Culture Spotlight: Jessica Waynick
 
  By Kelly Burell
  Defense Logistics Agency is committed to sustaining a highly skilled workforce capable of meeting and exceeding goals of DLA’s strategic plan and meeting the needs of America’s warfighters and DLA’s other customers. To ensure a positive work environment, DLA uses surveys to assess the culture and identify ways to improve it, with the overarching purpose of developing and sustaining a high performance culture. Since 2003, DLA has assessed the culture of the workforce using the Denison Model for Organizational Culture and the associated survey instrument.  The purpose of the survey is to provide a confidential mechanism for employees to share their feedback on their work environment. Each Major Subordinate Command is assigned a Culture Champion – an individual who supports their respective senior leaders in the area of culture improvement and receive guidance from the DLA Culture Program Manager. Recently, DLA Disposition Services Program Analyst Jessica Waynick was appointed as the new Culture Champion for the MSC. **Female in red shirt stands with arm on ledge next to a marble column
        Jessica Waynick
            DLA Disposition Services Program Analyst Jessica Waynick was appointed as the new Culture Champion for the Major Subordinate Command.

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                    VIRIN: 230103-D-YU183-012** I am happily married with two children, a son and a daughter. I hail from the local Kalamazoo area and am a proud Western Michigan University graduate. GO BRONCOS! **Describe your job in a sentence or two.** My current role is the Program Analyst for the HQ Field Operations Branch. In addition to that role, I am the Accountable Officer for the field sites that are encompassed within our branch. **How long have you worked for the federal government including military service?**I have worked for the federal government since August of 2017. **How long have you worked for DLA Disposition Services?**I have worked for DLA Disposition Services the entirety of my federal career. **What is your favorite thing about your line of work?**My favorite thing about my job is getting to interact with our field sites. Typically, I reach out to them about specific demilitarization questions. These interactions help paint a real-time picture for me as to what some of the challenges our field sites face when supporting the warfighter. **What is the best piece of advice someone has given you?**Always stay humble and remember where you came from. **What do you think about when you hear “ Culture”?** I think about people. **How long have you been involved in the Culture team?** Since 2018. **What got you involved in the Culture team?** When I rejoined the Culture team this past winter, it was to serve as a multiplier to our current Culture Representative in the Operations Branch. We were coming out of many COVID scenarios and were looking to have people coming back into the building. I wanted to add my support to assist in any way to make the transition smooth for those individuals, as well as try and foster opportunities to help strengthen our work community.**** **What inspired you to take on your new role with the team?** The Operations Culture team was able to do many great things and to create new opportunities to bring the team together over the past year. I wanted the opportunity to maintain the level of culture involvement that we currently have and seek to improve it any way possible. **What can you tell us about the focus for the upcoming year?**The focus on this year is to successfully complete both the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and the Culture Climate Survey. The benefit to having both surveys occur within the same year is that we can use these results to make a very thorough Culture Action Plan. **What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?**Humility. There is nothing wrong with admitting your faults. **What is your leadership philosophy and how does that tie into your line of work?** Everyone’s job is important when looking at the whole. If the team succeeds, we all succeed. **Can you share a story when you realized your efforts were making a difference?**Tell us how you approach change. I do not fear or resent change, rather I welcome it. Change must happen for growth and development to occur. I choose to embrace it. **What do you believe is your biggest accomplishment and why?** My children are my biggest accomplishment and gift. They amaze me every day with their zest for life and curious nature. **Who’s your biggest influence?** My husband is my biggest influence. He champions me every day to be my best self. He is my biggest advocate. **Tell us something that most people might not know about you?** Prior to becoming a Federal Employee, I was a Special Education Teacher **What are your hobbies?** I love to collect vinyl records and have a passion for running outdoors. **What is your favorite quote?** “A Person’s a person, no matter how small.” – Dr. Seuss