Dr. Richard Elster is the longest actively serving trustee for the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation & Alumni Association. Our leadership was honored to present him with the prestigious Mauz and Warner Distinguished Leadership Award during our semi-annual Board Meeting on December 1.
Dr. Elster has been involved with the Naval Postgraduate School for over 50 years. Elster served as Academic Dean and Provost of NPS from 1995 to 2006. In earlier years, he served as Associate Provost for Instruction, as a department chair at NPS, and held the U.S. Navy’s Manpower Chair at the institution. He has served in several Department of Defense positions. In the mid-1980s, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and as Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. In this period, he was also tasked to establish what is now known as the Personnel Security Research Center, an organization reporting to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. For his work, he was twice awarded the Navy’s Distinguished Civilian Service Award. In the early 1990s, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Resource Management and Support.
The Mauz-Warner Award, presented annually by the NPS Foundation, was established in 2019 and recognizes individuals and organizations who have provided significant leadership in support of the mission of the NPS Foundation & Alumni Association. The award is named in honor of former NPS Foundation Board Chairs Admiral Henry H. Mauz and Bill S. Warner to recognize their enduring commitment and leadership to NPS and the NPS Foundation.
