# Leading the way: Pacific Leadership Academy 

/ Published Aug. 31, 2018

Three Defense Logistics Agency Energy employees graduated from the 2018 Pacific Leadership Academy for Emerging and Senior Leaders in Honolulu, July 27. 

DLA Energy Pacific at Hawaii Quality Assurance Representative Daniel Muranaka and DLA Energy Pacific at Japan Resolution Specialist Caleb Whitaker participated in the PLA Emerging Leaders program while DLA Energy Pacific at Hawaii Deputy Director Ralph Wells participated in the PLA Senior Leaders program.

“With the right tools, achieving your goals is possible and a lot easier,” Muranaka said. “By participating in the Pacific Leadership Academy, I received many tools and the participation in group exercises helped develop the use of the tools so that they can be implemented in our jobs and in life.”

The two programs offer a series of managerial/leadership competencies, knowledge, skills and behavior that are critical for success based on research done by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management according to the program’s website. A key component is the development of individual action plans, which helps people learn to manage individual and team performance, build relationships with managers and peers, and lead employees through change.

Throughout the nine month program, PLA Emerging Leaders attended 12 days of classroom instruction spread across three one-week sessions and completed assignments including an individual action plan, book report, mentoring with a PLA Senior Leader and a reflection paper describing the impact of their learning experiences.

“The PLA program allowed me to meet and learn from senior leaders representing all the federal executive agencies in Hawaii,” Whitaker said. “It also motivated me to move to the next level and try to pursue a supervisor position.”

Muranaka said the training help cultivate his leadership legacy. 

“I am not only passionate about meeting the mission, but I also care about the people that I work with,” he said. “I have been in work environments where people are viewed as a commodity vice people with hopes, desires and a sense of pride in their work. I always try to treat everyone with the respect. I find that this type of leadership creates a better working environment.”  

PLA Senior Leaders attended 15 days of classroom instruction spread across three one-week sessions and completed assignments including an individual action plan that demonstrates their leadership impact, executive interviews, mentoring a PLA Emerging Leader and a research paper that focuses on leadership competencies. 

“I highly encourage attendance!” said Wells. “This is a great opportunity for DLA Energy employees to learn and apply different leadership techniques to communicate effectively and influence others.”   

DLA Energy Culture Climate Program Manager Consondra Christopher-Davis speaks highly of the PLA program. 

“In order to remain innovative, highly productive, and retain quality talent, DLA Energy is committed to professional development programs like the PLA to engage employees, improve skills, and keep Energy at the top of the spear in mission performance,” she said. “Energy team members can expect to see PLA – and any other professional development programs that cultivate skills and strengthen competencies – in the next annual DLA Energy Career Management Portfolio.” 

PLA is offered annually to federal U.S. citizen civilian employees in the Asia-Pacific region, U.S. military personnel, U.S. government foreign nationals, U.S. contractors and academia. 

To learn more, visit PLA’s website. You can read more about the DLA Energy Career Management Portfolio in DLA Energy’s eWorkplace  (this link is Common Access Card-enabled).