Tag: Christen McCluney

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Diversity in the Department of Defense


February 27, 2010
By Christen N. McCluney

The Pentagon Channel recently interviewed Clarence Johnson, Principal Director, Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity, about celebrating African American History Month and Diversity in the Department of Defense.

Johnson highlighted that throughout the month there have been many events to commemorate and educate the DOD on the culture and legacy of African-Americans, including lunches, fashion shows and career fairs.

“The reason we celebrate African-American history month is to show that blacks have played a part in establishing a successful America,” Johnson said African-Americans have played a role in the Department of Defense, in both the military and civilian side since its existence as far back as the revolutionary war.

When Carter G. Woodson came up with the idea of Negro history week he wanted to highlight groups like the Tuskegee Airmen, Buffalo Soldiers and Montford Point Marines, he added. These groups served in two fronts, in a war environment and at home in a segregated environment.
“Over the course of time the DOD has given many blacks the opportunity to serve, train and be educated,” Johnson said. “The G.I. bill had a lot to do with the growth of the middle class and many blacks profited from it.”

Johnson also said that DOD leadership stresses that “diversity is the source of our strength” and being able to celebrate diversity whether it be African-American History Month, Native American History Month or Women’s History Month is testimony to the departments commitment to the statement.
“The military has come a long way in assimilating races, women and persons with disabilities into our workforce,” he said. The number of African-Americans in the military has increased over the last 10 years to about 18% and Hispanic officership has also increased as well.

Johnson also said that there are three major enduring diversity challenges that the military faces: incorporation of people with targeted disabilities in the workforce, the representation of Hispanics through the civilian workforce in the DOD and representation of all minorities in the senior grade the department.

The military tends to reflect the population Johnson added. It’s important to continue to celebrate diversity and continue to show its importance.

“Research shows that diverse groups perform better,” he said. “The military is full of diverse groups, diverse thoughts and diverse talents. I think our military and our nation are stronger for it.”

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DIA Deputy Discusses Role of Women in Intelligence

By Christen N. McCluney
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2010 – The deputy director of the Defense Intelligence Agency celebrated Women’s History Month by discussing the contributions women are making to the intelligence field.
“I am certainly aware of all the women who have come before me, all of the women who have accomplished truly remarkable things and have blazed the path,” Letitia A. “Tish” Long said during a Pentagon Channel interview March 26.

Chosen by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to be the next director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Long will become the first woman to lead a major U.S. intelligence agency when she takes office this summer. She emphasized that the intelligence and defense communities have gained a tremendous amount by incorporating not just women, but also more minorities, in the field.

Long started her career building intelligence collection systems for submarines and has more than 30 years of engineering and intelligence experience.

“Intelligence is crucial to good decision making. It’s been a good motivator for me,” she said, referring to a quote from George Washington that lines the DIA hallway. “There’s no issue too small or a problem too large that can’t be tackled. We may have to come at it from multiple directions and revisit it several times, but we need to solve those issues and bring opportunities to the table.

“When you have a more diverse population working on any type of intelligence problem,” she continued, “you are going to get a broader range of solutions. It’s not just cultural or ethnic diversity that produces success, but the cognitive diversity also.”

Long credits her success to hard work and having good mentors throughout her career, and she encourages other women blazing trails to do the same.

“It’s a part of giving back and a part of learning,” she said. “I know I’m succeeding if I can look around a room and see three people that can take my job, because it is about mentoring, training and bringing folks along.”

She also encourages more women to get involved in intelligence.

“If you are capable, challenge the norm,” Long said. “We need all members of our society contributing, and women bring different perspective, lots of great ideas and a lot of capabilities.”

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The National Association of Government Communicator’s Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Awards Competition is an international awards program that recognizes superior government communication products and those who produce them.

Category 20, News Release

TRICARE Beneficiaries Stay Alert…New Electronic Delivery Service

TRICARE Communications & Customer Service

* Bonnie Powell, Dian Lawhon, Christen McCluney (writer)

To see the winners listing, click here.

To see the news release, click here.

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Christen McCluney – Public Relations ’04

To complete her Newhouse Master’s degree in Public Relations, Christen McCluney spent the summer of 2004 at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

But she wasn’t just plugging away on a computer. Instead, McCluney helped plan and implement the Smithsonian FolkLife Festival, held on the National Mall every July and typically attracting more than one million visitors each year. The two-week long event features musicians, dancers, chefs and craftsmen from all around the world, creating an appealing cornucopia of folk-inspired experiences for the nation’s diverse public.

“I was in charge of putting out the press releases and making pitches,” said McCluney, 25. “That opened up a lot of opportunities for me.”

Indeed, once her capstone experience was completed, McCluney was offered a job with the American Red Cross of Central Maryland, where she worked in communications for a year and a half.

To read the entire article, click here.