Cmdr. LaDonna M. Simpson
Commanding Officer USS Carter Hall (LSD 50)
29 December 2020
Cmdr. LaDonna Simpson is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where she earned her commission and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. She also holds a Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University.
Simpson’s sea duty assignments include: USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), and Executive Officer aboard USS Carter Hall, before assuming command as the Commanding Officer. Her operational tours have spanned the 5th and 6th Fleet Areas of Responsibility to include deployments in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
Ashore, Simpson’s assignments include: Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Section Head on the staff of the Director, Surface Warfare (N96); Surface Nuclear Officer Program Manager for the staff of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education) (N133); and a Congressional Liaison within the Navy Appropriations Matters Office for the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (FM&C).
Simpson’s decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards), and the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (two awards).