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News | Sept. 14, 2015

DLA Energy Airmen among top one percent selected for elite program

By Elizabeth Stoeckmann DLA Energy Public Affairs

This is the third article in a series of DLA Energy workforce development opportunities.

They stand out among their comrades, they’re nominated by their commanders and they’re among the exceptionally well-qualified noncommissioned officers in their Air Force career field.

Air Force Master Sgts. Keith Grady and David Janes are Logistics Education Advancement Program NCOs assigned to Defense Logistics Agency Energy Operations Center and work on fuel-related logistics issues at the Air Force and Department of Defense level.

“This is a very prestigious opportunity,” said Grady, a 12-year airman. “It’s very humbling to be the one percent selected for a LEAP position in the fuels community.”

Janes, a 16-year veteran, said he always wanted to be in LEAP and work for the Air Force Petroleum Agency.

Grady and Janes, respectively, report to DLA Energy’s Defense Fuel Support Point Management and Direct Delivery Fuels directorates, and are two of only four airmen in their career field selected for a LEAP NCO position in the National Capital Region.

Of the four LEAP positions, two are assigned at the Pentagon and two are assigned at the McNamara Headquarters Complex, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

“I was nominated by my squadron commander and chief master sergeant through my major command and selected for the Headquarters Air Force Fuels Rotation Program for a four-year assignment,” Grady said.

Unlike Grady, Janes was already assigned to a position at AFPET before he was selected to LEAP.

“I am the start of the new selection process that requires LEAP NCOs to serve two years at AFPET and two years at DLA Energy,” Janes said.

Grady explained members are initially assigned to the AFPET, located in the McNamara Headquarters Complex, for two years to gain higher headquarters operations and staff knowledge prior to being assigned to a LEAP position.

Once in the position, members rotate throughout the different DLA Energy commodity business units for the final two years.

Grady most recently completed a rotation in Direct Delivery Fuels before coming to DFSP Management’s Facilities Management division. In four months, he will rotate to another Energy business unit until his rotation is complete in July 2016.

Grady’s Direct Delivery Fuels supervisor said the work ethic he displayed quickly endeared him to the division.

Similar to his colleague, Janes spent four months with the DLA Energy Operations Center before moving to DLA Energy Quality and Technical Support directorate’s Quality Operations division for four months and now most recently working for Direct Delivery Fuels.

“The LEAP NCOs are exceptional team members that are highly motivated and dedicated to meeting the DLA Energy mission,” said former Direct Delivery Fuels Ground Fuels Division IV Chief Gerald Tinner.

The LEAP is a career broadening education program designed to provide selected NCOs with on-the-job experience and training in special fuels logistics areas. While the program has evolved in recent years, the original objective of the program remains the same: to provide accelerated professional development and career broadening for exceptionally well qualified noncommissioned officers within the Air Force fuels career field.

Janes explained his participation in the LEAP allowed him visibility and exposure to the day-to-day DLA Energy business unit operations.

“The biggest eye-opening experience was when I worked in Quality (Operations,)” Janes said. “If there was ever a suspected quality issue, everyone knew their role, they meshed well together to come up with a solution and way ahead for the services … and unlike when you are on the ground you don’t get to see that first hand.”

While in Quality Operations, Janes said he performed a site visit with a quality assurance representative aboard a ship witnessing a tanker loading at the Chevron Richmond Refinery in Richmond, California, in July.

Janes said he’s looking forward to more of the “wow-factor” experiences as he moves through the DLA Energy business units.

It took training and a breath of experience in operations, fuel support, quality assurance and the fuels laboratory to qualify him for the LEAP opportunity, Grady said.

“While I was at AFPET, I bounced around to the military construction division, operational division and requirements and automation division … all of which prepared me for what I’m doing in DLA Energy today,” he added.

Today, Grady is performing optimization studies and working fuels issues for Facilities Management.

“Last week, we went to General Mitchell Air National Guard Base, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for a site visit,” he said. “The location requested DLA Energy look at the facility for a potential commercial pipeline in support of their refueling mission and requirements.”

“This particular optimization study will determine the best cost savings to the government and the requesting organization,” Grady said.

Both senior NCOs agreed the opportunities in the LEAP provide a direct link to the career field manager, extensive exposure, experience and a great stepping stone for future career assignments.

“Running a fuels flight is my ultimate goal,” Janes said. “To have a hundred people to mentor and share this information with before my enlistment is up is important to me.”

“My ultimate goal is to be the Headquarters Air Force fuels career field manager … creating policy for the entire fuels community,” Grady said. “Everything I have learned (at AFPET and DLA Energy) is invaluable experience in meeting that goal.”

Both airmen said they have seen some of the sharpest senior noncommissioned officers come through this program, and recommend anyone interested in pursuing something similar should talk to their leadership about development opportunities in their career field.