Young AFCEANs Celebrate “Followership”

In September, the chapter's Young AFCEANs continued their agenda of building a new generation of information technology professionals with their second annual Mentor-Protégé Night. Some 41 protégés registered to attend the event, which gave them one-on-one mentoring from a senior military leader or information technology professional of their choosing. The evening kicked off with a cocktail reception and participants choosing a table marked with the name of a mentor, including a number of current and recently retired military commanders and local information technology industry leaders, such as Hugh Miller, the City of San Antonio's chief technology officer. “I have a depth of knowledge from a business perspective,” said Miller, who was attending his first chapter event. “So I'm very open to sharing where people should focus on advancing their careers. I have a staff of 340, and their career growth is very important to me,” he said, noting that many of those employees are seeking out career transition points and potential pathways to advancement. As a mentor, he helps to provide that perspective. Protégés such as Adel al-Shehri and Ibrahim al-Asquah (both Saudi natives and computer science majors from the University of the Incarnate Word, which is establishing a student AFCEA chapter) and Tech Sgt. Rhyanna Benally, USAF, and Tech Sgt. Eric Garretson, USAF, of the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency (AFISRA), came eager to engage in open dialogue with their mentors, who included Wiley Hill of Computer Science Corporation, David Kovach of Telos Corporation and Lt. Col. Chad Raduege, USAF, commander of the 690th Network Support Group. But first, they heard from keynote speaker Arthur “Wally” Wachdorf, senior adviser for intelligence and cyber operations for the 24th Air Force, who spoke on the principles of followership. “Just because you're a leader doesn't mean you're not a follower,” Wachdorf said. “All your characteristics as a leader will be learned as a follower.” Wachdorf encouraged the protégés to embrace four key character traits: integrity, selflessness, humility and sacrifice. “You wont see these addressed in Harvard Business School manuals or even much talked about in today's culture, but I will tell you the greatest leaders I have worked for all exhibited all four of these attributes,” he said, illustrating the point with anecdotes from his own career. “We should all desire leadership. It's fun,” Wachdorf said. “But you will learn the character qualities that make you an exceptional leader now.”

Event Photographs: