human resources, and managing equipment for the type of high returns directly aligned with U.S. military capability, capacity, and compliance with the service mission goals.

His successful implementation of the multi-year, multi-million dollar oil-pollution abatement systems on all U.S. Navy fleet assets can ultimately be connected to his ingenuity, guidence and technical prowess. His record of achievement has made him a recognized subject matter expert in the field.

As team leader for the Hispanic Employent Program Process Action Team, Mr. Morales has constantly supported community outreach, recruitment and mentoring program events.  These and other efforts have helped ensure equal employment opportunities and the advancement of affirmative action principles.

Born in Puerto Rico as 13th of 14 children, Mr. Morales attended the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, where he received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering. When he joined the Department of Defense in 1982, he was the first Hispanic engineer to work at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division.

During his long career, Mr. Morales has received numerous awards and citations for outstanding work, including the 2019 Adele Mayo EEO/Diversity Leadership Award, the 2018 Alan J. Dean Talent Management Award for the Hurricane Maria Initiative, a $30 thousand dollar Superstar Award for his work on the oil-pollution abatement intiative, as well as multiple team awards. He has also presented many technical papers at various conferences and meetings and authored several environmental studies, and he’s a prolific mentor. 

Mr. Morales is a member of the Society of Naval Marine Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. He is married to a retired environmental engineer, and their three grown children have all pursued STEM-based educations.