JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- A member of the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center’s Detachment 6 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, was honored for outstanding commitment to mentorship by the Society of American Military Engineers during a virtual ceremony on Sept. 16.
Randy Parker whose organization executes installation and mission support functions for Air Force Materiel Command, received the Gerald C. Brown Mentoring Award for lifetime achievement during SAME’s Academy of Fellows Class of 2020 Investiture.
“He stands apart for his passion in mentoring and encouraging our professionals, both young and old, to grow and advance themselves within our society,” said retired Navy rear admiral Mark Handley, who served as host for the event. “He has distinguished himself among his peers for creating a culture of continuous learning, promoting personal and professional growth and opportunity. He has provided leadership, guidance and active coaching that has shaped the careers of senior leaders in the Air Force and those who have transitioned into the private sector.”
Parker said he was humbled and honored to receive this national recognition.
“I can think of no better challenge to our engineer leaders than to mentor our next generation,” said Parker, who retired from the Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel in June 2006. “I have learned so much from our senior leaders over the course of my career. They took the time to mentor me, and now it’s my turn to do the same. Mentoring is both personally and professionally rewarding and our Air Force and nation will be better served by it.”
SAME, a professional military engineering association, cultivates collaboration amongst architecture, engineering, construction, facility management and environmental entities in the government and industry sectors to achieve solutions to national security infrastructure challenges.