AFMC Command News

Three AFMC Airmen selected for aerospace master's

  • Published
  • By Capt. Paul D. Baldwin
  • Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs
Three Airmen from Air Force Materiel Command were selected Nov. 29 for the University of Tennessee's Aerospace Master of Business Administration program, a degree program newly sponsored by the Secretary of the Air Force Acquisition community.

Those selected for the program were Maj. Wade Jense from the Ogden Air

Logistics Center, Roshelle Orgusaar from the Air Armament Center, and Mary Lou Robinson from the Air Force Research Laboratory. Additionally, Scott D. Warren from the 542nd Materiel Sustainment Group was selected as an alternate.

"The individuals were all exceptionally well qualified which made the final decision very difficult," said Blaise Durante in the selection announcement, program sponsor and deputy assistant secretary for Acquisition Integration.

This is the second year the university has offered the program, and the first year for Secretary of the Air Force Acquisitions to participate. The program, set to begin Jan. 6, prepares individuals for high-level management in the aerospace industry.

The program is unique because it allows students to obtain an MBA in one year with minimal time away from work, and with a large payback to employers, said Mr. Durante. Students must complete a project designed to have a minimum of $1 million impact for the employer, he said.

"I am extremely excited at being selected for this program," said Ms. Orgusaar who works at the Engineering and Acquisition Excellence Directorate at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. "The benefits to the Air Force are numerous. I'll be an employee better versed in the aerospace industry as a business," she said.

This program will offer knowledge about how the Air Force Research Laboratory can work better with the contractor, said Ms. Robinson who works in the Directed Energy Directorate at Kirtland AFB, N.M. She hopes to bring that knowledge back to AFMC and the laboratory, she said.

"I had no idea how many people would be selected, so it was a nice surprise when I found out," said Major Jense of the 84th Flight Systems Sustainment Squadron at Hill AFB, Utah. "I was really excited when the notice came down because I was looking into a traditional MBA program when I saw this one, and the blend of aerospace business with a traditional MBA was ideal for me and for the Air Force," he said.

"Our program is designed to create leaders who will add value to their organization from the first day of classes through graduation and beyond," explained the program's director Elaine Seat in a previous interview. "The result is an employee who is fit for life and fit for leadership," she said.

The Air Force hopes to sponsor the program again and, if so, will present application and eligibility criteria in the fall of 2006.