Civilian Mentoring celebrates a decade of service Published July 14, 2015 By 1st Lt. Ava Margerison 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The 82nd Training Wing's mission to "train and inspire warriors" does not just apply to those in uniform, but also to another key mission component -- civilians. The Civilian Mentoring program at Sheppard is ringing in 10 years July 14, 2015, inviting the base to recognize the members who have dedicated their time to developing the unique initiative. "We wouldn't be here 10 years later if it hadn't been for the leaders we've had in civilian mentoring," said Risa Hillard, program advisor. This mile marker is quite a feat, especially since Civilian Mentoring was not the first attempt at this type of development training. The program found its roots in the 82nd Training Group as part of an individual mentor-focused organization in 2005. Since then it has grown, gaining attention from the base and expanding to a wing-wide program focusing on large-scale civilian development and education. "I think what is different about this one is it is a bottom up organization," said Hillard. "It may have started with me, but I cannot take credit for the program's longevity. It's the people. It's the junior civilians who are running this program. They are the ones who are responsible for its success and that's what we are celebrating." The goal of Civilian Mentoring is to expose civilians to different organizations and missions performed around the base as well as give them insight in to the civilian network and expertise across organizations. "We want to be able to fill a nitch for people who might be looking for something more," said Paul Fanning, vice president and chair for the 10th anniversary. "The program connects civilians with leadership and development opportunities and with each other," Hillard added. "So many of our civilians are only exposed to their own work group and so they don't have the opportunity to see outside of that group." The leadership for the program plans to continue to let Civilian Mentoring evolve and adapt to the ever-changing needs and interests of the civilian workforce to maintain the program's relevance. "Every training session we do, every civilian mentoring connection we do, we send out for feedback and then we are adapting to feedback we gather," said Fanning. "We continue, as board members, to try to provide training we would want ourselves. Meaning, we want to provide something people want, that is relevant to their time and that they can benefit from." While the 10-year point is a benchmark, it is hopefully just the beginning of the program's existence. "We are already looking ahead to the next 10 years," said Hillard. "We are already talking about, 'Ok, we've lasted 10 years, now where are we going to take the program for the next 10 years? Where can we go from here? What can we do better? What new heights can we reach?'" -------------------------------------- Interested in participating in Civilian Mentoring? For more information about participating in events contact Gregg Spillman, Civilian Mentoring President (676-2523) or Paul Fanning, CM vice president (676-2451).