CAPT Roy Love, USN
Capt. Roy Love was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the U.S. in 1983. In 1988 he graduated from Townsend Harris HS in N.Y. Following HS, Love enlisted in the U.S. Navy and attended the Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training (BOOST) Program in San Diego, California, in 1989. In 1993, he graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College, earning a bachelor’s degree in Marine Transportation/Business Administration, and received his naval commission via ROTC.
His sea duty assignments are numerous. He has served as a Division Officer aboard the USS GALLERY and USS CAPE ST. GEORGE. He served as a Department Head at Naval Beach Group Two, USS STEPHEN W. GROVES and COMDESRON 26. In 2004 he served on the Commander Seventh Fleet Staff as Assistant Operations Officer, Fleet Scheduler, and Assistant to the Fleet Navigator. In 2006, he reported as the Executive Officer of USS JOHN L HALL.
He attended the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, earning a Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies in 2008. He deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2009 on an Individual Assignment in support of the ARMY 304th Sustainment Brigade, managing and distributing fuel across all of Iraq to support U.S. and allied forces.
CAPT Love reported as the Captain of the Fast Frigate USS BOONE (FFG 28) in June 2010, where he led the ship in winning the Battle Efficiency award in 2011. CAPT Love is the first Dominican American to lead a US Naval Warship. He completed his tour on BOONE in December 2011 and assumed Command of Afloat Training Group Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida. CAPT Love served in the Joint Staff, Joint Chiefs of Staff, as Joint Division Chief for PACOM, NORTHCOM, and SOUTHCOM, under the Deputy Director for Regional Operations (J35) from 2014-2016.
In August 2016, he assumed command of Naval Base San Diego (NBSD), the second-largest Naval Base in the U.S. CAPT Love is the first Hispanic to lead the installation. He culminated his tour as Commanding Officer of NBSD in July 2019, after leading the base in winning the Commander in Chief Installation Excellence Award.
His final assignment in the U.S. Navy was as Executive Assistant to Commander Navy Installations Command, who leads 10 Navy Regions and 70 Naval Installations worldwide, with over 50,000 employees and over $200 Billion in assets, and a $10B annual operating budget. Captain Love retired from the U.S. Navy after 29 years on active duty.
CAPT Love’s military awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, and various U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard unit and service awards.
He is currently serving as President of the Association of Naval Services Officers (ANSO). ANSO is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to recruiting, retaining, and promoting Hispanics and Latinos across all United States Sea Services ranks. Founded in 1981 by the first Secretary of the Navy of Hispanic descent, the Honorable Eduardo Hidalgo, the Association of Naval Services Officers has long served as a mentoring and career development-focused organization. In addition to supporting outreach within America’s underserved communities, ANSO directly supports Hispanic/Latino(a) members in their decision to remain in their respective services and help those who separate or retire find outside employment through its extensive network.
Dedicated to the principles of lifelong learning and motivated to pay it forward always, he is a certified Resilience Building Leadership Professional (RBLP) Trainer dedicated to helping organizations create senior leaders that can build resilient teams, facilitate team learning, and support organizational learning.
He is also certified Motorcycle Safety Foundation Rider Coach, Motorcycle Safety Instructor, Iron Butt Association, The World’s Toughest Motorcycle Riders, long-distance and endurance motorcyclist, and Founder and CEO of The Road Eagle LLC, which is working to create the first online Bi-Lingual Motorcycle Magazine dedicated to Latino Riders.