JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM— Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Pacific announced Leilani Nakashima as the NAVFAC Pacific 2025 Civilian Engineer of the Year.
Nakashima, a native of Pearl City, Hawaii, has played a pivotal role in managing the Tinian Seaport Development (SPOD) projects. These efforts will enhance the local community by modernizing the port to support the efficient delivery of goods and services and upgrading the breakwater to safeguard the port during storm events. Her leadership has been instrumental in advancing these critical projects, ensuring their alignment with mission requirements while delivering long-term benefits to the island of Tinian.
“Working on the Tinian SPOD projects has been incredibly rewarding,” said Nakashima. “Knowing these efforts will support our warfighters and benefit the local community motivates me to strive for excellence.”
In 2024, Nakashima faced the unique challenge of stepping into her first role as a supervisor while maintaining her existing workload. Through strategic prioritization and a steadfast commitment to maintaining her well-being, she successfully transitioned into this leadership position while continuing to deliver outstanding results.
Looking ahead, Nakashima aspires to advance NAVFAC’s mission by leveraging innovative engineering solutions and fostering strong partnerships across the Indo-Pacific region.
“My goals include enhancing infrastructure resilience, sustainability, and operational efficiency while promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing among diverse stakeholders,” she said, instilling hope for the future of our mission."
Nakashima is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering with a Structural focus from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is a licensed Structural Engineer in the State of Hawaii.
“Leilani is truly deserving of this recognition and we are incredibly proud of her,” said Brandi Castillo, Nakashima’s supervisor. “Her diligent efforts to move the Tinian SPOD projects forward will be crucial to strengthening relationships and achieving our mission in the Indo-Pacific region. Her structural engineering expertise has been key to the completion of efficient structural designs for a number of projects in support of the Defense Policy Realignment Initiative). Leilani’s leadership, critical thinking, and dedication to our mission are exemplary, and have contributed to her success as a supervisor, structural engineer, and design manager.”