DVIDS – News – Training and education center announced outstanding Airmen of the year

The Air National Guard’s I.G. Brown Training and Education Center announced the organization’s outstanding senior NCO, NCO, and civilian for 2019.

“Gratitude is an important quality in leadership, and we are so grateful for these three Airmen of the Year as well as for those nominees and their supervisors who energized and motivated us in 2019,” said Col. Kenneth Lozano, TEC commander. “Team TEC has a positive attitude about 2020 for many reasons, so their success is our success.”

TEC recognizes its top performers each year from its fulltime staff of more than 80 Airmen assigned from the regular Air Force, the Air Force Reserve Command, the Air National Guard, and the federal civilian workforce.

Senior NCO of the Year: Master Sgt. Anthony Colon, professional military education instructor

Supervisors outlined that Sergeant Colon demonstrated leadership and performance in steering 17 instructors, seven classes, and 15,000 curriculum hours priming 1,540 NCOs for senior NCO duties. He mentored an Airman through 160 hours of initial training, 23 lessons, 20 evaluations, and eight in-service pieces of training, which increased TEC’s instructor pool by six percent.

Sergeant Colon tackled three academic course hours toward a Management Bachelor of Arts by maintaining a 3.8 GPA. He completed the Senior Enlisted Joint PME II course and mentored six sister services and international NCOs with lessons learned, which increased joint interoperability. He sustained his Air Force specialty certification though 53 Communications-continuing-education courses, resulting in CompTIA Network/Security+; ultimately, saving $3,000 in fees.

Sergeant Colon coordinated personnel logistics by arranging travel and securing bedding that enabled 600 working hours to Ohio tornado relief efforts. He is an avid community advocate and participated in 14 charity races to include 181 miles to raise funds for Wreaths Across America, St. Jude’s, and others.

NCO of the Year: Tech. Sgt. Sequoya Joseph Holmes, professional military education instructor

Supervisors acknowledged Sergeant Joseph Holmes for her leadership and performance skills while instructing six Airman leadership school flights. That effort resulted in three distinguished graduates, 576 Community College of the Air Force academic credit hours, and improved leadership skills for 93 wings across the total force. She was selected to teach Jordanian students, which employed cross-culture techniques for 112 students. She also mentored 32 students in remediation, bolstering knowledge and confidence that prepared Airmen for leadership roles as well as resulting in a 100 percent graduation rate.

Sergeant Joseph Holmes piloted ALS instructions that mentored 96 students through 196 briefings, as well as 864 writing assignments with 1,200 teaching hours (earning CCAF Instructor Certification, Level I). Additionally, she completed 12 academic hours toward her Nutrition Bachelor of Science, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

Sergeant Joseph Holmes volunteered 22 hours in her community through support to local churches and special needs organizations, uplifting 700 families. As TEC Morale Committee treasurer, she helped organize four events, to include tracking and managing $63,000. She coordinated the Black History Month, Women’s Day, and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response events that fostered diversity.

Civilian of the Year: Mr. Dustin Russell, instructional systems specialist

Supervisors submitted how Mr. Russell demonstrated leadership and performance in managing five Instructor Certification Program courses, which resulted in 82 new instructors. He administered and managed the ANG Help Desk for the Advanced Distributive Learning Services online, which facilitated 15 courses for 23,539 students.

Mr. Russell redesigned and updated the Assets Handling Material Management course that trained 4,100 students. He managed and facilitated six presentations for the General Officer Support Staff Course for 110 students, which included GO executives and assistants. He was also instrumental in the implementation of Surface Pro computers, which saved $2,500 in resources for TEC University.

Mr. Russell is sought by his peers for academic advisement, to include his leadership and mentoring. He also helped the park service as a result of three invertebrate samples discovered when he volunteered for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He also participated in five research-grade observations for the park service in water testing studies to safeguard water for drinking.

The awardees’ recognition includes an award plaque and other honors.

TEC is a detachment of the Air National Guard Readiness Center at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base. The center conducts an average of 16 total force Enlisted PME courses and 40 professional continuing education sessions annually.

(Supervisors’ award packages contributed to this article.)