2010 Director’s Community Leadership Award

In a Washington, D.C. ceremony Friday at FBI Headquarters, Director Robert S. Mueller, III recognized the recipients of the 2010 Director's Community Leadership Award. These leaders, selected by their area FBI field office, have demonstrated outstanding contributions to their local communities through community service.

Included among those recognized was Mrs. Linda J. Walker, who was nominated by the FBI Minneapolis Field Office. She is the mother of Dru Sjodin who, at age 22, was kidnapped from a shopping mall parking lot in North Dakota in November 2003. Dru's body was discovered near Crookston, Minnesota nearly five months later. Her convicted killer, a sex offender, had been released from custody after serving 23 years for attempted kidnapping and assault shortly before Dru was kidnapped. He is currently on federal death row. Mrs. Walker has become a tireless advocate of women and children by speaking out against violence against them. She travels throughout the country to speak to college students, law enforcement, and the media in order to raise awareness and rally support for legislation. In 2004, Senator Byron Dorgen and Representative Earl Pomeroy, both of North Dakota, sponsored Dru's Law in Congress to create a National Sex Offender's Database. Mrs. Walker was relentless in her effort to bring the proposed legislation to the attention of the public and every member of Congress. She was present at the White House on July 26, 2006, when President Bush signed the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act into law, legislation that included Dru's Law.

Dru's Law requires convicted child molesters to be listed on a national Internet database and face a felony charge for failing to update their whereabouts. It is the first national online database that allows the public to search for registered sex offenders by zip code. It assists law enforcement in locating more than 100,000 unaccounted for sex offenders, calls for harsh federal sentences for sexually assaulting children, and allows for the imposition of the death penalty if a victim is murdered.

Mrs. Walker, along with other parents whom she met in Washington, D.C. while lobbying for the Adam Walsh Act, formed the Surviving Parents Coalition (SPC). The mission of the SPC is to advocate for legislation that will aid in the prevention of crimes against children and young adults; especially child sex abuse, sexual assault, exploitation, abduction, and murder.

Ralph S. Boelter, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Minneapolis office said, "It is the hope of Linda and the FBI that her important work and her tireless effort , done in her daughter's memory, will result in greater protection for our most vulnerable citizens and make our communities safer for everyone. Linda's determination was the essential ingredient to what child advocates have called the most sweeping sex offender legislation to target pedophiles in years."

James F. Yacone Named Special Agent in Charge of Denver Field Office

Director Robert S. Mueller, III has named James F. Yacone as the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Denver Division. Mr. Yacone, keeping up with strong tradition of leadership, has most recently served as a section chief in the Critical Incident Response Group, which involved direct management and oversight of the FBI’s national tactical program, crisis negotiation program, and a variety of mobility and crisis response assets.

A New York native, Mr. Yacone served eight years in the U.S. Army and is a decorated combat veteran. He joined the FBI in 1995 as a special agent.

Mr. Yacone was first assigned to the Philadelphia Division, where he investigated violent drug trafficking organizations, organized crime, and financial institution fraud. He was later selected to serve with the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) as a member of the Hostage Rescue Team. During his tenure with the CIRG, Mr. Yacone was promoted to supervisory special agent and, later, unit chief, deploying to multiple critical incidents and major investigations around the world in support of the global war on terrorism.

In 2006, Mr. Yacone was appointed as the chief of the FBI’s Aviation and Surveillance Branch. Most notably, he implemented a strategic aircraft replacement plan to upgrade and standardize the FBI’s diverse fleet of airplanes and helicopters.

Mr. Yacone served as an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI Richmond Division’s National Security Branch from 2007 to 2009. In addition to the counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and intelligence programs, he also implemented the FBI’s new threat-based intelligence process for two FBI field divisions. Concurrently, Mr. Yacone was selected by Director Mueller to lead a strategic merger to consolidate a large number of personnel and assets into a unified Surveillance and Aviation Section.

Mr. Yacone graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and attained a Master of Science in criminal justice from Virginia Commonwealth University.

He and his wife, Becky, have three children.

Improving Communities: Leaders Honored in Washington

They come from different parts of the country. They work in many different fields. And they serve a variety of constituencies.

But the 50-plus individuals who gathered at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., today for a special ceremony have one thing in common: they are all recipients of the 2010 Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for their selfless actions within their communities. And, according to Director Robert Mueller, the recipients also share "a willingness to lead and a commitment to improve the lives of their neighbors.... They embody the true meaning of citizenship."

This year’s recipients show how ordinary citizens can make such a big difference in the lives of others, from the New Mexico Anti-Defamation League regional director who combats prejudice and discrimination…to the mosque board member in Cincinnati who educates law enforcement and community leaders about the Muslim faith…from the New Jersey child advocate dedicated to protecting kids from online sexual predators…to the Seattle television anchor whose news program highlights and helps apprehend dangerous fugitives.

And those who benefit from their involvement also represent a broad spectrum of the community, including the young, the elderly, the disabled, women and girls, refugees and legal immigrants, crime victims, minority groups, law enforcement, and the general public. 

We present each of these awards publicly—first at the local FBI field office, and then at a national ceremony in Washington—with the hopes that others will hear the stories of the recipients and be inspired to create change in their own communities, working to keep their neighborhoods safer.

Here are a few more examples of the individuals and organizations selected to receive the DCLA: 

■An Arkansas woman who became a tireless advocate for the elderly after members of her family experienced nursing home abuse;

■An organization in Buffalo that provided resources and assistance to victims who came to light during an FBI human trafficking investigation;

■A former NASA astronaut and successful businessman in Houston who established a foundation that invests in community-based initiatives that empower individuals, particularly minorities and the economically disadvantaged;

■A former deputy fire chief from Louisville who promotes emergency preparedness among first responders and members of the public;

■A St. Louis doctor who risked his career to help uncover massive Medicare and Medicaid fraud being perpetrated by the health care company he worked for; and

■A county school employee in Tampa who created a program for at-risk young males that is now used by the state attorney's office as a diversion program for first-time offenders.

