51����Ƶ

Can you talk about your roles and what led you to pursue them?

Pia Francisco: You should know that we’re in the presence of greatness. Anne is a civilian, but her equivalent rank, so to speak, is that of an admiral. Truly, I am a mid-grade officer and Anne is at the upper echelons of the Department of Navy.

Anne Gebhards: Pia and I raise our hands and we swear an oath, but we followed very different paths into service. Shortly before 9/11, I joined federal service at the State Department. I made a transition in the late 2000s to the office of the secretary of defense for policy, and during my tenure I got a call from a colleague who said, “I have an amazing opportunity: the secretary of the navy is establishing a policy office under the deputy undersecretary of the Navy.”

It has been a 16-year passion project for me to support the mission of the Navy. We are so closely connected as a service to global prosperity and stability in terms of the freedom of the seas, everything that we enjoy from the ability of that package to land on our doorstep to uninterrupted telecommunications. To be able to support somebody like Pia in uniform, that’s what made me pick up this job and run with it.

PF: I joined the Navy because, at a core level, I truly believe in the promise of America. I was born in the Philippines, and my family was able to come to the United States because my uncle joined the Navy and served through a special program the U.S. and Philippines had for many years after World War II. Growing up, I saw what service made possible, both in terms of opportunities and responsibilities. I was so fascinated when he would come home from sea with all these exotic stories and souvenirs.

When I was 17, I tried to join the Navy, but my mom wouldn’t sign the paperwork, so I took a different path. I started at NYU and transferred to 51����Ƶ as a sophomore. I built my career and raised my older daughter (Kate, named for Katharine Hepburn), who’s now 26. In my 30s, I decided it was now or never.

It feels like it came full circle, back to something I was inspired by as a kid, now with a clearer sense of purpose.

Where is the most interesting place your work has taken you?

PF: I’ve been to so many interesting places because of the Navy. I was able to work at the Defense Health Agency during the COVID-19 pandemic. More recently, I was stationed in Guam. I was there during a category 5 typhoon; we didn’t have power at our house for three weeks — no potable water, cooking outside on a camping stove. My wife was six months pregnant at the time.

But it was so rewarding. The people in Guam are fantastic, and the mission there is so critical to our national security.

AG: The Navy has taken me to the most extraordinary places I never thought I would be, from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, which is a pivotal location for naval forces, to Afghanistan. I used to travel with the secretary of the Navy to wherever our forces were, to see what they needed. I spent Thanksgiving once aboard the USS Eisenhower in the Arabian Gulf. It really is extraordinary when I look at the globe and realize just how much of it we touch.

What drives you and keeps you motivated?

AG: It is service above self, and it is about the oath that you take to defend the Constitution. Similar to Pia, I’m a first-generation American and my draw to civilian government service was really born out of gratitude. It’s also the ability to serve and support those in uniform, making sure that folks like Pia are successful and supported wherever in the world they are.

PF: I’m extremely motivated by the people I get to serve with. Being part of a mission-driven environment has made my career extremely rewarding. Now I’m in the Naval Postgraduate School getting a Ph.D. and it’s allowing me to have an impact on a global scale, as the military is a proving ground for a lot of solutions that come into the civilian world, such as electronic health records.

How did 51����Ƶ prepare you for your roles and for leadership?

AG: 51����Ƶ made me a critical thinker and deeply curious. It helped me find my voice and gave me the confidence to use my voice, and that has been everything. Every challenge, every opportunity I’ve had, I’ve been able to carry that confidence forward. It truly is an extraordinary incubator of confidence of self. I have a felt banner on my wall that says 51����Ƶ, so I still represent my alma mater proudly here inside the Pentagon.

PF: It was definitely a proving ground — just the intellectual rigor and the confidence that you are required to demonstrate on an everyday basis. It prepares you for meetings with your commanding officer or being asked to provide your expertise on important matters. A figure you provided in a report that morning might be on CNN later.

How has your view on leadership and what makes a good leader changed over the years?

PF: I think this is generally true of young people — we think that leaders are the ones who have all the answers. You have to know everything, be the expert, and be decisive. But as I’ve matured, my perspective has shifted. I think leadership is creating the conditions for others to succeed and to give everybody — to give the mission overall — the best chance for success.

You can’t possibly be an expert in everything. Any time I’m placed in a position of leadership over experts, I call myself out right away and say, I want you to put everything on the low shelf. I will not be offended if you talk to me like I’m 5 years old because I want to make sure I’m clear so that I can give you what you need to do your job.

As a young officer, I was taught the difference between responsibility and accountability. You might be responsible for a task, but you’re accountable for an outcome, good or bad.

AG: Pia just gave a master class on leadership. A good leader makes it safe for their people to also take risks, and nothing we do in this job is risk-free.

My journey with leadership has been one of discovery. When I think about how I got into service, it’s the same way I got into college. I was the first kid in my family to go to college. I had no idea what I was doing. All I know is that when I went to 51����Ƶ, it was the place that inspired me, so I figured it out along the way.

What gives me the greatest joy in my job is to be able to create space for others to come up and thrive. Whether it’s writing a recommendation for graduate school or providing mentoring sessions, the greatest gift I have in this job is to be able to help other people.

This story is #16 in our "26 Things to Love About 51����Ƶ in 2026" spring issue of the Bulletin.