SSC Senior Enlisted Leaders Discuss Leadership Roles at First-Ever Summit

Published Aug. 13, 2024
By Senior Master Sgt. Leslie Gordnier

Los Angeles Air Force Base -- More than 30 Senior Enlisted Leaders (SEL) from Space Systems Command (SSC) gathered for the inaugural SSC SEL Summit, held at Los Angeles Air Force Base (LA AFB) in El Segundo, CA, July 16-18, 2024.

This first-ever summit, hosted by SSC’s SEL Chief Master Sgt. Jacqueline Sauvé, brought together SELs from across the command’s geographically separated units (GSU) from Patrick Space Force Base (SFB), Peterson SFB, Vandenberg SFB, and Kirtland Air Force Base, in addition to those local to LA AFB.

Built as a forum for leaders to share best practices, discuss current and emerging issues, and develop strategies to improve the effectiveness of the SSC enterprise, the summit offered opportunities for SELs to strengthen the support they provide across the command.

“The extensive experience of our SELs plays a crucial role in developing and inspiring the next generation of Space Force and Air Force professionals -- building a stronger warfighting force,” Sauvé emphasized. “Our SELs form the backbone of SSC, challenging assumptions and effectively navigating bureaucracy. As our Chief explained during a recent briefing to Congress about ensuring operational readiness, SELs focus on helping to change the lives of our members. We support their bold initiatives, advocate for quality-of-life improvements, and generate connectedness within their respective organizations.

The summit began with a question-and-answer session with the command’s top leadership: Lt Gen. Philip Garrant, SSC Commander; Joy White, SSC Executive Director; and Col. Michelle Idle, SSC Deputy Commander.

Lt. Gen. Garrant and Ms. White highlighted that the Space Force is focused on current capabilities and optimizing what is available today. Their discussion also emphasized the goal of providing acquirers with operational experience and exposure, to drive unity of effort across the Service. Ms. White shared the ongoing need for a unique Space Force and SSC culture and charged each Senior Enlisted Leader “to keep the advice coming! And if you see a blind spot, let us know” to facilitate continuing improvements for the workforce.

The week included variety of guest speakers and informational sessions covering a wide range of topics including: Space Force 101, Space Systems Operations, Force Generation, and Financial Management. These sessions provided SELs with a better understanding of the SSC enterprise and the role that each unit plays in achieving mission success.

Dr. Jason ‘JW’ Womack, Development Branch Chief of the U.S. Space Force Enterprise Talent Management Office, provided a key session focused around Collective Sensemaking. Exercises during this event challenged attendees to consider all the roles they play throughout the day --Guardian, Airman, supervisor, parent, spouse -- and apply those lenses to better understand the need for diverse perspectives that can help improve how people overcome challenges.

SSC SEL Summit attendees also welcomed Chief Master Sgt (ret.) Ericka Kelly, 17^th Chief Master Sgt. of the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command. After sharing her personal story of how she joined the Air Force, Kelly encouraged leaders to share their stories with their personnel to build trust, demonstrate empathy, and to become more resilient leaders.

To further demonstrate the extensive mission and reach of the command, summit participants visited Space X headquarters as well as SSC’s Space C2 and Space Den offices. These tours highlighted how SSC is working to pursue domestic and international partnerships to maintain competitive advantage in space and deter conflict.

The summit concluded with opportunities to engage with SSC’s senior leaders -- the chance to ask questions, provide feedback, and discuss issues that impact our workforce.
“We’re so grateful for the talented SELs we have in our command,” said Sauvé. “Investing in their development is an essential element to our readiness given the tough problems we expect our leaders to solve for their teams.”

“This summit provided invaluable knowledge, practical applications and a transformative learning experience that will benefit us for years to come,” said Chief Master Sgt. Karissa Gunter, Senior Enlisted Airman of Space Launch Delta 45 at Patrick Space Force Base. “We all left eager to apply new skills in a creative way and connected to a network of peers that quickly became friends.”