Captain Sarah B. Rice assumed the duties as the Executive Officer of the Naval Research Laboratory on November 14, 2025.
She is a native of Rochester, New York, and was commissioned in 2002 from the United States Naval Academy, graduating with honors as an ocean engineering major with a minor in German. She was selected to receive the Commander (retired) Otto A. Zipf (USNA class of 1955) scholarship to attend the University of Heidelberg in Germany upon commissioning, where she earned a Master’s degree in physics, with a focus in environmental physics, and a minor in German as a foreign language.
Rice’s sea tours include serving as Communications Officer on USS Shiloh (CG 67) and Training and Administrative Officer on USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) before laterally transferring to the engineering duty officer (EDO) community. CAPT Rice qualified as an EDO at Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific. Her EDO tours include Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (PEO C4I) as assistant program manager (APM) for Command and Control Processor, an ACAT II Program of Record, and later as APM for the Maintenance Figure of Merit (MFOM) System, both in PMW 150; Basic Course Director at EDO School; Department Officer at NWSC Port Hueneme Division, and several positions with PEO Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS) in both Naval Integrated Fire Control (NIFC) and STANDARD Missile (an ACAT I) programs.
In 2022, she was selected as a Secretary of the Navy Tour with Industry Fellow and was placed with Cisco Systems. She served as Major Program Manager for PEO IWS 11.0 Terminal Defense Systems and managed a portfolio that included CIWS, RAM, SeaRAM and Land-Based Pahalanx Weapons System, Surface Ships Guns and Ammunition, Directed Energy Weapons, and Afloat Kinetic C-UAS systems.
Rice is DAWIA certified in Program Management Advanced and as a Science and Technology Management practitioner. Her personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Navy Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), the Navy Commendation Medal (five awards), and the Navy Achievement Medal. Special recognition includes the 2011 Sea Services Leadership Association Captain Joy Bright Hancock Award.