Every year, FBI field offices select individuals or organizations—one per office—to receive the DCLA. The criteria for the award? Achievements in combating terrorism, cyber crime, and illegal drugs, gangs, and other crimes; or violence prevention/education efforts that have had a tremendous positive impact on their communities. This year’s crop of award recipients joins the ranks of a dedicated group of people and organizations that, since 1990, have collectively enhanced the lives of thousands of individuals and families and helped protect communities around the United States.

Congratulations to the winners!

Director Recognizes Distinguished Community Leaders

In a ceremony today at FBI Headquarters, Director Robert S. Mueller, III recognized the recipients of the 2010 Director’s Community Leadership Award. These leaders, selected by their local FBI field office, have demonstrated outstanding contributions to their local communities. The FBI is grateful for the work of each of these individuals and organizations on behalf of their communities.

“I am honored to recognize today’s recipients for their leadership. They are stewards of their communities. They have given their time and talents to make their neighborhoods better, and they embody the true meaning of citizenship,” said Director Mueller.

Recipients of the 2010 Director’s Community Leadership Award include:

■David Graham (Albany)

■Susan M. Seligman (Albuquerque)

■Catholic Social Services (Anchorage)

■Daniel O. Vargas (Atlanta)

■Sidney Ford (Baltimore)

■Peace Valley Foundation, Huntsville Chapter (Birmingham)

■Patricia Spence (Boston)

■International Institute of Buffalo, Human Trafficking Victim Services Program (Buffalo)

■Rachel Braver (Charlotte)

■Roe Conn (Chicago)

■Shakila Ahmad (Cincinnati)

■The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center (Cleveland)

■James T. McLawhorn, Jr. (Columbia)

■Christina Yampanis (Dallas)

■Christian Philip Anschutz (Denver)

■Reverend Dr. Wendell Anthony (Detroit)

■Patrick Turley (El Paso)

■National Guard Youth Challenge Program (Honolulu)

■Dr. Bernard A. Harris, Jr. (Houston)

■Robert K. Caudell (Indianapolis)

■Tanya Carter (Jackson)

■Bernie de la Rionda (Jacksonville)

■Polly Brunkhardt (Kansas City)

■Avon Williams Rollins, Sr. (Knoxville)

■Martha Deaver (Little Rock)

■Erin Andrews (Los Angeles)

■A.J. Fekete (Louisville)

■Dr. Eli T. Morris, III (Memphis)

■Alonzo Mourning (Miami)

■Dr. Mallory O’Brien (Milwaukee)

■Linda J. Walker (Minneapolis)

■Team Focus (Mobile)

■Angela DeLeon (New Haven)

■Sister Mary Lou Specha (New Orleans)

■Dr. Jay Findling (New York)

■Parry Aftab (Newark)

■Gloria Morales (Norfolk)

■Mark Elam (Oklahoma City)

■Eric Idehen (Omaha)

■Matthew Chea (Philadelphia)

■Girl Scouts—Arizona Cactus Pine Council Inc. (Phoenix)

■Michael DeStefano (Pittsburgh)

■Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (Portland)

■The Community Idea Stations (Richmond)

■Jenny Williamson (Sacramento)

■Dr. Steven Bander (St. Louis)

■Dr. Earl Sutherland, Jr. (Salt Lake City)

■Deborah Knapp (San Antonio)

■LEAD San Diego (San Diego)

■Bridge the Gap College Prep (San Francisco)

■Carlos McCormack (San Juan)

■“Washington’s Most Wanted” (Seattle)

■Peter Rankaitis (Springfield)

■Travis Terrell Gabriel (Tampa)

■Team Adam, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (Washington Field)

■Thomas F. Thomas (CJIS)

■Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity , Inc. (Office of Public Affairs)

■Steve Harvey Foundation (Office of Public Affairs)

■Nova Southeastern University, FBI Safe Online Surfing (Office of Public Affairs)

Missouri Guard ADT’s Leadership Academy works toward transparent government

By Rachel Knight

Missouri National Guard

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – As the Missouri National Guard’s Agribusiness Development Team continues to work with its Afghan hosts on improving the region’s agriculture and business infrastructure they’ve added teaching the importance of transparency in government to the process.

Army Maj. Gen. Stephen L. Danner, adjutant general, said that because previous Missouri Guard teams have addressed the province’s baseline needs of food and economic security, the current team can build on those foundations through the establishment of the Leadership Academy.

“Economic security is second only to physical security, and the establishment of the academy is proof of the great progress our teams have made since 2007,” Danner said.

“We have transitioned from providing the skills to the Afghan people to teaching those skills. The business and general public administration skills that the Afghan people and their leaders are learning from the academy will greatly improve life in the Nangarhar Province.”

The Leadership Academy will help Afghans through monthly training classes, agriculture extension agent mentoring, cash-for-work projects and training support packages. To make sure that Missourians were meeting the province’s needs, the team worked closely with Safi Mohammed Hussein, the director of agriculture, irrigation and livestock, to identify topics and training.

The cash-for-work project is the most prominent component of the academy, said Col. Michael Fortune, Agribusiness Development Team IV commander. The projects maximize the impact of classroom training by allowing Afghan agents to identify, nominate and manage these small projects that do not cost more than $5,000.

“While the total dollar amount for each project is small, much can be accomplished in a country where the average laborer makes only $3 per day,” said Lt. Col. Raymond Legg, agriculture team chief.

