Clark named the 2019 Air Force Civilian Supervisor of the Year

Published June 8, 2020
By Senior Airman Taylor Crul
71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs

VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. – Jeffry Clark, operations officer with the 71st Force Support Squadron at Vance Air Force Base, was recently named the Air Force Civilian Supervisor of the Year for 2019.

“It’s humbling,” said Clark. If it were not for the support from everyone working with him, none of this would have been possible, he said. “I just stepped-up to the plate and made sure the mission got done.”

The summer of 2019, the 71st FSS was going from a military commander to a civilian director. The new director, Shane Schmitt, was delayed in reporting to Vance, leaving the squadron without an in-place leader for more than two months.

Clark went to the 71st Mission Support Group commander and asked if he could fill the role as acting director. Clark said that he wanted to make sure the daily operations stayed on track so the squadron did not lose momentum.

The squadron never missed a beat. In 2019 alone, the 71st FSS spear headed several renovations, weathered a Unit Effectiveness Inspection, and much more.

He may have been the one receiving the award, but it was certainly a team effort, said Clark.