Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129) Christening Biographies

Ship Sponsors

Mrs. Madeleine Denton Doak

Sponsor, Daughter of Jeremiah Denton

Madeleine Denton Doak is the eldest daughter of Jeremiah and Jane Denton. She was born in Nice, France during the family’s time there while young Lieutenant Denton was stationed aboard the USS Salem with the Sixth Fleet. Her subsequent homes included Pensacola, Florida and Newport, Rhode Island, but she was primarily raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia when she was aged eight to sixteen during her father’s heroic Prisoner of War (POW) years.

Four years after her father’s return from Hanoi, Madeleine met and married Lieutenant Terry Doak, U.S. Army. They raised their children, David and Micah, in Texas where she and Terry continue to live today. Madeleine retired from a 22-year career in Education in 2023. She is happily immersed in traveling, gardening, friendships, and writing about her family’s unique experiences during the Vietnam War. Her greatest joy is spending time with her family including three darling grandchildren – Daisy, Benjamin, and Mabel Jane – all born within the last two years.

As a result of her family’s experiences during the war, Madeleine knows well both the sacrifices and the pride of military service. Her parents’ stellar examples instilled in her their patriotism and gratitude for the United States of America. The support provided by the U. S. Navy and other service families during those years and beyond, combined with the knowledge of the vital role fellow officers played in her father’s survival and return with honor, convinced her unequivocally that the Navy truly is a family.

Admiral and Mrs. Denton would be especially honored that the future USS Jeremiah Denton is being built by the men and women of Ingalls Shipbuilding. They were born and raised in nearby Mobile, retired on Fowl River, and considered the whole region their home. Their seven children are immensely grateful their father’s legacy will be carried forward through the dedication of those who have built the ship and the men and women who will devote themselves to the protection of our country while stationed upon it.

Madeleine is thrilled to be able to officially continue her association with the United States Navy via co-sponsorship of the USS Jeremiah Denton.

Ms. Mary Denton Lewis

Sponsor, Daughter of Jeremiah Denton

Mary Denton Lewis is the youngest of Jeremiah and Jane Denton’s seven children. She was born in Newport, Rhode Island 18 months before her father’s plane was shot down over North Vietnam. Mary lived with her mother and siblings in Virginia Beach during her father’s 7 1/2 years in captivity as a Prisoner of War (POW) in Vietnam. Mary is acutely aware of, and forever grateful for, the love and support received from fellow U.S. Navy servicemen and women and their families during those years, and to this day.

After her father’s return from Vietnam, Mary lived on the Naval Station Norfolk while her dad served as Commandant of the Armed Forces Staff College. She spent her high school years in Mobile, Alabama, her parents’ hometown, where they returned after her father’s retirement from the Navy. She worked during summers in college in Washington, DC while her father continued his service to his country as a U.S. Senator from Alabama.

Mary is currently an attorney. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, Mike Hutton. She is the proud mother of two sons, Bartlett Tully Lewis, Jr., and Denton Sage Lewis.

The importance of service to God, country, and family was an overriding theme emphasized and demonstrated by both Jeremiah and Jane Denton during their lives. Mary shares the deep love they had for this country and for the men and women who serve and protect her. She loves the Navy and the profound bond service families share. Mary is humbled and honored to serve with her sister as co-sponsor of the future USS Jeremiah Denton.

Mrs. Micah Doak

Matron of Honor, Granddaughter of Jeremiah Denton

Micah Doak is the daughter of Terry Doak and Madeleine Denton Doak and the granddaughter of Jane Denton and Rear Admiral Jeremiah Denton. Some of Micah’s fondest childhood memories took place just up the coast from Pascagoula, where she spent summers fishing, swimming, and playing poker with her grandfather at his home along the Fowl River. She is honored to fulfill the role of Co-Matron of Honor for the future USS Jeremiah Denton, and is particularly grateful to begin this journey so close to her beloved grandparents’ former home.

Micah graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin. She then joined Teach for America and earned her master’s degree in education from Boston University while teaching high school humanities and special education in Dorchester, Massachusetts. After three years in the classroom, Micah enrolled at New York University School of Law. She received her Juris Doctor degree in 2015 and returned to Texas to work at the Houston office of an international law firm, Jones Day.

