January 23rd marked Nicole’s first day of work at the Aeronautical Center. Nicole comes to the Aeronautical Center from Tinker Air Force Base (AFB) where she worked as Chief of Manpower and Personnel for the 72nd Force Support Squadron. She managed more than 100 employees (both military and civilian personnel) in executing mission support responsibilities in support of the 20,000 civilian and military staff of Tinker AFB. She oversaw civilian personnel for both appropriated and non-appropriated funds, as well as military personnel and the Manpower Office. Manpower is a function within the United States Air Force that determines resource requirements for various workloads. Nicole actually started her civil service in 2002 at Tinker AFB working in Human Resources, in the area of classification. She spent time rotating as a specialist through staffing and employee/labor relations, and resource management to gain a broader outlook and understanding of HR services.
When asked what’s one of her most memorable accomplishments, Nicole responded, “I am most proud of the working group my team and I were a part of where we focused on streamlining and expediting civilian hiring. This past year, our working group outlined numerous process improvements that eliminated approximately 40 days from the hiring process while increasing throughput by 220%, culminating in approximately 2,000 new-hire employees.” While it’s still early yet, Nicole’s vision for her new HR staff is to be the premier human resources team, providing extraordinary customer service; enabling FAA mission success. Nicole is eager to learn about how the FAA is organized, the various missions that executed, and is determined to look at ways to improve human resource service delivery to the customers.
Nicole expressed that one of the biggest challenges that she’s faced in her career is being able to adequately explain federal employment to members of the general public. “The rules are complex and difficult to navigate, specifically in comparison to the private sector,” Nicole comments. Accustomed to hard work, Nicole values the traits of passion, integrity, and loyalty.
Growing up, Nicole always thought she wanted to be a fighter pilot, especially after seeing the movie “Top Gun.” Her first real job with was at Duncan Brothers Salon as a receptionist. Eventually she became on Office Manager overseeing receptionists at all locations. It was here where she learned about accountability, responsibility, and most importantly customer service. While working there, she also attended the University of Central Oklahoma earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Family Studies and then successively obtained a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management.
While raised in an urban area, Nicole and her husband of 16 years now live on a farm east of Oklahoma City. She loves to travel to the beach whenever she can, but having three young children, most of their vacation time is spent at Disney World. Nicole also enjoys weight lifting and making various crafts with her kids for their school functions and parties.
When asked what’s the best advice you’ve ever received, Nicole responds, “Take the hard jobs… they are key to your success and will unlock your growth potential.” The Aeronautical Center is glad to have Nicole on board!
