Employee Reflection: Anita McSwane
 
  General Supply Specialist and Accountable Officer Anita McSwane  Portrait of Anita McSwane
        Anita McSwane
            Portrait of Anita McSwane

            SHARE IMAGE:

                Download Image
                    Image Details
                    
                    Photo By: DLA
                    
                    VIRIN: 220506-D-YU183-005Can you tell us about yourself? I am very family and community oriented.  I enjoy reading, gardening, traveling and treasure hunting.  Solving puzzles is one of my favorite activities. Describe your job in a sentence or two. What do you do specifically? I am a General Supply Specialist/Accountable Officer.  I monitor the physical and statical inventory for accuracy at the DSD Northeast Region Field Offices. How long have you worked for the federal government including military service? I have worked 37 years for the federal government, all of it with DLA Disposition Services. What is your favorite memory with DLA Disposition Services? My favorite memory with DLA Disposition Services is as a Marketing Clerk attending my first auction when computers were used to enroll bidders, record bids and financial records.  I setup the program on the computer at Disposal Alameda and trained the personnel to record the data.  It was a challenging experience. What aspects of your current job gives you the most personal satisfaction and why? I experience the most personal satisfaction in my current position when I have identified an issue and am able provide a solution. When I can share my experience and knowledge with my teammates and co-workers. What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? The best advice given to me is that you can never stop learning. What kind(s) of training and education helps your work performance in your current role? The kinds of training and education that helps my work performance in my current role are courses on trends and data analysis, inventory, warehouse storage, and logistics.  On the job training on all aspects of DLA Disposition Service operations. What would you say have been your major contributions to your organization this year? Providing trend analysis on inventory process that identifies areas were process improvements and or standardization was needed.  Aiding in person and virtually teammates, customers, and leadership with continuity of operations during a pandemic. If you could speak directly to the warfighter, you support; what would you tell them? I would tell the warfighters Thank You. That I am at their service to do whatever is in my power or ability in my current role to support their efforts. Where do you see yourself five years from now? In five years, I will be enjoying new adventures after retiring from federal service. Tell us something that most people might now know about you or your directorate. I have held several positions in my 37 years of federal service all in DLA Disposition Services agency.  Defense Logistics Agency provides many career options for personnel to find their desired field of service. What is your best memory of working here? I have so many memories of events, people and places in my career working here that it is hard to choose a best.  Each memory has shaped my outlook on the culture and ethics. What was your first job? My first job in this organization was as a Marketing Clerk. As a youth my first job was for the Parks and Recreation Service.  There we established community gardens, cultivated, and planted trees throughout the city.  I was also a volunteer nurse’s aide, called a “Candy Striper” at the hospital where my grandfather worked as the head gardener. Who’s your biggest influence? My biggest influence was my grandmother.  She made every conversation and or time spent with her a learning experience.  She taught me that I did not have to raise my voice to be heard. Name your favorite/recent book(s) you have read. I have eclectic taste in reading.  Mayo Clinic comes to mind as a book I have read several times.  Recently, I have read “The Audacity of Hope” by President Barak Obama also “Becoming” by Michelle Obama.  Currently I am reading “Opening to Spirit” by Caroline Shola Arewa and “The Secret of Ceres” by Stella Williams, who is my daughter. What are some of your passions outside of work? My family is my heart. I am passionate about environmentally sustainable systems and communities. Mentoring the youth and young women as a member of Girl Power and Zora’s House.  Reading and teaching others to read. What is your favorite quote? “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” Maya Angelou. What did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a doctor as a youth.  I was pre-med in college.  I changed my focus after marriage to environmental science and business. Who is your Hero? I do not have a hero.  I have people that I respect and admire.  I have people that have influenced my life because of their outstanding actions or deeds. There is not just one person that I can call my hero. If you could choose to do anything for a day; what would it be? I would choose to wake up to the sunrise over the San Francisco Bay.  Watch the marine animals on the port while cleanup the debris left by humans.  Drive up the coast to have lunch in the forest under the redwood trees.  Watch the sunset. What’s the most thrilling/adventurous thing you have ever done? The most thrilling and adventurous thing I have ever done was snorkeling for the first time while in Okinawa, Japan.  The vibrant colors and multitude of marine life surrounding me as we swam was astonishing.