# Aviation Leadership Academy laying the foundation for future leaders 

/ Published Oct. 17, 2022
RICHMOND, Va., 
At the beginning of September, an email went out to the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation workforce announcing the rolling out of the first ever Aviation Leadership Academy, a three-day training course designed for employees in non-supervisory paygrades of GS 11-13 aspiring to move into leadership positions.

McKesia Hester, a contracting specialist within Defense Logistics Agency Aviation’s Strategic Acquisition and Programs Directorate’s Strategic Contracting Division III, said she wasted no time enrolling.

“I’ve gone through different types of leadership training in the past, but I didn’t want to rest on those experiences. I wanted to learn something new,” Hester said.

Hester and more than 100 other DLA Aviation employees attended the training Oct. 11-13 either in person in the Frank B. Lotts Conference Center on Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia or streaming video for those not physically in Richmond.

Cathy Contreras, acquisition executive within DLA Aviation’s Command Support Directorate came up with the concept of starting the Aviation Leadership Academy based off feedback she received from a similar course offered by DLA Troop Support in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Contreras said the course objectives focus on two main areas: leadership self-development and employee management development.

“I really believe it’s an excellent way to invest in the development of our folks and future leaders of the organization,” Contreras said.

Trinace Johnson and Pam Frederick, both program analysts within the Command Support Directorate, took on the assignment of making Contreras’ concept a reality. A tall task, according to Johnson, considering neither she nor her coworker had ever worked on a project like this from creation to finish.

“Going into leadership will require many changes and hopefully this academy will arm our future Aviation leaders with what they need to grow and adapt to those changes once they take their places in their new leadership roles,” Johnson said.

Johnson said there was strong interest in the training immediately after it was announced. The course was initially setup for 50 people, but those slots were filled in one day, so they added another 50 slots. Those slots were filled in one day also.

“This shows that there is a want and need for this type of mentoring/instruction. Anything we can do to help the workforce help the warfighter, I’m all for it,” Johnson said.

DLA Aviation Deputy Commander Charlie Lilli provided opening and closing remarks. He said he was pleased at how well the conference went and the positive feedback received through the end of course surveys.

Those who attended the three-day course heard from leadership on topics such as transitioning from peer to supervisor, leadership and trust, labor and employee relations, resilience fundamentals and process compliance.

The finale of the course was a senior leader mentoring panel where employees heard from Contreras, Floyd Moore, director of DLA Aviation’s Engineering Directorate, Chris Collins, deputy director of DLA Aviation’s Customer Operations Directorate and Steve Mason, director of DLA Aviation’s Audit and Process Compliance Directorate.

Hester said the material and panel discussions gave her greater insight into what it’s like supporting the warfighter on the leadership side of things.

“It was a lot you could take away from these three days and the course gave me a real sense of what it’s going to really be like if you are a supervisor in this agency,” Hester said.