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AFCEA Leadership Forum Thrives [Signal](Signal Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) With a focus on practical application of the topic of leadership, the AFCEA Leadership Forum is a professional development program for individuals in midlevel management positions from government civilians, military (pay grades E-7 through 0-4) and industry, representing the defense, intelligence and homeland security communities. Attendees actively participate in 12 instructional hours spread out over six two-hour sessions that combine lecture and classroom instruction with key leader presentations. These key leaders come from senior positions in the military and government as well as industry and academia. The course is complemented throughout by rich participative interaction between the class participants and speakers, and it also includes networking opportunities. The Leadership Forum course objectives are: 1. Building on student experiences, develop a comprehensive understanding of leadership fundamentals through instruction, group interaction and practical exercises. 2. Develop an understanding of why core values are important and how they tie in with leadership principles. 3. Develop an understanding of the role of the leader in establishing the vision for the organization and how to develop a sense of mission and commitment to the leaders strategy for the organization. 4. Develop an understanding of the necessity of trust and accountability and techniques for establishing both across the workplace. 5. Develop an understanding of the importance of teamwork and how to promote teamwork and unity of effort. The concept of the course was created through an initiative established by the AFCEA Strategic Development Committee in 2006, led by longtime active members Scott Suhy and Charlie Givans. The idea was to tap proven leaders with strong ties to AFCEA either as members of the board of directors or through extensive experience with the organization and invite them to participate as keynote speakers to help professional individuals become better leaders. With the assistance of AFCEA key supporters and board members Lt. Gen. Jack Woodward, USAF (Ret.), and Barry Rhine, a steering committee was established under the AFCEA Educational Foundation to execute this plan. Then, on September 17, 2007, the first class with 24 high-performing rising stars began, graduating on February 11,2008. The first Leadership Forum included luminary speakers: * Vice Adm. Herbert A. Browne, USN (Ret.), former president/ CEO of AFCEA; former deputy, U.S. Space Command * Dr. Ralph W. Shrader, chairman and CEO, Booz Allen Hamilton * Lt. Gen. Harry D. Raduege Jr., USAF (Ret.), chairman, Deloitte Center for Network Innovation; former director, Defense Information Systems Agency * Dr. J.R London, executive chairman and chairman of the board, CACI International * Vice Adm. Jerry O. Tuttle, USN (Ret.), president/CEO, J.O.T. Enterprise LLC * Lt. Gen. Albert J. Edmonds, USAF (Ret.), chairman/CEO, Edmonds Enterprise Services; former director, Defense Information Systems Agency Also, course creators Suhy and Givans served as the class advisers, who volunteered to assist the Educational Foundation staff, working as facilitators in guiding the course objectives. Since its first class in September 2007, the AFCEA Leadership Forum has convened 14 classes and graduated 445 high-performing individuals. During calendar year 2015, two classes will be held at AFCEA Headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia. Classes, also will be held at West 2015 in San Diego, and during the Joint Interoperability Environment (JIE) Conference in May in Baltimore. Both the San Diego and Baltimore classes are two-day classes. Future classes also are being planned in conjunction with other major AFCEA events over the next two years. For more information on the Leadership Forum, contact Dr. Vince Patton, executive director, AFCEA Educational Foundation, at [email protected]. (c) 2014 Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association |