Capt. Ronald Reis relieved Capt. Joseph Kuzmick as the commanding officer of USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in a change of command ceremony in hangar bay two Friday.

Reis, a graduate of University of California, Davis, received his commission through Aviation Officer Candidate School and became an aviator in 1987. He is reporting to Stennis after successfully commanding USS Nassau (LHA 4), and said he is honored to be a part of Stennis’ crew.

“Today I join a crew and a ship that is squarely between the buoys, sailing true and proud, headed for open ocean,” said Reis. “Capt. Kuzmick, you will be sorely missed by the men and women of this fine warship and the greater Bremerton community.”

Rear Adm. Joseph Aucoin, Carrier Strike Group Three commander, presided over the ceremony and commended Kuzmick’s efforts and the progress made during Stennis Bids Farewell to CO his time aboard Stennis as captain.

“Leadership does not command excellence, leadership builds excellence,” said Aucoin. “That is what Capt. Kuzmick has been doing these past two and a half years.”

During Capt. Kuzmick’s command, Stennis launched and recovered over 14,000 aircraft and qualified 115 new pilots with zero mishaps. The ship deployed in 2009 to the Western Pacific, and participated in a host of additional underway time in support of carrier qualifications. Under his command, Stennis served as the centerpiece for the Centennial of Naval Aviation, held at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, Calif. Feb. 12.

Stennis also received the 2010 Edward F. Ney award for the best food service in the fleet, and two consecutive retention excellence awards, a first for Pacific Northwest carriers. Most recently, Stennis completed Tailored Ship’s Training Availability/Final Evaluation Problem and the Congress mandated Board of Inspection and Survey, back to back successfully.

“What has been truly and absolutely captivating to me is how well this crew responded to virtually every challenge,” said Kuzmick. “There’s been challenges, but they executed everything with almost no white space in the schedule. The demand for aircraft carriers by our combatant commanders around the world is absolutely relentless. I want to promise you that this crew stands ready to continue this successful tradition.”