Ernest Yelder - a Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren

Ernest Yelder - a Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division cybersecurity expert based at Combat Direction Systems Activity (CDSA) Dam Neck - credits those who encouraged him during his acceptance speech at the Annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Gala after receiving the 2016 Black Engineer of the Year Award in Philadelphia, Feb. 20. "My story is not one of a young man struggling to escape urban blight but rather one with strong male and female role models that had faith in me," said Yelder. The three-day BEYA conference recognized the significant accomplishments of African-Americans in government and industry, who have achieved exceptional career gains in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)