AFMC employee to attend MIT Published June 1, 2006 By Ron Scharven Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- An employee from Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Air, Space and Information Operations, Fielding and Testing Division here received a Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership scholarship to study business, innovation and leadership at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Leo Marple is the only Air Force selectee for the prestigious 2006 program. He’ll begin the one-year program at MIT in a temporary duty status June 5. An Ohio native, he holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and a master’s degree in composite materials from The Ohio State University. “I’ve worked both math and science for the Air Force and then moved to management and resources at Arnold AFB, Tenn., and now for the fielding and test division of Headquarters AFMC,” Mr. Marple said. “Newton’s Law is Newton’s Law is Newton’s Law, it doesn’t change,” he explained. “A lot of business is more of a philosophy. The manner in which you approach an issue can be very different and the result will be different. It all comes down to how a person approaches the idea, their background, and their training.” Mr. Marple began his effort to attend MIT in April 2005. His selection was made in October and the formal announcement was made in November. “It is a very intensive program. During the first summer I was told to expect to get up at 6 a.m. and work until midnight either in class, studying for class, doing research for class or working on a paper seven days a week,” Mr. Marple said with a smile on his face. Mr. Marple is not the first from Headquarters AFMC to attend the MIT program. One of the more recent graduates is Ms. Jackie Townsend, Headquarters AFMC, Engineering and Technical Management. “The first 12 weeks are like an academic boot camp,” she said. “The summer courses provide the prerequisites and business foundation you need in preparation for the fall semester when you will be engaging with other Sloan MBA students. I was up at 6 a.m.; in class from 8 to 4 p.m.; studying with my peers until 10 p.m.; doing independent study until about 1 a.m. and then doing it all over again in five hours,” Ms. Townsend said. Ms. Townsend, who holds a bachelor’s degree in human factors engineering and a master’s degree in systems engineering said the class is an integration of the top MIT business faculty and the collaborative experience with peers from around the world. “There were 52 students from 17 different countries in my class. You get perspective from around the world,” she explained. “They told me that it would be the best year of my life – the ride of my life – and they were right,” Ms. Townsend said. Mr. Marple expects his year at MIT to be a great learning experience. “Even though it’s a very intensive course, it’s once in a lifetime opportunity. You learn from the top academic business minds, get a worldwide perspective on business and meet life-long friends. It will be a challenge for me since I’ve been out of school for 13 years,” Mr. Marple wryly added.