Micah currently serves as Pro Bono Counsel at Jones Day. In this role, she helps manage the Border Project, an initiative that provides free legal services and access to the rule of law to asylum seekers at the southern border. Micah and her husband Matt are the proud parents of two children, Benjamin (23 months) and Mabel Jane (3 months); two dogs; and a horse.

Mrs. Allison Denton Shumate

Matron of Honor, Granddaughter of Jeremiah Denton

Allison Denton Shumate was born in Norfolk, Virginia, during America’s glorious 600-ship Navy that won the Cold War. Her early years were spent in that historic naval operating area where her father was a shipyard manager and Navy Reserve Officer and where her grandfather, Rear Admiral & U. S. Senator Jeremiah Denton, Jr., deployed from and returned with honor to as a heroic senior American POW in North Vietnam. Her veteran heritage also includes another grandfather, four uncles and an aunt, two first cousins, kin in each generation back to colonial times, and three ship sponsors: her grandmother Jane Maury Denton, her aunt Madeleine Denton Doak, and her devoted aunt and godmother, Mary Denton Lewis.

As a Virginia Tech graduate, Allison applies her Psychology degree serving as Chief Marketing Officer at a behavioral science consumer research firm. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, Ryan; their two sons, Michael (eight years old) and Thomas (seven years old); and a golden retriever. Their deep love for the water is fulfilled by a family cottage alongside the Rappahannock River.

With such deep running Navy currents driving intense respect for all veterans and their families who must brave difficult circumstances too often and for the vitally important superbly skilled men and women who build and maintain our American Navy, Allison is profoundly honored and most sincerely dedicated to serve as Matron of Honor for the future USS Jeremiah Denton.

Special Guests

Mr. Brian Blanchette

President of Ingalls Shipbuilding and Executive Vice President of HII

Brian Blanchette is executive vice president of HII and president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. Named to this position in January 2025, he is responsible for all programs and operations at Ingalls, including the U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault and surface combatant ship programs and the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Security Cutter program.

Prior to his current role, Blanchette served as the Chief Technology Officer and Vice President, Quality and Engineering for Ingalls Shipbuilding. In this position, he oversaw the formulation, management, and oversight of the division’s quality program, research & development, ship design engineering, integrated logistics support (ILS), and planning yard programs. Blanchette began his career at Ingalls Shipbuilding in 1996 as an associate naval architect with Research & Development.

Over his 28-year tenure, he has held various positions in Engineering, Program Management, and Business Development, where he supported multiple international programs, served as the technical lead for Ingalls’ LCS proposal offering, was the ship design manager for multiple platforms, and was the ship program manager for Ralph Johnson (DDG 114). Most recently, he was director of Technical & Design Engineering, where he led his team in executing the DDG Flight III, LHA 8, and LPD 28, 29, and 30 design efforts while providing technical support across all ship classes during construction.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in naval architecture and marine engineering from the University of Michigan and attended the Center for Corporate Education program at The College of William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business.

Active in his community, Blanchette serves on the executive committee of the Gulf Coast Business Council and board of directors for the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation and the Mississippi Economic Council.

Dr. Brett Seidle, DON

Acting Assistant for the Navy for Research, Development & Acquisition (ASN RD&A)

Dr. Brett Seidle has served as a member of the Senior Executive Service for nearly 10 years and has extensive experience in the private sector. He is performing the duties of Under Secretary of the Navy, which he assumed on April 16, 2025. The Under Secretary of the Navy serves as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Management Officer of the Department of the Navy (DON). Dr. Seidle is responsible for providing oversight and developing policy for defense and naval strategy, intelligence and intelligence-related activities, sensitive activities, special access programs, space activities, critical infrastructure, small business programs, and the naval audit service. Additionally, he is responsible for business operations, performance management, and risk management within the Department of Navy.

