Rivers becomes commissaries’ new senior enlisted advisor to agency director
FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. – Navy Command Master Chief Mario Rivers is the Defense Commissary Agency’s new senior enlisted advisor to the director. He assumes the responsibility effective today.
Rivers follows Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael Saucedo who will retire after 33 years of dedicated service to the U.S. Marine Corps, with the last three years assigned to DeCA.
“Throughout his military career, Command Master Chief Rivers has demonstrated he is a staunch advocate for our service members and their families, and has also relied on his commissary benefit to help support his family,” said John Hall, DeCA Director and CEO.
“Being a senior enlisted leader and commissary patron, he has a unique relationship with our military community, and we will rely on his expertise to help us understand the issues that affect our customers the most as we deliver their commissary benefit,” Hall added.
In Rivers’ previous assignment, he was the Command Master Chief for Commander, Navy Region Hawaii.
At DeCA, he is responsible for advising the DeCA director on enlisted service members’ needs related to the commissary benefit and serving as the agency liaison with the senior enlisted chiefs of the armed services.
“Being the senior enlisted advisor to the director and advocate for our active duty service members, retirees, and reserve components is an honor,” Rivers said. “Our patrons expect and deserve the best and safest customer experience that we can provide.
“In this position, I will have an integral role by communicating the needs of our customers to the DeCA team to ensure a premier shopping experience is had by all,” he added. “As a life-long commissary patron, I know how important this benefit is to the military community.”
Rivers started his Navy career in 1994 as an undesignated seaman recruit onboard the USS Supply, stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. He soon found his calling and converted to the retail services specialty in 1996. During his tour aboard Supply, he earned his Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist pin, and advanced to the rank of petty officer second class.
Rivers transferred to Fleet Training Center (FTC) Norfolk in November 1999, where he was a retail services specialist "C" school instructor for the Resale Operations Management and Barber curriculum.
As an instructor at FTC Norfolk, he was hand-selected to create and teach the first Resale Operations Management II curriculum. While there, he received his certification for Master Training Specialist, advanced to petty officer first class, and was selected as the 2002 Instructor of the Year.
Following additional assignments in leadership roles at sea and ashore, in 2011 he applied for and was selected into the Command Senior Chief program while serving aboard USS Iwo Jima, fulfilling a lifelong career aspiration. He was hand-selected as a facilitator on the Fleet Chief Petty Officer Training team in March 2013, and advanced to Master Chief Petty Officer in May of that year.
Rivers’ military education includes Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education, honor graduate of the Navy's Senior Enlisted Academy (Class 153 Gray), the Command Master Chief/Chief of the Boat Course (Class #112), the Senior Shore Leadership Course, the Navy Senior Leader Seminar, the Executive Leadership Symposium and the Indo-Pacific Orientation Course.
His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (3rd award), Navy Commendation Medal (4th award), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (8th award), Good Conduct Medal (9th award), Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal and numerous other individual, campaign and unit awards.
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About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.