NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic Celebrates Emerging Leaders

By Tom Kreidel, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic Public Affairs

NORFOLK (NNS) -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic held a ceremony to celebrate the graduation of 30 of its employees from the Emerging Leadership Program (ELP) at the command's headquarters on board Naval Station Norfolk, July 1.

This was the second class to graduate from the program.

"This is truly a win-win situation," said Capt. Paul Odenthal, NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic executive officer. "This investment in each of you is one that will come back to us tenfold thanks to what you've learned in this class, along with how you will use these new skills throughout the organization."

The ELP was developed in partnership with the Graduate School to afford NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic employees the chance to participate in a leadership program sponsored by the command. The Graduate School was founded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and celebrates its 90th anniversary this year.

The school has approximately 200,000 participants per year. Its stated mission is to "develop people and to make government more efficient and effective by offering a wide variety of classes and programs, ranging from government-based specialties such as governmental accounting and auditing, human capital management and acquisition to foreign languages, economics, leadership and landscape design."

Odenthal challenged the graduates to help recruit the next ELP class by seeking out co-workers they think would benefit from the class and letting them know what they've learned over the last several months.

"Now that you've graduated, this isn't the end, it's just the beginning," he added.

According to Lori Bowen, who coordinates the program for NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic Community Management, the program last approximately six months with three, one-week sessions held at the command's headquarters. Students also perform assignments on their own, as part of the program.

Bowen said the program covers team building, communication, conflict management, problem solving, decision making, interpersonal skills and customer service. She said by the third period of onsite instruction, there is a noticeable use of these skills in how the students interact with each other and their instructors.

"They really come away with a better understanding of themselves and the organization," Bowen said. "While we can't guarantee them exactly where taking this course will lead them, we can guarantee it will give them many tools in their toolbox to help them succeed."

The students in the course also say their participation was integral in their development.

"The fact that we have ELP shows that NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic really values me as an employee," said Charles Gray, a 2011 graduate. "It really makes me want to work harder, since they've invested so much in me.

Naval Facilities Engineering Command: The Facilities and Expeditionary Combat Systems Command NAVFAC is the Systems Command that delivers and maintains quality, sustainable facilities, acquires and manages capabilities for the Navy's expeditionary combat forces, provides contingency engineering response, and enables energy security and environmental stewardship. Additional updates and information about NAVFAC can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/navfac and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/navfac.