USMC Leadership Seminar Engages Diverse Leaders

Photo By Shaehmus Sawyer | Marine Col. C. Derek Campbell speaks to students at a two-day Marine Corps Leadership Seminar, as part of the Emerging Leaders Program, at the Gloucester Institute in Gloucester, Va., Feb. 17-18. The MCLS is an event the Marine Corps hosts several times throughout the year across the nation, which fosters ongoing relationships to generate awareness and knowledge on the Corps to diverse communities. Campbell is the liaison officer for the Joint Improvised Threat Defeat Orginization at the Pentagon.  

GLOUCESTER, VA, UNITED STATES

02.21.2017

Story by Cpl. Shaehmus Sawyer 

Marine Corps Recruiting Command           

GLOUCESTER, Va. - Collegians from across the country gathered to learn from the nation’s best fighting force during a two-day Marine Corps Leadership Seminar, as part of the Emerging Leaders Program at the Gloucester Institute in Gloucester, Virginia, Feb. 17-18.

A reception was held the first night for Marines and students to become acquainted. The following day, MCLS staff members and Marines gave classes on leadership, team building and problem solving. Attendees also participated in an ethical leadership case study, a panel discussion and finished the day with a motivational speech from Col. C. Derek Campbell, a liaison officer for the Joint Improvised Threat Defeat Organization for the Pentagon and guest speaker for the MCLS.

“Students should know what their options are and what is available to them, even if they decide not to join the Marine Corps,” said Dr. Kenneth D. Dunn, a retired Marine colonel and director of the MCLS. “The Marine Corps Leadership Seminar is not designed to recruit—it’s designed to educate.”

Reina Ransom is one of about 25 students who were taught how to lead groups, communicate effectively, and problem solve, but she said it was the best segment of the ELP she has attended thus far.

“I was able to put a personality to the Marine Corps, which gave me a better idea of what the Marines was all about,” said Ransom, a sophomore in pursuit of a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. “Meeting two beautiful female Marines showed me you can be a mom, a wife and do a lot of things while being a Marine. This seminar definitely opened my eyes to the possibilities and options there are for joining the Marine Corps.”

Since 2010, the U.S. Marines have established relationships with universities across America and hosted MCLS events to connect with and educate diverse communities about the opportunities available in the Corps. These partnerships enable the Marine Corps to hold several seminars a year while maintaining its three main missions: making Marines, winning battles and returning quality citizens back to America.

“Sometimes people don’t really know us or who we are when we’re wearing our uniforms,” Campbell said. “They think we’re robots or some sort of automatons, but we’re not. We host events like the Marine Corps Leadership Seminar so these students and everyone else can realize that the Marine Corps is filled with human beings—fellow Americans—who share their neighborhoods, communities and their interests."

• Date Taken: 02.21.2017
• Date Posted: 02.21.2017 08:59
• Story ID: 224134
• Location: GLOUCESTER, VA, US