Every new project is a step forward for the region and the academy, Fortune said. The projects are nominated by villagers, reviewed by district governance officials, and approved by Safi.

“The most commonly submitted cash for work projects are irrigation, karize and canal cleaning, and repair,” said Legg. “These projects increase the district’s agriculture capacity by increasing essential water inputs allowing the Afghans to farm previously underutilized farmland.”

Throughout the process, National Guardsmen work closely with the Afghans to teach management and supervisory techniques.

“While the agriculture extension agents are very knowledgeable about the problems of the district, they require mentoring in identifying and planning suitable cash for work projects within the capabilities of villagers to complete,” said Capt. John Paluczak, agriculture section officer in charge.

Each project also comes with a detailed tracking system so that the team can gauge its effectiveness. The system also makes the program as transparent as possible.

“In Afghanistan, relationships are everything,” Paluczak said. “When the agent operates in a transparent manner, the farmers of the district create a long-lasting relationship built upon trust and mutual respect. The perception of openness and transparency establishes the foundation upon which the people perceive the agent and how they are going to treat the agent.”

A more transparent system will also cut down on corruption, Paluczak said.

“The agriculture extension agents need to be seen by farmers and villagers as the most honest, uncorrupt and transparent members of the government,” Fortune stressed during a monthly training class. “Agents are the most visible sign that government is working for the people in rural areas.”

Each project is an opportunity to better the region through increasing its agribusiness capabilities and demonstrating effective, honest government, Paluczak said.

“Agribusiness team members identify key concepts they believe will have a large, long-term impact on Nangarhar agricultural production,” said Paluczak.

“We are currently developing training support packages on small bag silage, composting, drip irrigation, row cropping, experimentation and windbreaks so that agriculture extension agents can spread these basic concepts throughout the community to allow farmers to increase their yields.”

Challenges aren’t limited to the projects themselves. There are major language and literacy gaps that the team must overcome to be successful. For example, the literacy rate in Afghanistan is just over 28 percent.

“Because most Afghan farmers are illiterate, the flip charts consist mostly of pictures with some words,” Palczuk said. “Finally, the booklet tells a story through pictures of how to do what the training support package describes. There are some words, but it is meant to be taken home by the farmers to use as a reference when they implement the new practice.”

All products must also be translated from English to Pashto.

Despite those challenges, the program and the Agribusiness Development Team’s mission have so far been successful, Danner said.

“When we fielded our first Agribusiness Development Team in 2007, we knew we would face some difficult challenges – but we also knew we would overcome them,” Danner said. “Our Afghan partners are committed to progress, and we are proud of our Guardmembers who are on the ground helping them in this time of transition.”

Challenge Academy graduates begin AmeriCorps NCCC service

Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

Several graduates of the Wisconsin National Guard's Challenge Academy Class 25 have embarked on a new challenge.

Following the 22-week residential phase at Fort McCoy, Challenge graduates are expected to find employment or enroll in post-secondary education as part of their 12-month post-residential phase. Rather than taking the conventional path, eight of those graduates have completed four weeks of initial training and were inducted into the AmeriCorps National Civilian Corps (NCCC) in Vinton, Iowa on March 16.

For the next nine months Samantha Czerkas, Cross Plains; Devan Farnsworth, Fall River; Brett Hrdlicka, Turtle Lake; Theda LeFlore, Milwaukee; Taylor Maciosek, Milladore; Samuel Puchalla, Sheboygan; Ryan Skiff, Mauston; and Starr Spencer, Eau Claire will perform service to community projects across the Midwest.

"I have never traveled outside of Wisconsin," Skiff said."[I] am looking forward to this opportunity."

For six weeks, LeFlore will work with a team serving the Augusta, Mich., YMCA as cabin leaders for school groups. She will also assist in their Integrated Education Program.

"I am excited for my first project because I get to work with children and make a difference," she said.

The other cadets are assigned to different projects including building homes, managing invasive species, preparing income tax returns, or developing and restoring trail systems for their first round projects.

AmeriCorps staff described the Youth Challenge cadets, which currently represent about 10 percent of the Corps, as disciplined and respectful. Wisconsin National Guard Challenge Academy Director M.G. MacLaren and members of the counseling department attended the induction ceremony to support the cadets' attendance in the leadership program.

NCCC provides an opportunity for those seeking experience in helping others, working as a team and giving back to the community. AmeriCorps also offers its members an educational award to help finance school following their term of service. The National Guard Youth Challenge Program and AmeriCorps NCCC have partnered with the goal of helping more cadets transition into community service work with NCCC.

The Challenge Academy reshapes the lives of at-risk 16- to 18-year-olds. A structured, military-style environment and state-certified teachers and counselors build cadets' academic abilities, character, self-confidence and personal discipline.

Lewis M. Chapman Named Special Agent in Charge of the Mobile Division

Director Robert S. Mueller, III named Lewis “Matt” Chapman special agent in charge of the FBI’s Mobile Division. Mr. Chapman most recently served as section chief of the Investigative and Operations Support Section, Critical Incident Response Group in Quantico, Virginia.

As section chief, Mr. Chapman oversaw the FBI’s National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime, crisis management, special events, and rapid deployment logistics programs. He also served as the FBI on-scene commander at the Beijing Olympics.

Mr. Chapman entered on duty as a special agent in May 1988 and was assigned to the Dallas Division working violent crime, fugitive, public corruption, and government fraud matters.

In 1999, Mr. Chapman was promoted to supervisory special agent at FBI Headquarters in the Counterterrorism Division, Weapons of Mass Destruction Operations Unit. While at Headquarters, he served in the Inspection Division as an assistant inspector.

