About
The USS MASSACHUSETTS (SSN 798) Commissioning Committee is a non-profit public charity organized under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3) and is working in collaboration with the Massachusetts Bay Council of the Navy League and the Battleship Cove Foundation in Fall River. While the U.S. Navy funds the actual formal ceremony, planning for the other events as part of the commissioning celebration is the responsibility of the Commissioning Committee. It's funded through charitable donations from corporations that contributed toward the construction of the ship as well as members of the host city.
The commissioning ceremony is a time-honored event in the life of every U.S. Navy ship. Dignitaries, honored guests, and the general public are invited to a ceremony steeped in tradition in which the vessel becomes a United States Ship and its Commanding Officer and crew formally come aboard and bring the ship to life.
Mission Statement
In order to provide a statewide outreach of social, interactive, and educational activities that create and uphold the bond between the people of Massachusetts and the sailors protecting the security of our nation who serve in the USS MASSACHUSETTS, the USS MASSACHUSETTS Commissioning Committee
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Serves as the State’s agent for the planning, funding, and the production of traditional and celebratory U.S. Navy ship commissioning activities according to Navy Regulation and the guidelines of the Secretary of the Navy, and
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Implements a sustainable program of fellowship and support so that the first and future crews and families of our Commonwealth’s namesake submarine experience ongoing and sustainable support from Massachusetts residents and friends of the USS MASSACHUSETTS.
Vision Statement
The USS MASSACHUSETTS Commissioning Committee through dedication and transparency will work to
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Establish a bond between the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the sailors of the USS MASSACHUSETTS (SSN 798) that will last throughout the life of the ship and beyond,
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Sponsor educational opportunities for Massachusetts residents that raise awareness and appreciation of the submarine while it serves the United States in the name of our state,
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Provide a means to commemorate the commissioning of the USS MASSACHUSETTS with programs and events that are fitting to the grand occasion,
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Create a legacy of support for the men and women who sail in MASSACHUSETTS,
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And through the work of this committee, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and community supporters will be openly linked to ensure the men and women who sail in MASSACHUSETTS know that they too have a home in the Bay State.
Sheryl Sandberg
Founder, LeanIn.org
Ship Sponsor
Sheryl Sandberg is the founder and chair of the Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to build a more equal and resilient world through three key initiatives: Lean In, Option B, and the Dave Goldberg Scholarship Program. Lean In supports a global community of 86,000 Lean In Circles in 183 countries.
Sheryl previously served as chief operating officer at Meta for fourteen years, during which the company grew from $150 million to over $110 billion in annual revenue and implemented industry-defining benefits and programs to make the workplace more inclusive.
Before joining the company then called Facebook, Sheryl was vice president of global online sales and operations at Google, chief of staff for the U.S. Treasury Department under President Clinton, a consultant with McKinsey & Company, and an economist with the World Bank.
Sheryl is the best-selling author of three books: Lean In, Lean In for Graduates, and Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy (with Adam Grant).
She received a BA summa cum laude from Harvard University and an MBA with highest distinction from Harvard Business School. Sheryl lives in Menlo Park, California, with her husband and their five children.
Commissioning Committee
Dinis L. Pimentel, Chair
(860) 759-8610
Dr. Charles “Chip” Dye, J.D. Ph.D., Government Liaison,
Commander U.S. Navy (Ret.)
(860) 303-2617
Greg Sencaj, Treasurer
(508) 223-7731
The commissioning is planned to be hosted in Boston at the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, BFCT
