Aeronautical Center employees are truly the best, and work collaboratively daily to support all aspects of the FAA mission. This past month that spirit of collaboration was on full display at the PAACE annual banquet. I was honored to participate in this fun filled event, spending time outside of work with hardworking employees and some of their family members with dinner, music, a little dancing, and some fun activities. Special thanks to Rob Rogers, President PAACE, and his PAACE leadership team for organizing a wonderful event. I hope you enjoy the article on it in this month’s newsletter.
We also opened this past month with Public Service Recognition Week (the week of May 6th), honoring the work that all federal, state, county, local, and tribal governments perform. Each of you deserves praise for the value-added work you do at MMAC to keep the NAS operational with the highest level of safety. It is a privilege to work alongside such an amazing group of professionals. Thank you!
Keeping with the spirit of celebration, the National Hispanic Coalition of Federal Aviation Employees (NHCFAE) celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a special luncheon at Blue Sky Café. The MMAC NHCFAE is very active and provided a wonderful array of food for Center employees in celebration of this special day. Special thanks to Oscar Torres, President of NHCFAE, and his leadership team for continuing this annual tradition. I enjoyed seeing everyone, tasting the cookies, and I am sure all of the employees in Blue Sky that day did as well.
Being grateful for having good food to eat, nearly 75 employees and family members volunteered their time at the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank this month, in a two-hour session, preparing 1,341 lbs. of cereal for those in our community who are food insecure. If you haven’t ever attended one of these events, please consider doing so. They are a great way to connect with others in a fun setting and give back to the community at the same time. Special thanks to Ileta Young for organizing this wonderful engagement. My son, Noah, and I really enjoyed participating this past month and getting to meet some new employees from the Center. It seemed that everyone had a great time, for an important cause.
This month, we also honored Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, recognizing the diverse cultures, rich histories, and significant contributions of the AAPI community within our organization. We additionally held a session of "Center Connection", where our newest employees received a helpful information overview about the Aeronautical Center, our mission, and all the different kinds of opportunities that are available to employees. If you are relatively new to the Center and are interested in attending an activity like this, please get in touch with Justin Cockroft to reserve a spot in the next Center Connection session.
And special kudos to the Office of Facility Management for hosting a highly successful Earth Day event, with food trucks, electric vehicles, free tree saplings, seed packets, and many other booths displaying ways to protect and conserve our environment.
Congratulations to the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Council for hosting the first-ever Employee Associations Block Party! We were pleased that hundreds of employees attended, and many booths ran out of giveaways and food trucks sold out of food! This was an excellent opportunity for employees to learn about all the different Employee Associations at the Center, creating a greater awareness and helping maintain a workplace culture that embraces equal opportunity.
As we continue to focus on developing more MMAC employees for future career opportunities, thirty members of the Aeronautical Center Employee Development (AsCEnD) Cohort #3 completed their second of seven training sessions. During these sessions, they toured the FAA Academy and listened to presentations from colleagues. These cohorts are gaining in-depth knowledge of the FAA’s mission, helping employees connect the mission to their daily work.
Lastly, if you haven’t already done so, please take a few minutes to participate in the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). You should have received an email with a personal link. The survey is developed through the Office of Personnel Management, and employees are given 30 minutes to complete it. We use the results of this survey, combined with our Gallup Q12 Employee Engagement Survey, to validate our local efforts to improve our engagement. Please note: the survey only goes to employees on the employment rolls since November 2023; if you arrive after that time, you will not receive an invitation right now. Please use this time to give us your opinions on important topics like leadership, policies/practices, work environment, rewards/recognition, professional development, and contributions to the overall mission. Surveys are anonymous, and rest assured that managers cannot determine individual responses. Please take a few minutes to help us improve our work culture.
Thanks for the work you do that positively impacts our work culture. Your efforts truly make a difference.
Kindly,
Michelle Coppedge
Director, Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center
