AF selects 6 for DOD leadership program

by Debbie Gildea
Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas – Six Air Force majors have been selected for the Department of Defense Executive Leadership Development Program, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

The one-year program – which begins in October – is designed for highly-motivated leaders whose performance has indicated strong aptitude for success in senior management roles, said Lt. Col. Cotina Jenkins-Sellers, AFPC force development and developmental education branch chief.

Primary selectees are Majors Chandler Atwood, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency; Damen Forte, Air Mobility Command; and Phillip Shea, Air Force District of Washington.

Alternates are Majors Roger Bass, Air Force Space Command, and Joel Douglas and Brian Palmer, Air Force Global Strike Command.

Participants will function in a simulated environment where they focus on real-life situations that involve short deadlines and require thoughtful decision-making, Jenkins-Sellers explained.

“Candidates must be receptive to a unique training methodology, able to assume responsibility for their own learning, and be able to conceptualize and analyze problems effectively,” she said.

The course requires intense self-discipline and self-study, she explained. Military members remain in the current assignments throughout the program, with the exception of 95 days that are spent in training, briefings and trips to learning environments