Photo By Heather Wilburn | Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) 2024 Mentor of the Year Jennifer Walter, left, the...... read more read more
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. – When Jamie Birt set her sights on a new role within the C-130 Integrated Product Team at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE), she knew she wasn’t making the move alone. She had a mentor – one who had been preparing her for this career milestone all along.
Jennifer “Jenn” Walter, program manager for the Bell V-22 Public-Private Partnership at FRCE, had spent 18 months guiding Birt, helping her connect her work to the broader mission of the depot and its higher headquarters, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). That mentorship, Birt said, was pivotal to her success – so much so that she nominated Walter as FRCE’s 2024 Mentor of the Year.
Walter’s impact didn’t go unnoticed. She was selected for the honor and recognized by NAVAIR leadership, joining 10 other site winners in a virtual ceremony broadcast across the command.
“It is truly an honor to have been selected as Mentor of the Year; it feels good to know that I am making an impact,” said Walter, a Havelock native and 13-year employee of FRCE. “I feel like you don’t often realize the influence a mentor has had on you until later, so to receive this acknowledgment now is really special – and it made me want to go thank many of my previous mentors, as well.”
Birt, once a production controller and now an acquisitions program specialist, said she wouldn’t be where she is today without the mentorship and support Walter provides.
“Jenn certainly played a critical role in getting me promoted,” Birt explained. “She emphasized our strategic priorities, such as increasing material readiness and accelerating capability delivery. She drew attention to how these objectives centered on efficiency and effectiveness, guiding me in understanding how our team’s efforts contribute to these goals and the importance of measurable outcomes like improving system reliability and reducing acquisition cycle times.
“I wouldn’t be in acquisitions if it wasn’t for Jenn, that’s for sure; she’s had a huge impact on that,” Birt continued. “She challenged me. She broadened my understanding of organization culture, and her mentorship ensured I was well prepared to align my contributions to the mission. I don’t think mentors get recognized enough, and that’s why I nominated her for Mentor of the Year. Jenn has been a driving force and certainly a motivating person. If you work hard, she’ll invest in you, and that really stood out to me. I can’t speak highly enough about her.”
For Walter, who has spent the last eight years in her program manager role, ensuring her mentee is prepared to support the warfighter is clearly part of the mentor role. That ethos ties into her own personal philosophy of selfless service, she noted.
“In order to have a successful mentor-mentee relationship, you must have an ‘others before self’ attitude,” Walter said. “Mentoring has helped me grow and refine my leadership and communication skills, and provided a way to contribute to the success and growth of others – but helping them achieve their goals is my priority. Mentoring is a win-win, but my own personal growth and development is just a byproduct of the collaboration.
“It’s the same way with our mission of providing the warfighter with what they need, when they need it,” she added. “At FRC East, we are the ‘backbone of readiness,’ and by guiding, supporting and investing in the growth of those around me, I help build a stronger, more capable team. When we share knowledge, develop others, and ensure their success, we reinforce a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement – ultimately driving mission success.”
In addition to a good working rapport, Walter said she believes trust and understanding are key to a successful mentor-mentee relationship.
“You have to connect with each other on more than just a surface level,” she said. “My mentoring philosophy and my overall leadership philosophy are one in the same: In order to be an effective leader, you must be trustworthy, positive, and self-aware. It is the same for mentoring.”
Birt agreed that growing a productive mentorship requires each party to develop a deeper understanding of the other.
“I do think that it's a little bit foundational – all the best mentors I had, I didn't just jump into this great mentor relationship right away,” she said. “I knew Jenn from working with her, and it built over time. I knew who she was when I asked if she would like to be my mentor.
“She took it as an honor, like it was an honor and a privilege for her to do that for me,” Birt continued. “And now we’ve fostered this great relationship together. I think that having that foundation of knowing the person first helps. It is nerve wracking to go into a mentorship relationship blindly because you don't know what your expectations of each other are.”
Walter said she developed this mentorship and leadership ethos through her experiences with mentors along the way, although she began her own experience in serving as a mentor fairly recently.
“I have had many formal and informal mentors over the years; I would not be where I am today in my career without each and every mentor that has crossed my path,” Walter said. “I initially got into mentoring informally during a high-level project 18 months ago. During that project, I had to work closely with people from every department at FRC East. That is how my mentoring journey began, and I was formally asked to be a mentor by someone who was also working on the project.”
That someone was Birt, who served as a mentor herself when she was an active-duty Sailor. She said developing a mentorship relationship with Walter was important not just to her professional advancement, but also to her transition to life as a civilian employee at a command with a complex organizational structure like FRCE.
“When my husband and I moved (to Cherry Point) and I began work at the command, it was all very new for me. I knew that a mentor was what I needed in order to make this transition into a whole new command easier,” she said.
“My advice for anyone is that when you’re coming into new situation, give yourself time to adjust and then seek out a mentor,” Birt continued. “You’ll know who the people are that you can learn from. You can quickly identify them and just ask.”
Gregory Clarke, Partnerships and Agreements Branch head at FRCE and Walter’s supervisor, said her performance as a mentor has been noteworthy and is deserving of recognition.
“During a major recovery effort when a large portion of the V-22 fleet was grounded, Jenn drew significant attention and praise from across the Naval Aviation Enterprise for her outstanding leadership and contributions to the recovery evolution. Jamie, a top-notch junior government employee, was so impressed that she asked Jenn if she would become her official mentor,” he explained. “Jenn enthusiastically took on the role. She became her mentee’s champion, and provided her with professional advice and guidance that included developing short- and long-term goals and providing networking opportunities. Additionally, that mentee has recently been promoted and attributes Jenn’s excellent mentorship as a key element to her success.
“The Mentorship Program is a key component to the development and sustainment of a competent and professional NAVAIR workforce to support warfighter requirements now and in the future,” Clarke continued. “Jenn is truly a high-performing individual who does not take her role as a leader and mentor lightly. I am very proud and fortunate to have Jenn as a member of the Partnerships and Agreements Team.”
Birt described Walter’s approach to mentorship as holistic, meaning Walter focused not just on Birt’s understanding of organizational culture, but also her development in leadership and professional skills. With Walter’s encouragement, Birt has taken on career-broadening training events that have added skills to her professional toolkit.
“Her focus is always on, what can we do next? Let’s keep working on building yourself,” Birt said. “She believes that growth is continuous, and has challenged me, and won’t let my fear of something be the deterrent to my moving forward.”
Walter said her whole-person approach to mentorship stems from her own best experiences.
“The most effective mentors that I have had were not just concerned with my success in the workplace, they were concerned with my personal development as well,” Walter explained. “Personal and professional development work together to create a well-rounded individual capable of thriving in any setting.
“My favorite part of mentoring is the opportunity to build meaningful, lasting relationships,” she continued. “It's incredibly rewarding to be part of someone's journey and know that I made a positive impact on their personal or professional growth. Plus, mentoring often teaches me new perspectives and keeps me constantly learning as well!”
FRCE is North Carolina's largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.
| Date Taken: | 04.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.03.2025 10:23 |
| Story ID: | 494465 |
| Location: | CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | HAVELOCK, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 82 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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