Mr. Chapman transferred to the Memphis Division in 2002 as a supervisor of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and oversaw all foreign counterintelligence matters. After working in Memphis, he served in the New Orleans Division as assistant special agent in charge from 2004 to 2008. He managed all FBI programs and served as the division’s crisis manager. Following Hurricane Katrina, he received the Attorney General’s Award for fraud prevention and the FBI Director’s Award for leadership.

Mr. Chapman graduated from the Florida Institute of Technology in Jensen Beach, Florida in 1984.

Mullen Calls Leadership Most Important NCO Contribution

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2011 – Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told students at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy yesterday that of all their talents and capabilities, leadership is the most important value they bring to the force.

“I have one requirement for senior enlisted leaders in every service, and that is to lead my young people, period,” Mullen told an assembly of about 300 students and cadre members at the Fort Bliss, Texas, academy. “That’s it. And that’s where I want you focused.”

Senior noncommissioned officers “have to be good at what you do,” and in the skills of their specific military occupational specialties, the chairman said. “But in the hardest, toughest times that we have, there is nothing I can depend on that is more important – and delivers every time – than good leadership,” he added. “Bad leadership will destroy me, no matter what my mission is or what equipment I have.”

Mullen praised the educational emphasis at the Sergeants Major Academy designed to build leadership skills.

Leaders “just don’t just show up,” and there’s always more to learn about how to be the best leader possible, he told the group.

“As good as anyone might be, there is always more to learn about how to do this. … There are good ideas that you never thought of,” Mullen said, noting that many ideas were “loaded in this room” of accomplished, experienced NCOs.

Mullen challenged the students to put the lessons they are learning at the academy to work to strengthen the Army when they return to their units.

Leadership is “making sure we know our people” and the challenges we face, he said. But it’s also “making sure we are mentoring those who are coming behind us” and, after making a difference for them and their careers, “getting out of the way” so they, too, have opportunities to grow.

Mullen told the senior NCOs he’s depending on them to help in addressing a huge range of issues that include suicide, post-traumatic stress, sexual harassment and sexual assault.

As they do so, Mullen said, he recognizes that the only constant is change. Leading in a time of change is the “toughest, most exciting, most challenging kind of leadership,” he said.

The chairman told the NCOs their leadership skills will be particularly important as the military brings more of its troops home from combat and readapts to become a largely garrison-based force. Most junior troops have spent so much time deployed that they’ll need leaders to help them adapt to that garrison force, the chairman told the group.

“Garrison leadership isn’t just going to show up one day,” he told the senior NCOs."You are the only ones, I believe, who understand garrison leadership, period. … We are incredibly dependent on you to get it right.”

As that force evolves, Mullen emphasized that he doesn’t want to see it simply revert to its state in the year 2000. Rather, he said, leaders need to help it “take the best of what we were, take the best of what we have become, figure out how to make those work together, and move ahead.”

The Navy Honors a Civil Rights Pioneer

By Navy Secretary Ray Mabus

Today in Jackson, Mississippi, I was privileged to honor a civil rights hero and the millions of Americans who have furthered the cause of liberty. As Secretary of the Navy, I am responsible for naming our ships. Today, I announced that the first ship I will name will be the USNS Medgar Evers.

The ship that will carry Medgar Evers name around the world for a generation is a T-AKE, a critically important supply ship. They are traditionally named for famous American pioneers, explorers, and visionaries. They celebrate the dreams and bold action of the American spirit and they honor men and women who have changed our country and the world for the better - men and women like Alan Shepard, Sacagawea, Carl Brashear, and Amelia Earhart. The ships' namesakes represent the rich tapestry that is America.

Medgar Evers carried on that proud tradition of leadership as a pioneer and visionary of the civil rights movement. As a young man, he served in France during the Second World War. Upon returning to the United States, he took up the cause of freedom, rose to become the Field Secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi, and campaigned tirelessly to end segregation and ensure equal treatment for every American.

No less so than the heroes who have fought and died for our country overseas, he gave his life to defend America and its principles when he was assassinated in his own driveway in June of 1963.

It was an emotional ceremony today when I announced my choice, speaking at the Fannie Lou Hamer Institute on Citizenship and Democracy at Jackson State University. The Institute honors another civil rights leader from Mississippi. I was proud to be joined today by the widow of Medgar Evers, Mrs. Myrlie Evers-Williams, as well as by Congressman Bennie Thompson, Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson, former Mississippi Governor William Winter, and a score of other civil rights activists and Mississippians. Sharing the moment with them was a humbling experience for me. It reminded me of how far we have come, but also of how much others who went before us sacrificed on our behalf, just like the Sailors and Marines I’m proud to serve as Secretary.

I believe today we honored the work of legends and in a small way reaffirmed the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that "one day the nation would rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - that all men are created equal."

Panel Recommends Ways to Improve Military Diversity

By Lisa Daniel

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2011 – A commission created to improve diversity among military leaders has issued 20 recommendations its members say will make the military better reflect the composition of the United States in its ranks.

The Military Leadership Diversity Commission, created as part of the 2009 National Defense Authorization Act, issued the findings yesterday of its 18-month research with recommendations for how the Defense Department can improve the promotion of women and minorities at a time when the nation is expected to become increasingly diverse.

“The armed forces have not yet succeeded in developing a continuing stream of leaders who are as demographically diverse as the nation they serve,” the report says.

The disparity between the numbers of racial and ethnic minorities in the military and their leaders “will become starkly obvious without the successful recruitment, promotion, and retention of racial/ethnic minorities among the enlisted force,” the report says. “Without sustained attention, this problem will only become more acute as the … makeup of the United States continues to change.”