Since January 2025, Dr. Seidle has also served as the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition (ASN RD&A). Previously, he served as the Principal Civilian Deputy to ASN RD&A. In this role, he provides oversight and policy for Navy & Marine Corps research, development, and acquisition/sustainment programs for shipbuilding, aviation, space, weapon systems, and communication systems. The ASN RD&A portfolio includes oversight of more than 100,000 employees and governs the operation of the Department of Navy’s worldwide acquisition system with annual obligations in excess of $155 billion. He previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Test and Engineering (DASN RDT&E) under ASN RD&A, responsible for executive oversight of all matters related to RDT&E budget activities, science and engineering, advanced research and development, prototyping and experimentation, and test and evaluation. He was also responsible for oversight and stewardship of the Department of Navy Research and Development Establishment, which includes the naval laboratories, warfare centers, the Office of Naval Research, the Naval Postgraduate School, and five University Affiliated Research Centers.

Dr. Seidle was formerly the Executive Director for Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) and Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) with more than 29,000 employees. The NAVSEA Warfare Centers represent approximately 30 percent of the Navy’s engineering and scientific expertise and is comprised of 10 echelon-four warfare center divisions and two echelon-five commands. During his time at NAVSEA, Dr. Seidle was also detailed into the position of Executive Director for SEA 04 Industrial Operations from FY 21 to FY 22, where he provided leadership and direction for the nation’s public and private shipyards in maintenance, modernization, and new construction, responsible for more than 37,000 employees.

Dr. Seidle was appointed as a member of the Senior Executive Service and named the Division Technical Director (TD) at NSWC Crane in October 2016 where he was responsible for an organization of 3,700 civilian employees focused on providing engineering and technical expertise to the nation’s warfighters. He began his career in the public sector with NSWC Crane in 2000 and, while there, was awarded a fellowship to pursue his PhD in Public Policy at Indiana University, which he completed in 2010.

__PRESENT

VADM James Downey, USN

Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command

Vice Admiral James Downey is a native of New York. He is a 1986 graduate of the State University of New York, Albany, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Computer Science. He was commissioned in 1987 and is a 1997 graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School with a Master of Science in Computer Science followed by Engineering Duty Officer School, where he graduated with distinction and received the Founder’s Award. Vice Admiral Downey assumed his duties as Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command on January 3, 2024.

Vice Admiral Downey qualified as a surface warfare officer aboard USS Hayler (DD 997). Additional operational assignments include Intelligence Briefing Officer to the Commander in Chief, Combined Forces Command, U.S. Forces Korea, and multiple deployments afloat in the North Atlantic, Baltic, Arctic Circle, and Pacific.

Vice Admiral Downey’s Engineering Duty Officer assignments include tours in the Global Positioning System and Navigation Sensor System Interface programs, leading Tomahawk integration; Chief Engineer for high assurance systems at the Defense Information Systems Agency and National Security Agency; Officer in Charge of Space and Naval Warfare Systems Facility, Yokosuka, Japan; CVN 21 Program Chief Engineer and Warfare Systems Director; CG(X) Major Program Manager; and Major Program Manager for the DDG 1000 program including delivery of the first ship of the class.

Vice Admiral Downey’s flag officer assignments include Commander, Navy Regional Maintenance Center and Naval Sea Systems Command’s Deputy Commander for Surface Warfare; Program Executive Officer, Aircraft Carriers; and Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition.

Vice Admiral Downey’s awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (three awards), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), the Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), and various other personal, unit, and service awards.

Rear Admiral Brian Metcalf, USN

Program Executive Officer, Ships

Rear Admiral Brian Metcalf is a native of Honolulu, Hawaii. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in May 1994 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Naval Architecture. He earned a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Post Graduate School in 2000 and was selected to transfer to the Engineering Duty Officer (EDO) community.

Rear Admiral Metcalf’s shipboard tours include USS San Jacinto (CG 56) and USS Briscoe (DD 977), completing two deployments to the Persian Gulf and earning his Surface Warfare Officer qualification.

After selection to the EDO community, Rear Admiral Metcalf qualified as an EDO at Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia, serving as an Aircraft Carrier Project Manager and then served on the Board of Inspection and Survey.

