Executive Officer

Commander Ellis is a native of Wichita Falls, TX. He enlisted in the Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Pipeline in 1989 and served on the USS Daniel Boone (SSBN 629 Gold) and the USS Alabama (SSBN 731 Gold). From his first shore duty assignment at Trident Refit Facility, Bangor Washington he was selected for Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program and attended Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA.

Following graduation, he was commissioned an Ensign in 2002 and reported to Naval Hospital, Bremerton, WA, where he gained first-hand experience in medical, surgical, and emergency nursing. During this tour he deployed to Fleet Hospital 8, Rota Spain in 2003. In 2004, he transferred to Naval Hospital Twenty Nine Palms, CA to serve as a medical-surgical and emergency staff nurse and deployed to Expeditionary Medical Facility Kuwait in 2005.

In 2007 he reported to 3d Medical Battalion in Okinawa, Japan serving serial year-long assignments as Commander for all three companies. During this tour he was deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2008 where he served as Executive Officer of a Shock Trauma Platoon and helped develop tactics, techniques and procedures for the armored Mobile Trauma Bay; a new capability designed to bring critical care to wounded Marines in areas of high IED concentrations. CDR Ellis also completed professional military education through the Expeditionary Warfare School’s Distance Education Program.

In 2011 he reported to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth and served as Manager of the Family Medicine Clinic during Medical Home Port realignment, Joint Commission survey, the merger of Deployment Health and Primary Care, and NCQA submission. In 2012 he was selected as Senior Nurse for the Oceana Triad of clinics, a position normally held by a full Commander, and oversaw the Triad’s realignment of Mental Health, Obstetrics, Physical Therapy, and Chiropractic services under Primary Care.

In 2015 he graduated from Air Command and Staff College in Montgomery, AL and reported to Naval Hospital Naples, Italy where he served as the Quality Manager, Risk Manager, and the command’s Inspector General Representative. In 2018 he reported to the Nurse Corps’ only Joint Duty Assignment List billet as a Medical Planner and then Secretary to the Joint Staff for Joint Task Force - Civil Support on Fort Eustis, VA, completing Joint Professional Military Education phase II through the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, VA. In 2020 he deployed to Djibouti, Africa as the Officer In Charge for the Expeditionary Medical Facility, the Navy’s sole OCONUS Role II trauma facility.  He currently serves as the Executive Officer for Navy Medicine Training Support Center on Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.

CDR Ellis’ decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (five awards), and the Combat Action Ribbon. He is the proud Gold Star Father of Army PFC Vincent J. Ellis who was killed in action in 2012 and is interred in Arlington National Cemetery. CDR Ellis is a member of the Emergency Nurses Association, and the American College of Health Care Executives.