The commission’s chairman, retired Air Force Gen. Lester L. Lyles, told American Forces Press Service that while the military is free of the institutional biases of decades past, it retains the appearance of bias because so few women and minorities occupy senior positions.

“There are no institutional biases in the United States military today, … and probably have not been for many, many years,” Lyles said. “But there are some people who think there are, because when you look statistically at the demographics in the United States, and you look at the demographics in the military, then you look at the senior leadership positions, both in officer and senior enlisted ranks, to some it may give the appearance that there are biases that prevented women and minorities from achieving those senior ranks.”

The commission found four reasons for low representation of women and minorities in senior military positions:

-- Low representation of women and minorities in initial officer accessions;

-- Lower representation of women and minority officers in career fields associated with higher officer rank;

-- Lower retention of midlevel female service members; and

-- Lower rates of advancement among female and minority officers.

“Our recommendations were to ensure we remove any potential barriers that exist today; that we make recommendations that enhance the culture, career progression and recruiting [of women and minorities]; and that we grow the pool of eligible candidates,” Lyles said.

The commission recommends that the services consider commitment to diversity in officer promotions and require diversity leadership education and training at all levels.

To further promote diversity, the services must increase their pool of eligible recruits and officer candidates, the report says. Pentagon statistics show that three out of four Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 are not eligible to enlist because of low education or test scores, past criminal history, or because they can’t meet health and fitness requirements.

“This is a national security issue requiring the attention and collected effort of top public officials,” the commission’s report says.

The commission also recommended a new, broader definition of “diversity” that would add backgrounds and skills largely missing from today’s military, such as recruiting people from more varied regions and cultural backgrounds and with foreign-language skills and higher math, science and technological abilities.

“Diversity is all the different characteristics and attributes of individuals that are consistent with Department of Defense core values, integral to overall readiness and mission accomplishment, and reflective of the nation we serve,” the report says.

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Julius W. Becton Jr., the commission’s vice chair, said the military’s needs in recruiting and retaining the right people must start much earlier than at the end of high school.

“Unless we start at the pre-kindergarten level, we’re never going to increase how many kids are graduating and going to college,” said Becton, a former college president and superintendent of Washington, D.C., public schools. Issues such as full-day kindergarten, summer school, and lengthening the hours American children spend in school all have an impact on the military, he said.

Such steps are important, Becton said, to ensure that potential recruits can meet military standards. Nothing the commission has recommended calls for lowering standards, he added.

“There are no efforts whatsoever to decrease standards,” he said. “The standards are proven, and we want people to come up to the standards.”

The commission also recommended that the Pentagon lift its ban on assigning women to ground combat units below the brigade level, citing the policy as a barrier to women attaining the military’s most-senior ranks.

Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said Defense Department officials will evaluate the panel’s recommendations as part of an ongoing review of diversity policies.

Leadership Journal joins The Blog @ Homeland Security

We thank you for your loyal readership of the Leadership Journal; our online forum discussing policy issues from the perspective of the Department’s senior leadership.

Starting today, we will be combining the Leadership Journal and The Blog @ Homeland Security to form one unified blog for The Department of Homeland Security.

On The Blog @ Homeland Security, readers can still expect to see blog posts directly from the Secretary and senior leadership, as well as feature stories from across the Department, all in one convenient location. 

We encourage and welcome your thoughts and comments on The Blog (http://blog.dhs.gov).

This page lives as a standing archive of the Leadership Journal.   Here you will find all of the content published on the Leadership Journal from its beginning in September 2007 to the latest post in January 2011.  Long term, the Leadership Journal will be permanently archived and the URL http://journal.dhs.gov/ will discontinue.

Right now, you can still view any past Leadership Journal entry, each with its original comments still intact.

Please note that the e-mail subscriber list for Leadership Journal will discontinue.  We encourage you to sign up for the e-mail subscriber list on The Blog to receive the latest news and updates from the Department.

Essex Sailors Share Leadership Principles with Royal Cambodian Navy

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Mark R. Alvarez

SIHANOUKVILLE, Kingdom of Cambodia (NNS) -- Sailors assigned to the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) shared ideas on military leadership with officers of the Royal Cambodian Navy (RCN) March 1 as part of Cambodia Maritime Exercise 2011.

Senior petty officers from Essex were given the opportunity to discuss leadership techniques and principles with 20 RCN commanding and executive officers whose average time in service was more than 20 years.

"I believe we gave them a different perspective on information they already knew," said Cryptological Technician (Maintenance) 1st Class (SW/AC/AW/IUSS) Jason Zemlo. "I wanted to show them the structure of our leadership and how we adapt to the obstacles we face."

Topics of discussion included core values, discipline, and scenario-based discussions on leadership challenges.

Even though the Essex Sailors were junior compared to their students, the RCN officers were grateful for the exchange of ideas.

"We in the RCN are very eager to learn from the American Navy," said Lt. Cmdr. Sath Bou, deputy commander of RCN's Ship 7. "Normally, our training with the U.S. is limited to a few subjects, which makes this leadership exchange special."

Bou, a veteran with more than 30 years time in service, also said that he would use the information presented to enhance and develop his unit.

Both groups of sailors were able to find a good deal of common ground through discussions on leadership approaches to various challenging situations.

"They were very focused on their mission and their people," added Jones. "When we discussed the Navy's core values, I found that their beliefs were along the exact same lines."

The RCN officers also asked questions about how the U.S. Navy's chain of command functions and how much time U.S. Sailors spend at sea.

The leadership exchange was just one of a series of events in which U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel participated in during Cambodia Maritime Exercise 2011.

Throughout the exercise, U.S. Sailors have taught courses in the English language and shipboard operations. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit's medical staff also worked with their Cambodian counterparts to provide primary care services, dental care and optometry care to Cambodians in the Kampong Som province.

