Photo By Chief Petty Officer Joshua Keim | 210708-N-VH839-1035 HOUSTON (July 8, 2021) From left: Cmdr. Mary Decker, commanding...... read more read more
HOUSTON (NNS) – Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Houston hosted the inaugural Commander, Navy Recruiting Command (CNRC) Women’s Leadership Symposium on July 8 at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Houston. Developed and organized by NTAG Houston, the symposium focused on empowering CNRC service women through mentorship, teambuilding and networking and emphasized themes like women’s empowerment, leadership and self-care.
“When I arrived in Houston, I thought it might be a great opportunity for some of my female command members to attend the Joint Women’s Leadership Symposium hosted by the Sea Services Leadership Association,” said Cmdr. Mary Decker, commanding officer of NTAG Houston. “When COVID-19 prevented that opportunity, I thought, ‘why not host my own?’ I am fortunate to have a superb command trainer, Chief [Navy Counselor] Candilyn Gee, who shares my vision, and we put together an internal-to-Houston event. I shared the idea with the region central commodore, and he suggested I open it to all three regions. Our vision is to provide an insightful leadership experience and a day of connection to give our female team members an opportunity to connect with mentors and peers across our commands and across the CNRC enterprise.”
Service women from NTAG Houston gathered in person to host the event while hundreds of female officers and enlisted Sailors from the remaining 25 NTAGs and CNRC headquarters assembled in locations across the nation and engaged from a virtual platform online. The symposium featured keynote speeches by thought-provoking leaders like retired Rear Adm. Annie Andrews, retired Fleet Master Chief Petty Officer April Beldo, Rear Adm. Dennis Velez, CNRC, and Master Chief Heather Charara, the national chief recruiter, and included presentations by mental health experts and NTAG Houston leadership.
“Since the establishment of the Sacred Twenty and the Navy Nurse Corps in the early 1900s, women have played a pivotal role in the success of our Navy, and you continue to have a profound and influential impact on our force today,” said Velez. “Many of our brightest and most accomplished leaders are women, and it’s up to each of you to continue to cultivate your leadership potential and curate the next generation of Navy service members. Recruiting the right talent to staff the fleet is challenging work, and it would not be possible without the effort and creative solutions you all bring to the field every day. For that, I thank you.”
The full-day event included a panel discussion with Sailors in diverse leadership and support roles and a team-building exercise that encouraged participants’ creativity, innovation, teamwork, and communication skills.
“During our last equal opportunity survey, some of my command females identified a desire to be more connected and included with the command,” said Decker. “This symposium was designed to do just that because inclusion is a top priority for me. We had a wonderful discussion today between our panel and all the female Future Sailors in our [Delayed Entry Program] pools around the nation who logged in online. The panel focused on what we all wish we knew about the Navy before we joined and was geared toward answering questions from our Future Sailors.”
The symposium closed with an open dialogue among all the participants, debriefs about the team-building exercise, and a guided mentorship workshop tailored to the specific career ambitions of individual Sailors.
“The end of the symposium was really all about empowering the females of Navy recruiting in a way that prepared them to move forward in their careers with actionable steps they can take as soon as they walk away today,” said Gee, the command trainer at NTAG Houston. “We all come from different backgrounds, have varying experiences, and want different things for our futures, but at the end of the day, we’re all female Sailors in the United States Navy. These guided mentorship sessions grouped women together based on their career aspirations and matched them with women who have the right skillsets and have already accomplished those goals to provide a truly customized experience.”
According to a survey conducted after the event, 82.5% of participants agreed their experience at the symposium positively impacted their attitude toward continuing their service in the Navy, and 97.5% of participants said the event positively impacted their personal and professional growth as a Navy leader.
NTAG Houston has 34 Navy recruiting stations covering more than 44,000 square miles in rural and metropolitan areas around Southeastern Texas and Western Louisiana. NTAG Houston has two Talent Acquisition Onboarding Centers – TOAC Space City and TAOC Bayou City – and employs more than 300 recruiters, support personnel and civilians. Follow NTAG Houston on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NTAGhouston) and Instagram (@NTAG_Houston).
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, and 26 Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations across the world. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MyNAVYHR), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 07.08.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2021 09:42 |
| Story ID: | 400605 |
| Location: | HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Hometown: | HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 345 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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