Senior NCO symposium develops enlisted leaders Published Aug. 15, 2022 By Tech. Sgt. Juliet Louden 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio -- Youngstown Air Reserve Station hosted a senior non-commissioned officer enlisted symposium, Aug. 8-11, 2022. The symposium focused on professional and personal development, building relationships, learning new leadership skills and developing new relationships with other leaders across YARS. The symposium was organized by Chief Master Sgt. Jennifer McKendree, the 910th Airlift Wing command chief. McKendree expressed the importance of interaction between participants during the sessions of the symposium. “Due to many Airmen taking their professional military education online, they do not get enough takeaways from profession military education,” said McKendree. “There is no discussion with their peers or putting into practice what they are learning. This symposium is intentional about building and developing our leadership competencies and goes beyond doing the minimum.” One of the participants, Master Sgt. Tiffany Ihnot, a unit deployment manager assigned to the 76th Aerial Port Squadron, found the symposium to be a great opportunity to have meaningful discussions with other leaders and make new connections to help Airmen in her squadron. “The symposium helped me connect with different squadrons across the base,” said Ihnot. “I love learning and meeting new people. The new connections I made give me a point of reference in the future to help my Airmen, which I love to do more than anything.” Ihnot also felt the information she gained at the symposium will help her moving forward in her military career. “The wealth of knowledge that is given in every area is extremely beneficial,” said Ihnot. “It is always good to gain knowledge, because it helps you grow and learn as a leader and a person.” McKendree also emphasized the value of building relationships with other NCOs, especially ones not in the same career field “I want participants to get to know each other across the wing,” said McKendree. “To collaborate, to count on each other and know we are all in this together, that is the bottom line.”