United States Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mellysa Payne, who has family ties in Surprise, serves as a liaison officer alongside the U.S. Navy aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier operating out of San Diego.

A native of San Clemente, California, Payne graduated from San Clemente High School in 1999 and earned a bachelor’s in advertising from Boston University in 2003. He got an associates degree in intelligence operations studies from Cochise College in 2013 and an MBA from University of Maryland Global Campus in 2024.

“I enlisted in the Army in 2011 with a desire to serve, mentor, train and coach soldiers,” stated Payne, who joined the Army 15 years ago. “I wanted to work in a career field that would challenge me, bring me personal satisfaction and allow me to take care of others while in service to the nation. I became a warrant officer in 2020, and it continues to be an amazing decision and rewarding responsibility every day.”

Payne serves as a liaison officer from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on behalf of the Army Element Command to promote and foster Army-Navy interoperability in Geospatial Intelligence.

Grateful to others for helping make an Army career possible,  Payne notes proud moments stewarding soldiers to be their best selves and navigating through difficulty to reach success through teamwork.

“Seeing them grow is the most rewarding part of my job. Championing modernization across branches and building relationships between leaders to spearhead GEOINT’s future across the force continues to be my quest,” Payne stated.

This year, the Navy is commemorating its contribution to the nation’s defense as the United States celebrates 250 years of independence. According to Navy officials, the Navy has sailed the globe defending freedom and protecting prosperity for more than 250 years.

“Serving in the Army at home and abroad has been the greatest honor of my professional life,” Payne stated. “I am humbled and proud of this call to action.”