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"Andrew Harvey and Raymond Foster have crafted an exceptionally outstanding learning resource--it is far more than a 'book' if the reader accesses all that is available through their generous and dynamic leadership website--for leaders of every experience level. "Leadership Texas Hold'em Style" is a great read for the young leader starting out with its wealth of ideas and thought-provoking real-world situations. For the very same reason the book has as much or more significance for seasoned folks in positions of responsibility who simply need to continue to improve their level of expertise and excellence."
Major Richard S. Botkin, USMC (ret.)

"The authors of this book are incredibly educated and insightful in their perceptions and philosophies on leadership. They are not writing from theory, they are writing from experience, adding to the credibility factor of this book! The poker analogies used in this book are awesome and very to the point."
R. Temple

"From the beginning on this book captured my attention. And even though I don't play poker, the authors make it easy to apply poker rules and principles to leading and motivating people. The chapters are short and broken up with little tid-bits about poker too."
Thad Forester

"I love the analogy to poker that is used. I love the chapters on teamwork, Morale, organization, change, and importance of being an excellent leader to follow. This book changes the way you look at leadership but also fun to read."
Betty Moffitt

Flournoy Hails Pioneering Military, Civilian Women

By Terri Moon Cronk

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2011 – The Pentagon’s top civilian policy official said she wouldn’t be in her current position if it weren’t for the many women before her, whom she hailed as “true pioneers.”

That was the message delivered today by Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michèle Flournoy, who spoke at the Joint Services Women’s History Month luncheon held at the Kennedy Caucus Room of the U.S. Senate’s Russell Office Building.

“These women -- uniformed and civilian alike -- have showed the others who followed that it’s possible to be a woman and serve your country with great distinction,” Flournoy said. “And often, they had to overcome great obstacles to do so.”

The luncheon event follows President Barack Obama’s Feb. 28 proclamation designating March as Women’s History Month.

In his proclamation, Obama noted that American women “scale the skies as astronauts, expand our economy as entrepreneurs and business leaders, and serve our country at the highest levels of government and our Armed Forces.”

On Feb. 28, the U.S. Senate approved Concurrent Resolution 8, which recognizes “the importance of women to national defense throughout the history of the United States; and encourages the people of the United States to honor women who have served and who continue to serve the United States in the U.S. Armed Forces.”

Attending today’s luncheon with Flournoy was Undersecretary of the Army Joseph W. Westphal, who as the then-acting Army secretary oversaw the May 11, 2001, dedication of the Women’s Army Museum at Fort Lee, Va.

Westphal thanked today’s women serving in the nation’s military services who’ve “given so much of themselves to support and defend our nation and our way of life.”

Flournoy highlighted some of the women who were responsible for significant accomplishments in defense of the United States.

Jeanne M. Holm, who recently passed away at age 88, was a “true pioneer,” Flournoy said, who joined the Army and worked as a silversmith and a truck driver during World War II.

In 1949, Holm joined the U.S. Air Force and went on to become its first female one-star general, and later, the first female two-star in any branch of the armed forces, Flournoy said.

Holm accomplished many things in her life, Flournoy said, noting she’d worked tirelessly to expand opportunities for military women.

During her military career Holm had fought promotion ‘glass ceilings’ and quotas that limited women, Flournoy noted. Holm, she added, had called for women to be admitted to the service academies, to be able to fly as pilots, and claim the same housing and medical and benefits as men did.

“All these things eventually came to pass, and it’s easy for all of us to sit here and take them for granted,” Flournoy said. “But these advances took a lot of hard work and General Holm worked hard to achieve them.”

Another pioneer and role model for military women, she said, is the late retired Navy Rear Adm. [lower half] Grace Marie Hopper. A Naval officer, Hopper became the first woman to receive a restricted line promotion to flag officer in 1983. Known as “Amazing Grace,” Hopper had a doctorate in mathematics from Yale and joined the Navy reserve as an ordnance officer during World War II.

Hopper was involved in early efforts to develop an electronic computer, Flournoy said. Hopper later developed the prototype of the COBOL software programming, which Flournoy described as “a breakthrough that was credited with making computer programming far more accessible than it had been before.”

Civilian women like Sheila E. Widnall also have made great strides serving in leading roles in the defense department, the undersecretary said.

“High on this list was Sheila Widnall -- the only woman yet to receive a full appointment as a service secretary,” Flournoy said, noting that Widnall also had served as a professor and an associate provost at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Widnall had served as Secretary of the Air Force between 1993 and 1997 –- the first woman appointed as the Air Force’s senior civilian.

As Air Force secretary, Widnall “oversaw a modernization program during … budgetary constraints, and helped create a more effective acquisition process to ensure America’s continued air superiority,” Flournoy said.

Widnall also paved the way for “more and more” women to serve in leadership roles in the Pentagon, the undersecretary said.

“In today’s Pentagon,” Flournoy said, “women are the secretary of defense’s chief advisers on everything from legislative affairs, to issues and portfolios from Africa to Eurasia, from homeland defense to the global campaign against weapons of mass destruction.”

Talented, courageous women of the past have paved the way for the opportunities, responsibilities and accomplishments available to today’s women leaders, Flournoy said.

“And all of us in turn, I’m sure, will do everything within our power to open doors for the next generation,” she said. “And that next generation will make contributions to our nation’s defense that we cannot even imagine here today.”

Gates: Scouting Instills Principles, Integrity, Honor

By John D. Banusiewicz

American Forces Press Service

DALLAS, March 4, 2011 – Recalling his own experience as an Eagle Scout, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates last night praised scouting for instilling principles, integrity and honor in tomorrow’s leaders.

Gates was the keynote speaker at a Circle Ten Council Friends of Scouting dinner here.

