Vance readers tackle leadership

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Jennifer Colby
  • 71st Operations Support Squadron
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The Vance Professional Development Reading Group kicked off its inaugural meeting March 13, marking a new club for base people to get involved with to develop their leadership skills.

The reading group focuses on books related to leadership and through discussion individuals share first-hand experiences that relate to issues covered in the readings.

The topics include personal leadership development or books from the Chief of Staff of the Air Force's Reading List.

According to Col. Jennifer Graham, 71st Mission Support Group commander and the initiator of the reading group, the purpose of the club is to offer everyone an opportunity to develop their leadership, and she has high hopes for more readers to become group members.

"I expect the small group will find just setting aside one lunch hour every two months goes a long way in personal development," she said. "I hope the group will influence others to see the importance of professional development and join in."

For 2nd Lt. Agneta Murnan, 71st Flying Training Wing public affairs officer and group participant, the reading group offers an opportunity to learn.

"I'm very excited about the group," she said. "It gives me an incentive to get through some of the reading materials on my to-do list and learn from others' interpretations and perspectives on the material."

The meetings are scheduled for the first Thursday of each month, and books to be read for the next session are chosen at each meeting. Titles are brought to each meeting by readers and voted on by the group.

The next book will be "The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror," a study of the history of Islam and how regions of the Middle East have come to reject modernity and America.

The next meeting is April 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Library conference room. For more information, contact 2nd Lt. Jennifer Colby at jennifer.colby@vance.af.mil or at 213-7132.