Parks, Powell garner Air Force-level awards

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Eugene Bird
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AFB, Okla. --  Air Force officials named Master Sgt. Joey Parks their number one base training manager and Cindy Powell, 97th Maintenance Division, as the best unit training manager in the junior-grade category.

In addition, Staff Sgt. Jessica Putman, 97th Medical Support Squadron, won the Air Education Training Command Additional Duty Training Manager of the Year, a category which doesn't yet exist at the Air Force level, and Daina Coppock, 97th Logistics Readiness Squadron, won the command level Unit Training Manager of the Year. 

"Where we stood out was our training effectiveness statistics," said Sergeant Parks.
 
"The 2006 Operational Readiness Inspection of Altus Air Force Base validated our 'pass' rates for enlisted career development courses. We've consistently led the command with our numbers: zero delinquent trainees in the past 18 months and a 100 percent pass rate over the past six months," he said.
 
The statistics include all Airmen in five- and seven-level enlisted upgrade training and cross-trainees, across all units at Altus Air Force Base, reflecting well on the wing and base at large according to Sergeant Parks.

Why Altus leads
 
"I think involvement, from the wing commander down, the open-door policy to squadron commanders seeking information and the best, hardest-working training managers, additional-duty training managers and front line supervisors in the Air Force are the reason," said Sergeant Parks.
 
"They are running the program in their units with my overarching guidance. Training managers have good rapport with their commanders, and it shows," he said.
 
"On a monthly basis, I run a roster that tells me who has been in training 18 months or longer, including those at other bases projected inbound to Altus. I send the losing bases e-mails asking, 'These individuals have been in training the required amount of time ... why haven't they been upgraded?' That was one piece of curbing excessive training times, and the rest was attention to detail here," said Sergeant Parks. 

Training managers must provide the base training manager with an explanation and a 'get well' date of what is going on with trainees who have been in the process over 18 months. 

"Usually, when I call them, they are already taking the course that I would've taken," said Sergeant Parks, who was also the wing's 2004 Senior NCO of the Year and is president of the Top 3 organization, an charitable group run by senior NCO's.

Team technique 

"One of the things that I pride myself in during the past two-and-a-half years has been forming close professional relationships with the training managers, even those for whom it is an additional duty. We all work toward success together, as a team. We have lunches, holiday get-togethers; we have a good network," said Sergeant Parks.
 
" If I'm not here, they can pick up the phone and call one another. We respect each other and have not had to resort to 'You will do this because of Air Force Instruction ... .' Helping each other helps the wing.
 
"I give credit to Senior Master Sgt. Billy Scott, my predecessor, who left a good foundation. I'm good at not breaking things. I owe all my mentorship to retired Chief Master Sgt. 'I.C.' Lee," he said. "Priority One: Get your people trained, Priority Two: See Priority One."