article by: Adis M. Vila
“The mission of the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), the youngest of the four service academies, is to educate, train, and inspire men and women to become officers of character motivated to lead the United States Air Force in service to our nation.
Nearly four thousand officers, enlisted personnel,and civilian employees work with more than four thousand cadets, a population almost 80 percent male. Together, we are Team USAFA.
In November 2010, I began working in a newly formed position as the chief diversity officer (CDO) for the USAFA in Colorado Springs. I was asked to serve as the principal advisor to USAFA leadership to ensure that diversity programs and projects are developed in accordance with federal, Department of Defense, Air Force, and USAFA guidance and policy.
Additionally, I serve as the strategic leader, diversity advocate, and principal advisor to academy
leaders on diversity programs and issues and the primary voice on matters of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
In this article, I share my experiences to date and articulate the steps we are taking to build an inclusive organizational culture at USAFA. As a practitioner with thirty years of experience managing organizations, studying and implementing change, I have relied on the research and theory of some of the best scholars in the field, particularly Frederick A. Miller, John P. Kotter, and Jerry Porras. For our diversity and inclusion (D&I) work, publications by Roosevelt Thomas Jr. and David Thomas and Robin Ely provide frameworks and road maps that have proven useful.”
The themes for the documentaries for this year’s UW-La Crosse festival are “Human Dignity” and “Education is a Human Right”. Ranging in length from five to 73 minutes, these documentaries are set in dozens of different locations around the world. They address issues we cannot afford to ignore in our ever more tightly interwoven world. These films raise questions to which we all at times must provide an answer: What is human dignity? What if it is taken away? What kind of education can be empowering to all? How are others affected by our choices? And what is happiness around the world?
Full details about the event here
Date: February 8th
Time: 9-11:30am
Place: Hogan gymnasium
Topic: The first 90 minutes will be a presentation about micro-aggression. How do we recognize it? How do we stop it?
The focus will shift to a panel conversation with several multicultural leaders in the La Crosse community. A period of Q&A will be shared.
Our December event was a great success! We would like to thank our audience for their spirited participation, willingness to share, take risks and make the experience worthwhile!
We would also like to thank our presenter, Lor Lee, for his guidance through a wonderful process of leaving diversity tolerance behind, and the discovery of an appreciation for cultural diversity.
Based on your feedback and suggestions, the Diversity Council will endeavor to organize more trainings on issues related to cultural competence.