# Commentary: Week-long mentorship with DLA Disposition Services regional director

/ Published May 1, 2023
BATTLE CREEK, Mich., 
Recently, DLA Disposition Services PaCE Program, Group 44 traveled from the headquarters’ location of Battle Creek, Michigan, to Richmond, Virginia, as their first temporary duty assignment.

DLA Disposition Services North-East Region Director Beth Ford hosted the DLA Disposition Services PaCE Program Group 44 and showed the interns ‘a day in the life’ of a regional director during a recent trip to Richmond, Virginia.

                DLA Disposition Services North-East Region Director Beth Ford and area manager Beryl O’Connor Jr., guides PaCErs through Norfolk, Virginia, Field Site.                            DLA Disposition Services PaCE Program TDY                            DLA Disposition Services North-East Region Director Beth Ford and area manager Beryl O’Connor Jr., guides PaCErs through Norfolk, Virginia, Field Site.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Kelly BurellVIRIN: 230501-D-D0441-203Starting the week strong, the PaCERs explored their first temporary duty assignment and shadowed property disposal specialist Jeremiah "Jay" Burns as he oversaw environmental pickups at Fort Lee, Fort AP Hill and Naval Support Facility Dahlgren.

The group observed as Burns made sure the correct hazardous waste was being picked up and was all accounted for. PaCER Thomas Martorana noted that he enjoyed the experience as he hopes to get into the environmental field at his future site, Fort Liberty, North Carolina.

On Wednesday, Group 44 attended the weekly meeting Ford holds with her deputy director and area managers. One by one, everyone provided site updates and brought up any issues they had.

“It was enlightening to see how upper-level management communicated and to see what problems area managers encounter and how they solved them,” PaCER James Isola said.

Ford commented that she aims for these weekly meetings to feel more relaxed and be more like a conversation rather than an interrogation about what’s going on.                Property disposal specialist Jeremiah "Jay" Burns instructing PaCErs Thomas Martorana and Cory Harter during an environmental pickup.                            DLA Disposition Services PaCE Program TDY                            Property disposal specialist Jeremiah "Jay" Burns instructing PaCErs Thomas Martorana and Cory Harter during an environmental pickup.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Kelly BurellVIRIN: 230501-D-D0441-204

After the leadership meeting, Ford met with the group for a mentoring session. She would often start a statement with, “a long time ago, in a land far away.”

The rest of the trip featured a field trip to the Norfolk site with Ford.

Pace Group 44 attained valuable information from this trip. Being able to shadow Ford and listen to her advice gave Group 44 vital knowledge for their return to DLA Disposition Services Headquarters.

“Trust the leaders that you trained,” Ford said.

This quote stuck with the group since the PaCE Program is meant to train the PaCERs as future leaders.

As the next generation of leaders, Ford made it clear that one can’t babysit future personnel and need to take vacations, and to do so, leaders will need to trust their team.

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*Editor’s Note: The Pathways to Career Excellence Program for Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services is a two-year program that takes PaCERs through all of Disposition Services and its processes to learn as much as possible about the Major Subordinate Command. The first year takes place at DLA Disposition Services Headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan, and the second year either takes place in Battle Creek for Contracting PaCERs or at an assigned field site for Property Disposal PaCERs. PaCERs begin as general schedule 7s, move to GS-9s at the end of their first year, and graduate the program as GS-11s. There are multiple pathways to becoming a PaCER, including being hired internally, as a recent graduate, or from military service.*