As part of Military Appreciation Week, we’re proud to spotlight Dr. Nia N. Maye, DrPH, MPH, MPM, a Penn State World Campus alumna and active-duty environmental health officer in the United States Navy.
With more than two decades of military service, Dr. Maye exemplifies leadership, innovation, and impact. She pursued a master’s degree in project management to give her the knowledge to lead the more
complex initiatives she was being tasked with. The degree also laid the foundation for her commissioning as a Navy officer and continues to shape her work in preventive medicine and operational readiness.
From building mentorship programs to optimizing health surveillance systems, Dr. Maye is using her education to lead with purpose and improve lives across military communities.
Read more about Dr. Maye in the alumni spotlight below.
Can you describe your role in the Navy?
I have served for more than 22 years, initially enlisting on September 29, 2003, and was commissioned as an officer in July 2024.
I serve as an environmental health officer in the United States Navy, under the Medical Service Corps Healthcare Scientist community. I lead preventive medicine operations, ensuring force health protection through environmental surveillance, water testing, and occupational health assessments for deployed and garrison forces.
Why did you choose Penn State World Campus for your master’s in project management?
As a full-time active-duty service member, I needed a flexible, high-quality program that could accommodate my demanding schedule.
Penn State’s strong reputation and fully online format made it possible for me to pursue my education while fulfilling my military obligations. I chose project management to become a more effective leader, especially as I was increasingly tasked with leading complex projects and wanted to learn the methodologies behind successful execution.
How did your Penn State education support your career growth?
Earning my master’s played a pivotal role in making me a competitive candidate for the Health Services Collegiate Program, which is a scholarship program that provides financial incentives for students in designated health care professions to complete degree or certification requirements and obtain a commission in the Medical Corps (MC), Dental Corps (DC), or Medical Service Corps (MSC).
My master’s degree experience sharpened my leadership, risk management, and strategic planning skills. One defining moment was when I built a mentorship program using project management principles, which earned a community impact award. I also applied Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model during my dissertation to improve a Navy health promotion program, leading to actionable, evidence-based recommendations.
How are you using your Penn State education to make an impact today?
A key takeaway from my Penn State experience has been the real-world applicability of project management methodologies.
They’ve helped me approach complex problems with structure, communicate effectively, manage risk, and drive results aligned with command priorities.
I’m applying two methodologies — DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) and DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify) — to optimize health surveillance and reporting systems and to design new processes that enhance operational efficiency and mission readiness at my current command.
Penn State gave me the confidence and tools to lead with impact.
This Q&A spotlight is part of “40k alumni: 40 stories celebrating 40,000 graduates,” a series marking the milestone of more than 40,000 Penn Staters earning their degrees online through Penn State World Campus.