The Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center held a Center-wide virtual Town Hall on the morning of March 22nd. Over 1,000 employees logged in to listen to how the Center is "Building the Foundation of Safety for Tomorrow’s Technologies." Distinguished guests include Deputy Secretary of the Department of Transportation, Polly Trottenberg; FAA Administrator, Steve Dickson; Chief Information Officer for FAA’s Information and Technology, Kristin Baldwin; Vice President for Air Traffic Services, Jeffrey Vincent; Vice President of Technical Operations, Jeff Planty; and the Deputy Director from the FAA’s Office of Environment and Energy, Julie Marks.

Aeronautical Center Director, Michelle Coppedge welcomed all of the participants and shared how all of the activities that occur at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center contribute directly to the greater mission. She expressed her gratitude for everyone taking time out of their schedules to publicly recognize the sacrifice and hard work of the Aeronautical Center employees.

Much of the content that was shared reflected information about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and how the FAA will be affected, addressing the transition to hybrid work schedules in the coming weeks. Deputy Director of the Aeronautical Center, Kevin O’Connor shared, "The Center had the highest concentration of on-site workers across the FAA and DOT throughout the global health crisis. Approximately 35% of the workforce continued working on Center through much of the global health crisis." The content of the Town Hall was developed from feedback from employees during the last Town Hall.

Also, during this Town Hall meeting, the Director made sure to show how the Center aligns with the Department of Transportation’s Strategic Pillars of Safety, Economic Strength and Global Competitiveness, Equity, Climate and Sustainability, Transformation and Organizational Excellence. FAA’s Flight Plan 21 and the Aeronautical Center’s strategic plans especially align with the objectives of Safety, People and Operational Excellence. Demonstrating activities supporting these alignments were Enterprise Services Center Director, Tamala Barnes; FAA Academy Director, Jim Doskow; and Group Manager of Second Level Engineering, Mark Michaud.

Special appearances were made by employees: Krystina Mai (Engineer), Javier Quinones (Airway Transportation System Specialist – Instructor), and Russ Goering, (MMAC Energy Manager). These employees explained a bit about their jobs and shared why they love working at the Aeronautical Center, reinforcing why the Aeronautical Center was nominated as a Top Workplace in Oklahoma for the second year in a row.

Kim Sheppard, MMAC Chief of Staff, announced the call for employees wanting to take part in the upcoming second cohort of the Aeronautical Center Employee Development (AsCEnD) program.

Another exciting initiative taking place on the Center is the new Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Council. This Council serves as an advisory body to the Center Management Team (CMT) and aids in providing a work environment where ALL employees have equal access to information, development, and opportunities.

Listed below are a few videos that were created in preparation for this Town Hall. Find out more about the new DEIA Council and hear why several employees love working at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center.

DEIA Council
Why I Love My Job (part 1)
Why I Love My Job (part 2)