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News | Feb. 7, 2020

Aviation commander holds first town hall of 2020

By Leon Moore DLA Aviation Public Affairs

Defense Logistics Agency Aviation Commander Air Force Brig. Gen. David Sanford held his first town hall of 2020 in the Lotts Conference Center on Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia, Feb. 4.

The town hall kicked off with the presentation of awards and recognition. Anthony Alonzo, inventory management specialist, DLA Aviation-Oklahoma City, the DLA Aviation/Boeing Unliquidated Obligations Team and DLA Aviation Long-Term Contract Add/Drop Analysis Team, were all recognized with the Special Act or Service Award for Process Excellence.

Stephanie Lowe, contract specialist, AVN and Airframes Division, Supplier Operations Commodities Directorate, DLA Aviation and Gwendolyn Woods, weapon systems program manager, Air Force Customer Facing Division, Customer Operations Directorate, DLA Aviation, were both presented with the Humanitarian Effect Award for their support of the Hurricane Dorian Relief Effort Sept. 5 – 8, 2019 as part of DLA Rapid Deployment Team Blue.

This segment of the town hall wrapped up with Deborah Arrington, chief, Bearings Division, Supplier Operations Commodities Directorate, DLA Aviation Richmond and Richard Moore, contracting officer representative, DLA Aviation-Jacksonville being recognized for four decades of federal service.

Stephen Davis, chief counsel, DLA General Counsel-Aviation, was the first speaker on the main town hall agenda. He gave a detailed overview of the Hatch Act, a law that governs the political activities of federal executive branch employees. With 2020 being a presidential election year, he talked in great length about the political activities the workforce legally can and can’t engage in.  

Additional briefing topics covered safety, sexual awareness prevention and response, and the Employee Assistance Program.

Sanford took the stage and got into the meat of his town hall - the upcoming 2020 Denison Culture & Climate Survey and the Year of Accountability initiative.

He stressed the importance of providing good, honest feedback through the Denison survey.

“We need that kind of feedback, whether it’s positive or negative. Things won’t change without honesty,” he said.

Sanford said there are some changes to this year’s survey.

Process excellence and performance-based logistics topics are being removed, while Joint Reserve Force and acquisition workforce, are being added, along with two open-ended questions.

Denison is scheduled to launch in March with the results delivered in/around July.

Sanford then talked a little about the upcoming Year of Accountability, an initiative that he said, is a collaboration between DLA Aviation’s Human Resources Services, General Counsel and Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity.

“Its purpose is to remind the workforce to hold themselves responsible for their actions, behaviors and performance.  It’s also linked to an increase in commitment to work and employee morale, which will lead to higher performance,” he said.

Sanford said a training plan for the initiative will be rolled out sometime over the next few months.