Rear Admiral Metcalf joined Program Executive Office (PEO) Aircraft Carriers and served in the CVN 21 Program Office (PMS 378). He completed an Individual Augmentee assignment in Baghdad, Iraq with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and then transferred to PEO Ships and served in the LPD 17 Program Office (PMS 317). In 2010, Rear Admiral Metcalf reported to Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Bath, Maine as the Program Manager’s Representative for DDG 1000, and then returned to Washington, DC as the DDG 1000 Deputy Shipbuilding Director (PMS 500), and then as Chief of Staff for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Ships). Starting in August 2016, Rear Admiral Metcalf served as Major Program Manager for the LPD 17 Program Office (PMS 317). Rear Admiral Metcalf then served as Executive Assistant to Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). In July 2020, he was hand-selected to serve as the Major Program Manager for the CVN 78 Ford-class Program (PMS 378). After his Program Manager command tours, Rear Admiral Metcalf served as the NAVSEA Vice Commander. He assumed his current duties as Program Executive Officer, Ships in May 2025.

Rear Admiral Metcalf’s awards include the Legion of Merit (three awards), Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Navy Commendation Medal (two awards), Navy Achievement Medal (three awards), and various unit and campaign awards.

Jonathan Graves

Executive Director, Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Gulf Coast

Mr. Jonathan S. Graves assumed the role as the Executive Director for the Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast (SSGC) in March of 2022. As SSGC’s senior civilian, he is responsible for overseeing the design and construction of multiple U.S. Navy ships and craft along the gulf coast including the Arleigh-Burke (DDG 51), America (LHA 6), and San Antonio (LPD 17) classes of ships built by Huntington Ingalls Industries at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, MS; the Independence (LCS 2) and Spearhead (EPF 1) classes built by Austal USA in Mobile, AL; and numerous other ships, small boats, and craft built in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

Mr. Graves’ most recent position was as the LPD 17 Class Deputy Program Manager’s Representative (DPMR) for SSGC, providing waterfront leadership for the new construction oversight efforts of the U.S. Navy’s San Antonio class amphibious transport dock ships. Mr. Graves served in this position from 2019 to 2022.

Mr. Graves previously served as the Deputy Quality Assurance Director for SSGC from 2014 to 2019. In this capacity, Mr. Graves was responsible for conducting the Contract Administration Quality Assurance Program for SSGC and managing SSGC’s largest department.

From 2010 to 2014, Mr. Graves served as the DDG 1000 DPMR, where he was responsible for managing the oversight of the DDG 1000 class deckhouses manufactured by Ingalls Shipbuilding to Bath Iron Works. Prior the this position he served as the DDG 1000 Project Engineer from 2007 to 2010 and as the DDG 1000 Waterfront Engineer from 2006 to 2007. Mr. Graves was awarded the Civilian Meritorious Service Award for his contributions on the DDG 1000 program in 2014.

Mr. Graves began his professional career with Ingalls Shipbuilding in 2001 as an engineer in the Engineering Test and Trials division. There he was responsible for development of ship acceptance test procedures, trial agendas, and dockside and at-sea test conduct and coordination.

Mr. Graves is a native of Gulfport, MS. He graduated from the University of South Alabama in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and received a Masters of Business Administration Degree in 2010.

Louis Detrisac, USN

Deputy Program Manager, DDG 51, Shipbuilding Program

Louis (Lou) Detrisac graduated from the University of Michigan in May 2003 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering in both Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. He continued at the University of Michigan and, in May 2004, was awarded a Master of Science degree in Engineering with a focus on Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering.

In June 2004, Mr. Detrisac began his Navy career at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division where he performed conceptual design studies under the Center for Innovation in Ship Design. In June 2005, he transitioned to the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Engineering Directorate (SEA 05D) as the DDG 1000 Deputy Ship Design Manager during the Critical and Detailed Design phases of the program, where he focused on financial management of the technical team and technical oversight of the design process. In August 2007, Mr. Detrisac shifted to support the Next Generation Cruiser CG(X) program serving as the Deputy Ship Design Manager during the Analysis of Alternatives and the lead-up to Preliminary Design. He was responsible for developing platform requirements, building the technical team, and establishing a contractual structure. As the CG(X) program concluded, he contributed to numerous OPNAV studies investigating Future Surface Combatant options, leading to DDG 51 Flight III.

