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Developing Leaders: How Tara Culbertson Embraced Professional Growth in Navy MWR

Cara Culbertson's employee photo

May 28, 2026 | Story by Naomi Wilkins | Commander, Navy Installations Command | Fleet and Family Readiness 

From an internship in Scotland to a career spanning over three decades, Tara Culbertson’s journey with Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR), part of Fleet and Family Readiness (FFR), which is aligned under Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC), is a testament to her dedication to serving Sailors and their families. Now the MWR Fleet Readiness Director at Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi, Japan, Culbertson’s story reflects a path of adventure and professional growth as part of the FFR family. 

Culbertson is a native of Kentucky and holds a degree in recreation from Indiana University. Her exposure to MWR began with an internship in Edzel, Scotland in 1992 while she was still a student.  

"It was amazing," she recalled. "I was 20 years old and it was a very, very different environment than I was used to. I really didn't have any exposure to the military before that, but I loved being able to be creative and do programming and, you know, work with so many different areas." 

After graduating and a few years working for a city parks and recreation department, Culbertson officially joined MWR, embarking on a 31-year journey that has taken her to locations including Texas, Hawaii, Cuba, Singapore and Japan. 

"I feel like we have so much more opportunity for adventure and opportunities to live in different places," she said. 

Throughout her career, Culbertson has been a strong advocate for professional development. She recently renewed her Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP) certification, a credential she believes is important to maintain. As a CNIC employee, she was able to take advantage of free training available, including courses from Total Workforce Management System (TWMS), a centralized training platform, to meet the continuing education requirements. 

These courses, along with volunteer experience and conference presentations, helped her maintain her certification. She also supported the professional development of others by facilitating MWR Managers Program and Grow Your Business. Beyond the professional advantages, these opportunities provided a significant financial benefit, allowing her to complete the continuing education requirements without personal expense. 

For those considering a career with MWR, Culbertson offered this advice: "Keep stretching. Keep reaching for self-improvement." She encouraged individuals to be proactive in their career growth, to seek out opportunities, especially those that our organization provides to employees. "The people that move up are the ones that are taking training courses and proactively learning new information.” 

Looking back on her journey, Culbertson expresses a sense of pride and humility. "I'm really proud of what I've been able to do in our awesome organization," she said.  

The Fleet and Family Readiness (FFR) Employee Training Department’s vision is to cultivate a culture of continuous learning and development, fostering excellence, world-class customer service and adaptability to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape by empowering FFR employees with a comprehensive, adaptable and innovative training and development program. For more information and links to various training programs, please visit www.navymwr.org/careers/training.  

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This is an Official U.S. Navy Website Commander, Navy Installations Command.

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