The secretary told the audience of 1,500 that he could fit everything he owned in the back seat of his car when he went to Washington, D.C., at age 22 to work for the CIA. At that time, he said, earning his Eagle Scout badge was the only thing he had done that made him believe he could make a difference.

“It was the only thing I had done that distinguished me from so many other high school kids,” he said. “It was the first thing I had done that told me I might be a little different because I worked a little harder, was a little more determined, a little more goal-oriented, more persistent than others. Earning my Eagle gave me the self-confidence to believe, for the first time in my life, that I could achieve whatever I set my mind to.”

Much has changed, and not all of it for the better -- especially for young people -- in the 50 years since he was a Boy Scout, Gates said.

“One thing, however, that has remained the same over the years is the positive experience of scouting on boys and young men,” he added, “and the ability of so many of them to surprise us and inspire us with their determination, their character, their skills, and their moral and physical courage.”

Good homes and good parents produce good boys, but scouting tempers the steel, the secretary said.

“At a time when many American young people are turning into couch potatoes and, too often, much worse,” Gates told the audience, “scouting continues to challenge boys and young men, preparing them for leadership.”

One way scouting creates leaders, the secretary said, is by presenting new challenges that build confidence, self-reliance and the spirit of adventure. Another benefit, he added, is that Boy Scouts learn the importance of service to others.

“The scouting movement shows dramatically that service -- public service -- still beckons the best among us to do battle with complacency, neglect, ignorance and the emptiness of the spirit that are the common enemies of social peace and justice,” Gates said. “Adults like you who support scouting are generously investing in our collective future –- in [columnist] Walter Lippman’s words, you are ‘planting the trees we may never get to sit under.’”

Caring beyond one’s self, the secretary added, is fundamental not only to scouting, but also to democracy and to civilization itself.

Scouting also prepares boys and young men to live lives based on unchanging values such as trustworthiness, loyalty, honesty, kindness, and the respect and dignity every person deserves, he said.

“We in scouting believe that personal virtues -- self-reliance, self-control, honor, integrity and morality –- are absolute and timeless,” Gates said. “There are in too many places too few people with scouting values -- people who say, ‘On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty,’ and mean it.”

The secretary noted that scouting allows adults who are leaders to teach boys to be leaders.

“In challenging boys to learn skills, to master challenges, to strive to live up to high principles and moral values, to find the greater beauty in a life of cheerful service, to build strong character, scouting tempers them into strong leaders for tomorrow,” Gates said.

Former President George W. Bush introduced Gates to the audience. Gates’ service as defense secretary dates back to December 2006, during Bush’s administration.

Local Medical Doctor to be Honored at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

ST. LOUIS—Acting Special Agent in Charge M. B. Kinder of the FBI St. Louis Division has announced the recipient of the 2010 Director's Community Leadership Award (DCLA). Dr. Steven Bander was selected because of his courage and integrity to expose alleged fraud and for his continuous dedication in promoting ethical business practices in medical care and research.

Dr. Bander used to be the chief medical officer for Gambro Healthcare U.S., which was the world’s third largest supplier of kidney dialysis services. In April 2001, he filed a lawsuit claiming Gambro defrauded Medicare and Medicaid out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr. Kinder said, "Dr. Bander knew he would end his career and he knew he would have to pay lawyers' fees up front to file his suit. What he didn't know was whether he would prevail. Yet he stuck his neck out because he knew he had to do what was right." Finally in an agreement three-and-a-half years later, Gambro paid more than $350 million in civil and criminal penalties to settle the claims. This agreement, made in December 2004, remains the largest fraud settlement in Missouri history. At the time, it was the sixth largest fraud settlement in the country.

The False Claims Act provides an incentive to people to report allegations that the government has been defrauded by granting them between 15 percent and 30 percent of any award or settlement amount. Dr. Bander donated part of his settlement amount to establish a charitable foundation that focuses on business ethics in health care. His philanthropy includes donating to Saint Louis University in 2006 to form The Bander Center for Medical Business Ethics and to Washington University (St. Louis) in 2008 to establish the Bander Business Ethics in Medical Research Funding Program.

Most recently, his foundation helped establish a new academic journal called Journal Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics: A Journal of Qualitative Research. The journal serves as a forum for exploring current issues in bioethics. The first issue, which focuses on living with conflicts of interest, will be published this fall.

Today's ceremony was held in front of 150-200 fourth-year medical students enrolled in The Bander Center for Medical Business Ethics at Saint Louis University. "I am proud that one of our graduates and a member of our faculty is being honored for such a remarkable display of courage and selflessness," said Saint Louis University President Lawrence Biondi, S.J. "Through his words and his deeds, Dr. Bander exemplifies the very best of what we seek to instill in our students at SLU."

Later in the month, we will fly Dr. Bander to Washington, D.C., where FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III will personally present the DCLA awards at a national ceremony on March 25 to the 2010 recipients selected by each of the 56 FBI field offices.

The DCLA was created in 1990 as the principle means for the FBI to publicly honor individuals and organizations for their efforts in combating crime, terrorism, drugs, and violence to help keep America and our children safe. In order for the FBI to be effective, we need the support and understanding of the American people in our common interest to fight crime and terrorism.

Past local DCLA recipients are (years not listed did not have a recipient):

1990 Former Cardinals player Joseph Cunningham

1991 Martin Mathews, president, CEO and co-founder of Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club

1993 Jean Leible, neighborhood activist

1995 Pastor Harry Douma, founder of Camp Penuel

2005 Martin Mathews (two-time recipient)

2006 Karen Aroesty, regional director of Anti-Defamation League

2007 Pastor B.T. Rice of New Horizon 7th Day Christian Church

2008 Dave Sinclair, former chairman and CEO of Dave Sinclair Auto Group

2009 Bill Wilkerson, executive director of "Reach Out St. Louis!"

FBI Honors Local Whistleblower

What: FBI St. Louis will present the Director’s Community Leadership Award to Dr. Steven Bander for his courage and integrity as a whistleblower and for his subsequent dedication to promoting ethical business practices in medical care and research.

