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FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Pennsylvania Air National Guard (PAANG) senior leaders have kicked off 2021 with a renewed focus on bolstering diversity, inclusion and resilience programs across the state to best support and empower the state’s more than 4,000 Airmen.
“Efforts in diversity, inclusion and resilience are matters that are paramount to our organization’s ability to take care of our force while attracting and retaining Airmen into the future,” said Brig. Gen. Michael Regan, Pennsylvania Air National Guard commander. “To give these matters the attention they deserve I have selected Col. Rebecca A. Gray – who brings a broad range of experience in leadership and force support matters – to serve as our first-ever director of equity and inclusion and to begin by surveying efforts across our three wings to synergize our efforts in this arena.”
Gray's first matter of business were visits to each of the state’s wings, along with Chief Master Sgt. Paul Frisco, Pennsylvania’s state command chief. The visits, which took place in late 2020, were collaborative, information-gathering meetings that included each Wing’s chaplains, human resource advisors, directors of psychological health, equal opportunity representatives and wing senior enlisted leaders.
“Brig. Gen. Regan’s top priority is making sure we are taking care of Pennsylvania’s Airmen," Gray said. "Having completed informational visits at the end of 2020, we are starting 2021 with a comprehensive look at the information we collected and our current initiatives to identify where we are strong and where we have gaps. Our efforts will now progress to finding a way forward collectively with all three wings and making sure we are providing the same resources and support to an Airman regardless of what wing they are assigned to in the state – we want that experience to be the same.”
Gray comes to the position with a fresh set of eyes offering an outside look at matters following service as the director of staff for the Georgia Air National Guard. Her Air Force career includes a full range of total force experience in active duty, reserve and Guard positions to include force support, squadron commander, inspector general and various other duties, according to her official biography.
While some may view the renewed focus on diversity, inclusion and resilience as a knee-jerk reaction to recent local or national issues in the news, Gray took time to address what she said some would call the elephant in the room.
“Leadership is focused on addressing the inclusion and resilience issues that we have seen arise across our state and nation, but that doesn’t mean that tackling any of these issues is a once and done project; this is a long-term commitment to changing our culture,” Gray said . “If leadership viewed this as a short-term priority, then we would approach it from a compliance point of view, meaning we’d simply ensure we have accomplished and adhered to the respective Air Force instructions and we have done our quad chart and checked the box. We are not doing that. We are saying let’s get in there and really dig into this and leverage the professional resources to provide high-quality support to our Airmen and be collaborative to start impacting our culture together.”
Gray went on to explain that collaboration is at the heart of this initiative to drive future change.
“This is our own family and we have incredible diversity in our ranks and together we have to drive this cultural change,” said Gray. “While we have that diversity of generations in our ranks, we need a diversity of ideas to ultimately be successful. We are also collaborating with entities such as the RAND Corporation and Penn State University’s Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness to help make sure we are looking at these issues and ideas from all angles.”
Gray also pointed out Pennsylvania’s efforts are aligned to ongoing efforts throughout the Guard and across the nation to embrace the National Guard Bureau’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan. That plan contains four strategic goals: to enhance diversity and inclusion in each National Guard; to ensure leaders at all levels champion diversity program priorities and understand specifically what is required to achieve success; to develop and increase diversity partnerships, both internal and external to the Guard; and to develop, mentor, and retain top talent reflective of the communities the Guard serves.
Airmen should look forward to hearing more about diversity, inclusion and resilience efforts throughout 2021 and are reminded that their suggestions through their rank-respective committees remain vital to shaping the future of the PAANG. Airmen may also contact their human resource advisor if they need assistance figuring out where to go with any type of issue or suggestion.
| Date Taken: | 02.25.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.25.2021 13:13 |
| Story ID: | 389901 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 123 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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