HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --“Go forth and do! The time is now,” was 75th Air Base Wing Commander Col. Jenise Carroll’s message to members of Hill Air Force Base’s Women’s Initiative Team, which held its first meeting Nov. 30.
Members of the newly formed WIT were inspired by words from Carroll, Chief Master Sgt. Raymond Riley, 75th ABW Command Chief, and Maj. Alea Nadeem, a team chief for the Air Force Women’s Initiative.
During the first session, Riley encouraged male participation in the WIT and reiterated how he and other male leaders were advocates for the initiative formed to alleviate barriers that affect women in the Air Force.
Hill has the second installation-level WIT working group in the Air Force. The first base-level WIT stood up at the U.S. Air Force Academy earlier this year.
Carroll thanked members for answering the call to “accelerate change” for current and future Airmen and Guardians. Nadeem challenged members to “take bold steps.”
Speaking on the efforts she and a group of women took to exact change for female hair policies in the Air Force, Nadeem explained the WIT was about “addressing and fixing issues at the highest level.”
WIT members were also provided training on barrier analysis during the meeting, which investigates to determine the root cause of irregularities found in workplace policies, procedures, and practices, which limit equal employment opportunities for members of any race, national origin, sex, or disability status.
The training also provided attendees an overview of the barrier analysis process and explained the importance of properly conducting a barrier analysis.
Members gained knowledge on how to identify triggers, investigate potential barriers, devise actions plans and assess results to eliminate barriers for underrepresented affinity groups.
The team currently consists of a total 93 civilian and military men and women from all grades and ranks. If you are interested in becoming a member, contact 1st Lt. Robert Snarr at robert.snarr@us.af.mil.