Cmdr. Michelle Matthews
Commanding Officer, USS James E. Williams
22 December 2025
Cmdr. Michelle Matthews graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree with merit in Naval Architecture. She also holds a Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University.
Afloat, Cmdr. Matthews completed her first division officer tour in the USS CHAFEE (DDG 90) as the Gunnery Officer where she completed three deployments to the Western Pacific. After completing Nuclear Power Training at Charleston, South Carolina, she served in USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) as the Reactor Controls Division Officer. She completed her department head tours in the destroyer USS PREBLE (DDG 88) as the Operations Officer and USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70) as the Chemistry Radiological Assistant. Aboard USS PREBLE she completed an availability and sustainment phase. She completed two SEVENTH Fleet AOR deployments and one Rim of The Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise with USS CARL VINSON.
Most recently, she completed her Executive Officer tour in USS JAMES E. WILLIAMS (DDG 95).
Ashore, she served as an instructor at the United States Naval Academy where she earned her Craftmaster’s qualification instructing Midshipmen on seamanship aboard Yard Patrol Crafts. She also served as the Surface Nuclear Program Manager for the Chief of Naval Personnel and as the CVN Technical Assistant to the Deputy Director of Naval Reactors, and as the Principal Assistant Program Manager for DDG Modernization 2.0 at Naval Sea Systems Command, PMS 407.