Since 2022, leaders from the Aeronautical Center and the Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker Air Force Base have collaborated through a Leadership Exchange Program. Leaders from the respective facilities take turns visiting one another’s facilities, hosting each other on an approximately bi-annual basis.
This exchange helps to encourage fresh ideas and contributes to organizational innovation. The leaders gain a broader look into different work environments, cultures, and processes, helping to connect with their organization’s strategic objectives more effectively. Having the exchange of reciprocal visits, the leaders learn from one another by sharing best practices and developing a global mindset.
The Aeronautical Center hosted the fourth cohort of the Tinker Air Force Sustainment Center (AFSC)/FAA Leadership Exchange Program (LEP) from May 20th through 23rd, 2024. Tinker Leadership participants came from the areas of flight standards, logistics, public affairs, commodities, and logistics readiness.
The program participants received a welcome and facility overview from the Aeronautical Center Director, Michelle Coppedge, and then spent the week visiting areas in the FAA Academy, Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, Enterprise Services Center, FAA Logistics Center, Transportation Safety Institute (TSI), Flight Program Operations in Hangar 9, Office of Facility Management, Flight Research and Analysis Group (AFS), and 2nd Level Engineering (AJW).
They also received organizational briefings from Contracting (AAQ), the Budget Office (ABP), Human Resources (AHR), Executive Services and Outreach (AMC-003), and the Office of National Security (AXE). Each day, the group enjoyed lunch at the Blue Sky Café and commented on how good the food and service were and how fortunate MMAC employees are to have these amenities.
During their time at the Center, the participants identified collaborative opportunities, and engaged in detailed discussions about process optimization with managers across the Center. The group was accompanied by Leadership Executive Program (LEP) program manager Debbie Uglean. Uglean shared, "One repeated observation came from all participants on just how engaged and passionate our leadership and workforce are, and how nice our facilities are."
The future is bright, as the MMAC / Tinker Leadership Exchange Program provides a unique opportunity for leaders to grow, learn, and contribute to their organizations by stepping into new roles and embracing fresh perspectives.