The ceremony will be held at Saint Louis University in front of 150-200 medical students enrolled in The Bander Center for Medical Business Ethics.

Also later in the month, the FBI will fly Dr. Bander to FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. where Director Robert S. Mueller, III will personally present the special award at a national ceremony on March 25. Every year, each of the 56 FBI field offices nominates one recipient.

When: March 2 (tomorrow) at 9:00 a.m.

Where: The Learning Resources Center at Saint Louis University Medical Center, 3544 Caroline Mall (name of pedestrian walkway just east of Grand). Parking is available at the Smith parking lot, which is immediately east of the building. Take Grand to Park Avenue. Turn east on Park to

Theresa Avenue

. Drive north on Theresa to the surface lot.

Visuals: Presentation of certificate in front of recipient’s class;

Vvideo from past national awards ceremony

Speakers: M.B. Kinder, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI St. Louis Division;

Dr. Steven Bander, Award Recipient;

Dr. Jim Dubois, Director of The Bander Center for Medical Business Ethics

Nature's Army: When Soldiers Fought for Yosemite

Harvey Meyerson (Author)

Development of Western Resources

Blessings on Uncle Sam's soldiers! They have done their job well, and every pine tree is waving its arms for joy.--John Muir

Muir's words and this book both celebrate a crucial but largely forgotten episode in our nation's history--the rescue of our national parks by soldiers with an environmental ethic generations ahead of its time. In Nature's Army, Harvey Meyerson chronicles this unexpected but fascinating tale of environmental and military leadership and shows why its impact and relevance still resonate today.

Despite the worldwide renown and popularity of Yosemite National Park, few people know that its first stewards were drawn from the so-called Old Army. From 1890 until the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916, these soldiers proved to be extremely competent and farsighted wilderness managers. Meyerson recaptures the forgotten history of these early environmentalists and shows how their work countered the army's Indian-fighting image and set significant standards for the future oversight of our national parks.

The army, Meyerson suggests, had actually been well prepared to assume this stewardship. During its first hundred years--and despite the interruptions of warfare--its soldiers had crisscrossed the American landscape, preparing maps, and writing detailed reports describing climate, weather, physical terrain, ecosystems, and the diverse flora and fauna populating the lands they explored and often protected during an era of wide open exploitation of natural resources. Such experience made the army better suited than any other federal agency to oversee the early national parks system.

So great was the army's ultimate environmental influence that the National Park Service embraced the army model as its own, right down to the uniforms still worn today. In fact, many of the first civilian rangers were drawn directly from the army, while some of the Sierra Club's most outspoken early members were cavalrymen serving in Yosemite.

Combining environmental, military, political, and cultural history, Meyerson's study is especially timely in light of Yosemite's enormous popularity (four million visitors annually) and recent controversies pitting conservation forces against dam builders and proponents of expanded public access.

Central Florida Resident Awarded the FBI Director's Community Leadership Award

TAMPA, FL—Today, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Steven E. Ibison announced that Travis T. Gabriel was awarded the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for 2010. SAC Ibison recently presented the award to Mr. Gabriel during an FBI conference which was attended by approximately 400 FBI employees and law enforcement officers.

Since 1990, the DCLA has been a principle means for the FBI to publicly recognize the achievements of individuals and organizations for their contributions to crime and violence education and prevention within their communities.

Mr. Gabriel is a 2003 graduate from the University of Central Florida. Upon graduation, Mr. Gabriel made it his priority to educate and positively influence at-risk young males. Mr. Gabriel knew what these young people faced, as he too grew up in a high crime, poverty stricken, low education area in Miami, Florida that was riddled with drugs, gangs, and violence. At 16, he had to decide his fate after his mother's untimely death.

Mr. Gabriel first worked as a high school teacher and then as a juvenile probation officer, where he noticed that a positive role model was lacking in the lives of delinquent youth. Determined to make a difference, Mr. Gabriel started a program called Modeling Alternatives to Negative and Undesirable Perceptions, or M.A.N. U.P. This program began as a diversion program used by the State Attorney's Office in Circuit 9, Orange County, Florida. This program allows first-time offenders a chance to avoid formal prosecution, if diversion requirements are successfully completed.

At risk youth may be referred to M.A.N. U.P. not only through the State Attorney's office, but also through the Center for Drug Free Living, the Department of Juvenile Justice, or the Orange County Public Schools. To qualify, participants must be between the ages of 7-18 years old.

For more than 10 years, Mr. Gabriel has worked with delinquent youth and has provided this educational program to at-risk males, educating them on antisocial attitudes, antisocial peers, school and /or work, substance abuse, family issues, and free time. This six-week program is to introduce and train these young men in areas that include discipline, respect, motivation, and honesty, as well as allowing them to experience situations that enhance their knowledge and understanding of being a positive asset to society.

To date, Mr. Gabriel has educated more than 400 young men and has an estimated 80 percent success rate (low recidivism of youth re-entering the system). He receives no monetary compensation for this program, which is widely supported throughout the community.

Mr. Gabriel understands first-hand what young people experience. His motto is, "Today is the first day of the rest of our life, which means that no matter what happened yesterday, you always have a chance to restart your life today."

In addition to the award, Mr. Gabriel also received a paid trip to Washington D.C. for a formal ceremony to be personally recognized by FBI Director Robert Mueller III.