Photo By 1st Lt. Jonathan Padish | U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Rhonda Howell, the human resources adviser for the...... read more read more
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HULMAN FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ind. (April 14, 2019) — As a military service, the Air Force places a great emphasis on increasing lethality. The Air Force has at its disposal a variety of capabilities and technologies to accomplish its missions. At the heart of the mission is military service members — people who have committed to serving their country and becoming part of something greater than themselves. At the 181st Intelligence Wing, unit leaders have recognized the need to focus on people.
To that end, one Airman in particular has taken the lead in focusing on people by promoting diversity and inclusion within the 181st IW.
U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Rhonda Howell, the human resources adviser for the 181st IW, Indiana Air National Guard, recently obtained a certification from Georgetown University in Managing for Inclusion: Leveraging Diversity in the Workplace.
Now she is sharing that knowledge with her fellow Airmen.
There are a variety of different backgrounds here in the Guard, said Howell. That variety of experiences includes gender, cultural, enlisted-officer, religious, upbringing, skill sets, socioeconomic, and educational diversity.
To foster discussions about that diversity within the 181st IW, Howell has established monthly diversity meetings with Airmen on base. Howell has also prepared monthly, base-wide newsletters highlighting diversity and inclusion.
For example, the latest iteration of the newsletter addressed unconscious biases and suggested strategies for being mindful of such biases to counteract them to promote more well-rounded decision making
All of Howell’s efforts, along with those of other support personnel, underscore the 181st IW’s commitment to acknowledging and promoting diversity and inclusion throughout the wing.
“We are a very diverse organization,” said Howell. All those different ways we are different creates opportunities and actions that we can take. Through inclusion, we ask questions and get to know people to learn their opinions and ideas. If we go with inclusion as our action, we build trust, respect, and a feeling of belonging.
As a human resources adviser for the ANG, Howell is mindful of the importance of a focus on people in uniform and how diversity and inclusion relates to national security priorities.
“As a military organization, we care about lethality, said Howell. “Diversity plus inclusion leads to lethality.”
For lethality to occur, people must promote a work environment that supports collaboration and teamwork.
“When people feel like you trust them, they trust you,” said Howell. “If you respect them, they respect you. That leads to an agility, innovation, and resiliency. That gives us air and allows us to breathe.”
To illustrate, Howell worked with fellow Airmen to emphasize the importance of being a catalyst for diversity and inclusion during a recent diversity and inclusion training session,. As Airmen who attended the training came to realize, sometimes the action of a single individual will promote a diverse and inclusive work environment.
“All it takes is one person to reach out,” said U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Robert C. Gary, the command post superintendent for the 181st IW, Indiana ANG.
| Date Taken: | 04.14.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 04.18.2019 18:24 |
| Story ID: | 318084 |
| Location: | HULMAN FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 252 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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