New Mexico Minuteman - Spring 2012 - Keep Trees

Outstanding Airmen of the Year winners!
The 150th Fighter Wing commander, Col. Joe A. Martinez, is pleased to announce the results of our 2012 Outstanding Airmen of the
Year for the New Mexico Air National Guard.
Many top-notch Airmen were nominated for this most prestigious award to represent our state for 2012 in each of the respective
categories. Although only one was selected per category, it a signifi cant accomplishment and honor to receive a nomination.
Your 2012 Outstanding Airmen of the Year are as follows:
Airman of the Year:
Senior Airman Scott Pope,
150 th Security Forces
NCO of the Year:
Sgt. Evan Jones,
150 th Security Forces
Lieutenant Colonel Advisory Council
focuses on strategic planning for NMNG
By Lt. Col. Ken Nava
Deputy Commanding Offi cer, 111th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
The New Mexico National Guard Lieutenant
Colonel Advisory Council was chartered
by Maj. Gen. Kenny C. Montoya, the
Adjutant General in late 2009. Montoya
designated Col. Isidoro Hernandez as the
fi rst facilitator of this motley group of offi -
cers. The Advisory Council spent their initial
months developing and documenting
their mission, vision, charter statement and
business processes. Once that initial work
was done, they began working on projects
deemed high priority for the state of New
Mexico.
The Advisory Council is the “strategic
planning” arm of the NMNG. Their focus is
to proactively plan, coordinate and implement
ideas and policies that will improve
the NMNG.
In order to carry out this responsibility,
they serve as a strategic thinking council
continually looking out for the future of
NMNG. While they may think strategically,
they also realize that they may need to
infl uence tactical actions that strengthen
our foundation for strategic events. The
council holds themselves accountable to
our warriors’ future of the NMNG.
12 NEW MEXICO Minuteman / Spring 2012
First Sergeant of the Year:
Master Sergeant/1 st Sgt. Michael Cupp,
150 th Medical Group
Senior NCO of the Year:
Senior Master Sgt. Miguel Perez Jr.,
150 th Fighter Wing/
Maintenance Squadron
Several of the lieutenant colonels have
been trained as green belts or black belts in
a process called continuous improvement
process. This Department of Defense-mandated
process has been implemented several
times in New Mexico with very good
results. For example, the CIP process was
used in reducing unliquidated funds in the
G3, improving retention rates in the G1,
improving offi cer performance report submissions
in the Air Guard, improving sortie
generation in the Air Guard, and most
recently, improving the government travel
card delinquency rate in the Army Guard.
The Advisory Council has, at present,
three subcommittees: the strategic plans
subcommittee, chaired by Lt. Col. Ted
Chavez; the leadership development subcommittee,
chaired by Lt. Col. Augustine
Nakamoto; and the accountability subcommittee,
chaired by Lt. Col. Nick Aranda.
The advisory council is how the state is
trying to implement the guidance of senior
leadership through practical and effi cient
means. They are working toward our state
vision recently adopted at the off-site conference
last spring: “15 by 15.” The aim
Congratulations to ALL of
the nominees for their outstanding
performance and
continued dedication to the
mission. These Airmen are the
embodiment of the Air Force
Core Values.
The 2012 award recipients
are to be commended
for receiving this esteemed
honor in representing the New
Mexico Air National Guard as
they go on to compete in the
national program.
of this vision is to establish objective and
quantitative measures of our success in
critical areas. The goal is to be in the top
15 in the nation by 2015 in all areas evaluated
by National Guard Bureau.
The Advisory Council is a valuable tool
for the leadership of the NMNG. Recently
the deputy adjutant general, Brig. Gen.
Paul Pena, tasked the group to work with
the USPFO internal audit team to look at
the Facility Management Offi ce.
All lieutenant colonels in both Army and
Air Guard are welcome to attend and get
involved. The diversity in the group ensures
that we capitalize on all talent pools available
to the state. Colonels Severo Martinez,
Donnie Quintana, Carla Romero, Danny
Jaramillo and Isidoro Hernandez all served
on the council and have been promoted
and moved off the council.
The council has solidifi ed the corps of
lieutenant colonels by working hand in
hand on teams looking at both Army and
Air Guard improvement. The New Mexico
National Guard is continuously improving
and is well on the way to becoming “15
by 15.”