The Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center has been fortunate to have had Dr. Jennifer Myers in attendance 34 years and 9 months, and her last day will be December 31st, 2020. She is currently the manager of the National Airspace System (NAS) Human Factors Safety Research Laboratory (AAM-520) at the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI).
Jennifer arrived in Oklahoma City in 1984, following her husband’s clinical psychology internship at Oklahoma University’s Health Science Center; after having completed her own graduate studies in Bowling Green, OH. Her first job in Oklahoma City was providing consultation on training and program evaluation to parent groups and schools in Oklahoma, serving American Indian populations. A friend in Washington, D.C. working for the Army Research Institute told her that some colleagues had taken jobs with the FAA in Washington, DC. And that a Psychologist position was open at CAMI. "The rest is (my) history," says, Jennifer.
Dr. Myers was hired in March of 1986, and started on the same day as Charles Sullivan (former head of AMP). In 1994, she was given a temporary promotion to manager over what is now AMC-3. At the end of the year, she decided that the organization was a good fit for her. Jennifer asked (then Director of the Center) Mac McClure if she could stay, and he said yes. After about a year of being a self-directed team, the Director decided that a supervisor was necessary, and she was selected as the manager.
Jennifer took several details along her career path; ARC HQ organization, (she managed workforce and strategic planning), then she became the manager of the International Training Division (AMA-800). Following that she managed AMQ-100, but was also acting deputy of AMQ overall. In 2007, she became a part of the FAA Logistics Center (AML) management team, and managed AML-4000 until the Spring of 2010. Thereafter, she was asked to lead a talent management effort that Sunny Lee-Fanning had been working on. In 2012, Dr. Myers took a detail to CAMI.
From 2013 through 2018, she evaluated ATO leadership programs and was a part of multiple teams that executed succession planning and the Career Planning Tool with the Employee and Leadership Development Group (AJG-L3). In February of 2018, she became the branch manager of the NAS Human Factors Safety Research Laboratory (AAM-520).
During her time at the Center, Dr. Myers is most proud of having an effect on a few employees’ careers. "Over the years, I’ve had several folks thank me for being an important influence in their career attainments," she says. One of the biggest challenges over her career has been in obtaining frank feedback on weak areas necessary for career planning and development. "My bosses had subtly suggested that an Executive position wasn’t a good fit for me, but I didn’t feel that I’d received enough information to understand what I was doing that conveyed that, or what I needed to do better (or differently) to achieve that goal," Jennifer reflects, and continues, "In retrospect, I may have failed in political savvy!"
As a child, Jennifer wanted to be a teacher, as with many other girls who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s. Her first job was working as a babysitter for 25 cents an hour (at age 11). She’s come a long way from her humble beginnings. Traits that she admires in others are curiosity, being straight-forward, critical thinking, self-awareness, and humor – adding, "Don’t take life and work so seriously that you can’t laugh about it."
Jennifer’s favorite vacation spots are: St. John’s, U.S. Virgin Islands for the beautiful beaches, and Banff/Jasper in Canada, where she enjoys the Canadian Rockies and glacier water. She may spend time in either of those places after leaving the FAA, but in the short term, is looking forward to obtaining her Master Gardener certificate when she retires.
As Dr. Myers went through work photos to select those she wanted to share, she said, "I was reminded of all of the great people I have worked with, and the fun I had with them. I wanted to share photos of some of those great people from the organizations in which I worked."
We at the Center have been very fortunate to have such a seasoned employee in our midst. We appreciate the lives she’s touched over the years, and wish her safe travels and pleasant weather for her future gardening endeavors.
A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust. – Gertrude Jekyll
