Rear Adm. Dixon R. Smith, son-in-law of Anne Connerton of Stonington and a 1978 Staples (Westport) High School graduate, has been nominated for promotion to the rank of vice admiral, according to a press release from Navy Region Mid Atlantic in Norfolk, Va.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced Aug. 4 that the president nominated Smith for appointment to the rank of vice admiral and for assignment as commander of the Navy Installations Command at the Washington Navy Yard. He currently serves as commander of Navy Region Mid Atlantic, which encompasses 14 installations and 50 Naval Operational Support Centers throughout the 20-state region.

Smith is from Green’s Farms. He received his commission from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1983 and was designated a surface warfare officer in 1985. He holds a master’s degree in business from Webster University and is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

After serving as commander of both Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific, Smith took command of Navy Region Southwest, where he received his second star in February 2012. He assumed command of the Navy’s Mid-Atlantic Region in July 2013.