WRIGHT PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio — Seventy-five Air Force employees from across Air Force Materiel Command convened for the inaugural AFMC Equal Employment Opportunity Symposium held April 3-5 at the Wright Brothers Institute’s downtown location.

Attendees from Tinker, Robins, Hill, Eglin, Edwards, Hanscom, and Wright-Patterson Air Force bases took part in the three-day symposium hosted by the AFMC Manpower, Personnel and Services Directorate’s Personnel Programs Division.

One of the central themes of the symposium was an in-depth break down of both the proactive role of the Affirmative Employment Program, and the reactive role of Equal Opportunity, and how they fit together to create the AFMC Model EEO program.

Led by Keith Tickle and Molly Fore of AFMC’s Personnel Programs Division, along with several knowledgeable guest speakers, the workshops covered emerging diversity discussions and training to help educate and equip EEO representatives to mitigate unlawful employment discrimination.

“The training was a phenomenal success. We wanted to bring in multiple facets involved in the Equal Employment process, while providing a collaborative environment for participants – and we did just that,” said Fore.

Attendees learned how to successfully establish and maintain an effective affirmative employment program of equal opportunity for the entire AFMC workforce.

The proactive aspect of the symposium involved an in-depth analysis of the hiring process, retention programs, developmental opportunities, and recognition realms to ensure that fair and equitable opportunities are granted to civilians, said Fore.

The symposium’s reactive realm focused on timely response rates and fostering EEOC compliance, she added.

Fore said that overall it was an informative week of learning, training, networking, and insight into the complex world of EEO.