PA member is Officer of the Year Published Feb. 7, 2009 By Staff Sgt. Chris Bolen 434th ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind., -- It didn't take long for Capt. Kelly Howard to make an impression at Grissom. The public affairs officer was selected as the 434th Air Refueling Wing's Officer of the Year in 2008 - her first full year at the base. "Even though I've been a reservist now for 11 years, this was my first year as a traditional reservist in a unit," she said. "I really missed the camaraderie of a unit when I was an individual mobilization augmentee. I felt like I was back in my active duty days here because it was a fast-paced year with so many great opportunities." "Capt. Howard has been a tremendous addition to the Public Affairs office," said Lt. Col. Gary Lockard, of the Grissom PA office. "She has a wealth of experience at the base level, Secretary of the Air Force level and deployed locations." Captain Howard is a traditional reservist with almost 20 years of military service. Her previous assignments include serving as base newspaper editor for the 92nd Bomb Wing at Fairchild AFB, Wash., Travis AFB, Calif., and Eglin AFB, Fla. After completing officer commissioning in 2000 she was assigned to the Secretary of the Air Force National Civic Outreach office in Chicago, Ill. In 2006 she volunteered for deployment to Southwest Asia, where she served as the chief of public affairs with the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. "My deployment was a fantastic experience," she exclaimed. "I had 8 years on active duty and seven in the reserves by then but I never really had the chance to do my job in a wartime setting. I think it made my job feel more 'real' or valuable because I could see the bigger impact I was having on the Air Force versus a single office or base. "Deploying made me more comfortable in my role as a leader," she added. " It was an opportunity to focus on issues that really mattered like meeting the mission requirements, but also on prioritizing so my staff stayed mentally healthy as it was their first deployment as well." The Officer of the Year Award is given to service members who demonstrate exceptional expertise, professionalism, and advanced leadership skills. She has put those skills and experience to good use since arriving at Grissom in 2007 according to Colonel Lockard. "When she joined the unit she quickly picked up responsibility for a number of key areas including assuming of the leadership of the PA Expeditionary Operational Readiness Inspection planning team," he continued. The EORI is a key test and measurement of the wing's abilities. Captain Howard has also been heavily involved in the local Grissom Community Council. She led a group of civic leaders on a special three-day trip to key military installations in Florida to enhance their knowledge and understanding of Defense Department operations. "Grissom is busier than the surrounding community might realize, but each time we interact with them like we did on this trip, we have a chance to educate them," she said. "I have the best of both worlds - I get to continue to serve at a pace I can sustain and have a civilian life."
