# DLA Troop Support employees gain insight, inspiration from Leadership Academy

/ Published March 27, 2018
PHILADELPHIA, 
Forty three Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support employees learned introductory leadership concepts during a professional development course March 13-15.

The aim of the DLA Troop Support Leadership Academy is to provide leadership and supervisory training so mid-level employees are better prepared for future promotions. 

“It is an opportunity for aspiring leaders to learn about the practical responsibilities of supervision,” said Christina Panichelle, the Leadership Academy’s program manager from the Command Support Office.

The academy’s guest speakers provided presentations on practical topics, such as ethics, labor relations and reasonable accommodations, and on soft-skills topics, such as leadership philosophy, decision making and work-life balance.

Panichelle said she selected speakers who could help future leaders get off to a good start.

“I chose people who would speak frankly about the challenges of leadership, openly share some mistakes they made along the way and give suggestions as to how new leaders could avoid the same pitfalls,” she said.

One of those speakers was Mae DeVincentis, who started at the bottom of the federal pay scale but retired as the highest-ranking civilian within DLA. She explained how good leaders must learn how to support their own leadership, especially when dealing with change. The time to voice dissent is during the decision-making process, she said, not after a decision has been made.

“Don’t say, ‘Yes, sir!’ if you’re not going to support it,” DeVincentis said. “If everybody isn’t pulling in the same direction, arm-in-arm, then it causes problems.”

Panichelle said the academy helps employees understand what it takes to become a leader.

“It is also an opportunity for attendees to do some soul searching to see if leadership is really for them,” she said. “In the end, I want to inspire them to grow and develop other leaders.”

One student, Kartinya Rodgers, who works in the Construction and Equipment supply chain, said she thought the academy was informative and inspirational.

“It was great to hear from passionate leaders within DLA,” she said. “It was also good to share this experience with peers that aspire to be a part of leadership.”

Rodgers said one of her favorite parts of the academy was a presentation on DLA Troop Support’s rotational program, led by Laceenis Fordham, the chief of the Organizational Alignment branch within the Command Support Office. The rotational program allows employees to temporarily work outside their primary duty so they may better understand the organization as a whole.

“It was encouraging to hear the benefits of her stepping outside of her comfort zone and the opportunities that followed,” Rodgers said.

One of the primary lines of effort at DLA Troop Support is to optimize the organization’s people and culture. The Leadership Academy supports this effort and demonstrates DLA Troop Support’s commitment to effectively managing talent and developing effective leaders.

“Our management team was very involved with this session of the Leadership Academy, which shows they are willing to invest their time and effort into developing Troop Support’s next generation of leaders,” Panichelle said. 

This was the third class to complete the academy since it started in 2017. DLA Troop Support employees from as far away as Germany and Alaska attended. 

The Leadership Academy is offered twice a year, with the next one scheduled for Sept. 11-13.

Employees interested in attending should include the academy on their individual development plan as a professional development opportunity. Seats are limited.