New CGOC Executive Council promotes participation, collaboration

  • Published
  • By Meredith March
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Hanscom's new Company Grade Officers Council Executive Council has a message for the company grade officers on base: "We're back."

The CGOC, which is composed of Hanscom's lieutenants and captains, promotes career development, mentorship and camaraderie, as well as on- and off-base volunteerism.

The new executive council is hoping to encourage a resurgence in the CGOC's presence on Hanscom and in the surrounding communities, said 1st Lt. Will Russell, CGOC president.

"We want to get everyone involved and build a solid foundation of unity and collaboration," he said.

"We know there is a huge community of CGOs out there, and we want to encourage participation [in the council]," said 2nd Lt. Kathryn Jannazo, CGOC vice president.

In addition to monthly meetings, which will be held at the Minuteman Club at 3:30 p.m. on the first Friday of each month, the executive council plans to incorporate career-advancement and social events into the Hanscom CGOC experience, Lieutenant Russell said.

"We're going to try to set up some mentorship lunches and professional-development events. We're also going to have some social gatherings, which will include all CGOs, whether they're single or married with families. Hopefully these activities will help us all branch out, better ourselves and build those connections for down the road in our careers," he said.

Reestablishing connections with other organizations on base, including the First Sergeants Association, Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, Air Force Association, Top Three Association, Hanscom Spouses Club and the Junior Workforce Council are also on the new executive council's priority list, Lieutenant Russell said.

Another CGOC emphasis will be optimizing abundant and varied volunteer opportunities on and off base, Lieutenant Russell said.

"We run the Study Buddy program for Hanscom youth. We've worked with local schools and Habitat for Humanity. We're also going to try to get involved with a local Big Brothers Big Sisters program."

The executive council hopes to revitalize participation in the CGOC Web site, called Community of Practice, where CGOs can find information about these opportunities, Lieutenant Jannazo said.

"People [from surrounding communities] will come to Hanscom saying they need volunteers for a particular event," she said. "These requests get forwarded to [the executive council] and we distribute them to the CGOs," she said. "We want to make sure that every CGO knows about the events in the community."

The Web site, accessible through the Air Force Portal, is also the place for CGOs to find and post information regarding base and the council events, the Permanent Change of Assignment Program and roommates and housing.

"It's really easy; it's just like a distribution list," Lieutenant Jannazo said. "Anyone who is a member of the COP can send out an email or update and the site will tell you if anything new has been uploaded."

The key to both the COP's and the CGOC's success, Lieutenant Russell said, is participation. "We want every CGO to have an opportunity to come out full force, whatever the event is. This is an opportunity for every CGO to better themselves, develop professionally and branch out from their cubicles and get to know people from across the wings.

"There are a lot of things we can do to make this base and the local community a better place," he said. "To me, the CGOC means, 'community goal-oriented council,' and that's what we're setting out to create."

For more information on the CGOC, contact Lieutenant Russell at (781) 377-0318 or Lieutenant Jannazo at (781) 377-2078. For more information on the CGOC's Web site, contact 2nd Lt. Chris Wenz at (781) 377-2891 or e-mail Christopher.Wenz@hanscom.af.mil.