In November 2010, Mr. Detrisac returned to the DDG 1000 program, serving as Test Conductor for a Developmental Test event demonstrating the integration of the Engineering Control System software and the Integrated Power System hardware at the test site in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Upon completion of the test event, he became the Software Activation Lead within the Zumwalt Program Office (PMS 500). In this role, he led the Raytheon effort to install, integrate, and test all software in support of DDG 1000 Hull, Mechanical, and Electrical (HM&E) delivery in Bath, Maine. Following DDG 1000 HM&E delivery, Mr. Detrisac joined the Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS) Zumwalt Combat System Program Office (PEO IWS 9), as the Baseline Manager Principal Assistant Program Manager during Combat Systems Activation on DDG 1000. In this role, he managed the development, integration, test, and delivery of software supporting combat systems activation and testing at Wallops Island and Self Defense Test Ship. In June 2019, he became the Technical Director of PEO IWS 9 where he supervised employees focused on Systems Engineering, Baseline Management, Cybersecurity, and Modernization activities within the program office.

In June 2021, Mr. Detrisac was selected as the Deputy Program Manager of PEO IWS 10, where he was responsible for the development and sustainment of the Ship Self Defense System, which is the combat system aboard all aircraft carriers and amphibious ships. In January 2022, he was assigned as the Deputy Program Manager of PEO IWS 8, which is responsible for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) combat systems. In October 2023, he was selected as the Deputy Program Manager of the Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) Class Shipbuilding Program Office (PMS 400D), where he is responsible for the design, construction, and delivery of DDG 51 Class destroyers.

Mr. Detrisac is Defense Acquisition University certified in Advanced Program Management and a Practitioner in Technical Management. In April 2010, he earned his Professional Engineering license in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering. His personal awards include a Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award, a Navy Civilian Service Achievement Medal, a Letter of Commendation from PMS 500, and several On-the-Spot awards.

CDR Commander Jeffrey Perry, CHC, USN

Command Chaplain, Bougainville (LHA 8)

Chaplain Perry was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy Chaplain Corps in September of 2003. The following summer, he reported to Naval Chaplains School, Newport, Rhode Island for Basic Chaplain Training, completing the Officer Induction School, Naval Chaplain Basic Course, Division Officer Capstone Course, and Amphibious Expeditionary Course. For the next three years, he remained a Chaplain Candidate while completing Seminary education and other religious organization requirements.

In July of 2007, Chaplain Perry ascended to active duty after completing two weeks of TEAMs at the Naval Chaplain Corps School, Newport, Rhode Island. His duty stations include Staff Chaplain, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa, Japan; Tactical Chaplain, USS Makin Island (LHD 8), San Diego, California; Tactical Chaplain, 1st Marine Division Camp Pendleton, 1st Battalion 4th Marines, 1st Battalion 11th Marines; Clinical Pastoral Education Resident, Navy Medical Center San Diego, California; Group Chaplain, Naval Hospital Pensacola, Florida; Command Chaplain, Strategic Communication Wing One, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma; Command Chaplain, 10th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and as Deputy Division Chaplain, 2d Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In March 2024, he began serving as the Command Chaplain, PCU USS Bougainville (LHA 8).

Chaplain Perry completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Resource Administration in 2001 from Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 2005, he received a Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. In 2014, he earned a Master of Theology Certificate in Applied Theology from the University of Balamand, Lebanon. In 2016, he completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education and became board certified in Clinical Pastoral Care through the National Association of Veteran Affairs Chaplains. In 2019, he completed the Mental Health Integration of Chaplain Services through the Veteran’s Affairs Chaplain program.

Chaplain Perry is an ordained priest with the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America and is credentialed to serve as a chaplain.

Chaplain Perry has been married to his wife, Andrea (nee. Schnute) for 26 years, and they have eight children. He enjoys cycling, ultra-running, woodworking, and writing poetry.

Chaplain Perry’s personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four gold stars), and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.