Jerome Nixon has been the Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning for Mills Marine since 2012. Born and raised in Norfolk, VA, Jerome graduated in 1969 from Old Dominion University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Letters degree in Political Science and a commission as a lieutenant in the United States Army.  He holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and he is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and the Armed Forces Joint Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia.  

His military career includes command Airborne and Mechanized Infantry units, including command of a Mechanized Infantry Battalion and staff officer assignments at Army Corps and Joint Staff levels.  He completed his 20 years of military service as the J7 Joint Maintenance and Logistics Staff Officer assigned to the Joint Doctrine Center, Naval Station Norfolk.  With over 40 years in the public and private sectors, Jerome’s experience in management consultation, team building, professional development, strategic planning and implementation, marketing, maintenance, safety, operations training, strategic planning , quality assurance, and personnel and facility security has contributed to the continued success of Mills Marine & Ship Repair. 

Phil Vance is the Director of Engineering and Technical Services with Mills Marine & Ship Repair since 2016. In this role, Phil is the Senior Program Manager for government contracts and manages all aspects of the team providing engineering, technical, and administrative support, new construction analysis and testing, production control, management analysis, and workload forecasting. He holds a Master of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and is a retired US Navy Captain, Surface Warfare Officer. This is Phil Vance, our Director of Engineering and Technical Services. 

­­­Priscilla Tarr is the Contracts Manager with Mills Marine & Ship Repair. In this role, Priscilla interfaces with the government’s contracting departments on all contract matters, reviews and signs all solicitations/awards, generates NDA’s, purchase orders, and reviews all invoices before they are put into our system. Priscilla or better known as Mrs. P, is a retired Procuring/Administrative Contracting Officer from Mid Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, Norfolk, Virginia and has been with Mills Marine since July 2016. This is Priscilla Tarr, our Contracts Manager. 

Wadiya Saunders, Human Resource Manager/Security Facility Officer of Mills Marine Ship Repair, is an accomplished HR professional with over 27 years of experience in the public and private sectors. She is responsible for implementing human resource management strategies, employee onboarding, training and development, performance management, employee retention, benefits administration, and employee relations policies and strategies.  Wadiya oversees Mills Marine Security program and enforces numerous DoD security programs and requirements.

She holds a BA in Human Resource Management from Saint Leo University as well as A Human Resources Certification through Old Dominion University. She has served as Vice President in (2009-2010) and President in (2010-2011) for (ARMA) Association of Records Managers & Administrators. She is also a current member of (SHRM) Society for Human Resource Management since 2003.  Her past job experience which includes working for 2 major ship repair companies has allowed her to work in various leadership positions and obtain knowledge of the industry as well as process improvement. This is Wadiya Saunders, our Human Resource Manager/Security Facility officer.

Sean Banks is the Director of Touch Labor and Professional Services with Mills Marine & Ship Repair. In this role Sean leads a team providing all aspects of recruiting, including advertising, interviewing, and workforce placement. Sean is a big believer in teamwork which he utilizes to achieve company goals and efficient results. He is a qualified Recruiting Specialist who holds a Bachelor’s degree/certification from Norfolk State and spent 20 years in the Maritime Industry as a recruiter and trainer which taught him the importance of finding the right people for the right jobs. This is Sean Banks, our Director of Touch Labor and Professional Services.

Antonya Williams is a Program Manager here at Mills Marine and has been employed with the company for the last 10 years. Her day-to-day roles include managing program execution, project management, status reports, resolving issues, initiating appropriate corrective action, ensuring the program schedule is respected and adhered to daily, while maintaining and building long lasting foundations with our government adversaries. 

In addition to Mrs. Williams’ twenty plus years of experience in the ship repair industry, she holds a PMP (Project Management Professional) Certification from Old Dominion University which aids her in the successful management of a strong NavSea 3rd Party Fire watch program over the course of the last 3 years. Mrs. Williams is not only an advocate for efficiency but also for her employees and strives to provide quality service to the customer, while maintaining the reputation of Mills Marine as a top leader and producer in the ship repair industry. She is a firm believer in team-building, leadership guidance, and supports the expansion of capabilities within each individual employee. This is Antonya Williams, one of our Program Managers.