Del Toro Taps Berger to Perform Duties of the Undersecretary of the Navy

ARLINGTON, Va. — Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro selected Meredith Berger to perform the duties of the undersecretary of the Navy effective Aug. 25, the Navy announced in an Aug. 23 release. 

Berger who is currently serving as the assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment, will relieve James F. Geurts, who will retire Aug. 28 after 34 years of government service. 

“The Department of the Navy has been strengthened by the wisdom and leadership generated by Mr. Geurts,” said Del Toro. “I value his commitment to our personnel in uniform, his service to our great nation and his teamwork and communication amongst the personnel in this building. I know that Ms. Berger will carry on this strong tradition of collaboration as she performs the duties of the undersecretary of the Navy.” 

Geurts served for 22 years in a variety of acquisition positions, focused on engineering and program management while on active duty in the Air Force. Afterwards, he served as the U.S. Special Operations Command acquisition executive before joining the department in December 2017 as the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition. He was selected to perform the duties of the undersecretary of the Navy in February 2021. 

“It’s been an honor serving the Sailors, Marines and their families,” said Geurts. “I have great confidence that the Department of the Navy team is well positioned to take on the many challenges they will face in the uncertain future.” 

Berger holds a bachelor of arts in American Studies and Spanish from Vanderbilt University, a juris doctor from Nova Southeastern University and a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. She has served in various positions in state and federal government to include the Florida Department of Financial Services, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Defense. Berger served as the deputy chief of staff to the secretary of the navy from 2014 to 2017. 

“I am driven by the mission of supporting the department’s nearly one million Sailors, Marines, and civilians who do the brave work of defending our nation,” Berger said. “Ensuring they have the resources necessary to tackle current and future challenges, improve warfighting, and build resiliency and readiness is my top priority.”