Since the global health crisis of 2020, many employees have been hired but have not received an in-depth briefing about what happens across the entire Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC). There’s more going on than meets the eye. So, Center Leadership decided to go the extra mile by providing a very educational, collaborative presentation to some recently hired employees on May 9th, 2024. The Center Connection briefing covered a wide swath of information from which even long-time employees could benefit from.
The day began with a greeting from Michelle Coppedge, Director of the MMAC, and Kevin O’Connor, Deputy Director of the MMAC. Together, they described the Center’s Mission of providing the world's safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world. They also covered various "good to know" information about Center operations, including historical facts and evolutions. Additionally, they briefed employees about how far-reaching the Center’s efforts are and where we are heading. The FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center is building the foundation of safety today for tomorrow’s technologies.
Some of the new and exciting developments coming to the Center are a Wind and Waves (WiWaves) research facility near the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) and the growth of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) /Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) activities. Further, because of the vital work being done here, a relationship with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is flourishing at the Center.
After the initial welcome from the Director’s office, several organizations in the Center followed suit and provided informative presentations to the employees. Justin Cockroft, who hosted the event, briefed the audience about the many duties of Executive Services and Outreach Office (AMC-3), providing corporate business planning services for leadership and support of the entire Aeronautical Center.
Following this were presentations and videos from the FAA Academy, the FAA Logistics Center, the Enterprise Services Center, the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, Human Resources, the Flight Program Office, Second Level Engineering, and the Office of Facility Management (AMP).
Angela Laws and Jason Palmeter from AMP provided information about Center Operations, Emergency Readiness, and Environmental, Occupational Safety, and Health (EOSH) practices. Kyle Daniel also discussed essential Emergency Readiness and Security information for all to keep close and use if needed.
After a short break, employees were treated to a briefing from Kim Sheppard, MMAC Chief of Staff, regarding the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Council’s mission and vision. She also provided an overview of the various Employee Organizations located at the Center.
Karlee Abtin (from AMP) provided an informative briefing about the many on-site services offered to employees, such as the EA Bookstore, the Launching Pad Childcare Facility, the Aero-Fitness Health Center, various Food Service locations, nursing mothers/lactation stations, and the True Sky Credit Union.
Debbie Uglean gave an enlightening briefing about Employee Engagement and the Aeronautical Center Employee Development (AsCEnD) program, which allows employees to become official ambassadors for the Center.
Though there was a lot of information to cover, the collaborative efforts of all organizational presenters kept things flowing well. After the Center Connection briefing, employees enjoyed lunch at the Blue Sky Café to network.
If you were hired after 2020 and missed out on this energizing briefing, another session will be held within the next few months. It’s time to engage!
Contact Laura Shepherd-Madsen of Executive Services and Outreach (AMC-3) for more information.
