United States Air Force - June 2019 thru May 2021
Strategic Communications:
Supporting Organizational Change Management at the 501st Combat Support Wing
U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Antony Vorobyov, 501st Combat Support Wing project officer, presents his project idea to the judges during Pathfinder Shark Tank at the Pathfinder Innovation Conference 2021 at Royal Air Force Croughton, England, May 6, 2021. The 501st Combat Support Wing hosted its first innovation conference to highlight Airmen’s new ideas and promote a culture of innovation within the wing. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jennifer Zima).
To support the 501st Combat Support Wing’s organizational change management initiatives, I led a team to help develop and administer strategic communications campaigns aimed at employees.
These campaigns had a unifying theme of reducing the fear of change by promoting their positive quality and utility.
A Better Employee Recognition Software
Tracer was an innovative, transparent feedback application that enabled supervisors and military members to significantly improve writing, editing, and scoring awards and appraisals.
adopted by 5 USAF organizations
detected bias in award package scoring
provided valuable quantitative feedback on bullets
The feedback tool “Tracer” was developed as a user-friendly interface application to assist USAF personnel write more expertly crafted bullet statements.
Performance appraisals as well as awards and decorations are part of everyone’s permanent personnel records. These records, written using bullet statements, are used by commanders, managers, and supervisors to document an individual’s performance over a specific period of time.
My team pitched Tracer at the 2021 Pathfinder Innovation Conference within the framework of Better is Good. Although it did not win endorsement from the 501st Combat Support Wing, the 48th Fighter Wing Continual Process Improvement team adopted the project for further development.
A Better Educational Experience
In coordination with the United Nations Holocaust remembrance and education theme of Facing the Aftermath: Recovery and Reconstitution after the Holocaust, my team organized the 2021 Holocaust Days of Remembrance for the 501st Combat Support Wing.
Facing the Aftermath fought back against rising anti-semitism and white supremacy.
introduced engaging Holocaust Remembrance education
130 virtual attendees
built new partnerships with Holocaust Education Trust
and University of Cambridge
“You Will Not Replace Us” is a white supremacist slogan that became popular in early 2017, as did its acronym version, YWNRU. The slogan appeared on White supremacist flyers, banners and graffiti in a variety of places in the first six months of 2017, gaining wider attention when white supremacists used the phrase at several rallies held in Charlottesville, Virginia, culminating in the large and violent Unite the Right event in August 2017.
Facing the Aftermath focused on the measures taken in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust to begin the process of recovery and reconstitution of individuals, community, and systems of justice.
Integral to the process of reconstitution was the accurate recording of the historical account of what happened before and during the Holocaust.
Challenging the denial and distortion of the historical events was interwoven in the processes of recovery and reconstitution.
Holocaust Survivor, Mr. John Dobai provided a comprehensive account of the Nazi invasion of Hungary.
Research Fellow, Ms. Chloe Pinto was invited to discuss the evolution of Anti-Semitism in art and politics.
A Better Dining Experience
The RAF Molesworth restaurant, formerly known as The New York Pizza & Deli (NYPD), was failing due to a string of management, marketing, and product difficulties. Moreover, NYPD was directly competing with rotating, specialized food truck vendors sitting directly outside their doors.
full rebrand
conducted market research to identify customer segmentation, preferences, and value proposition
These menu designs were part of the original NYPD branding.
Creative developed for RAF Molesworth’s Clubhouse Café.
Applying some Better is Good problem solving magic, my team conducted a complete rebranding of NYPD. Through a 3-month study utilizing a quantitative survey approach, we focused on generating new strategies to rebuild their relationship with customers and effectively compete with the food trucks.
Our survey determined that an average
RAF Molesworth customer:
eats out 3 work days a week
is currently 4x more likely to eat at the food trucks
prioritizes food quality, menu variety, convenience, and value
pays an average of $12.50 for food truck takeaway to eat at their desk
would pay $10 for a quality meal at a base eatery
desires healthier lunch options and a social space
Our strategic brand redesign centered on developing a comfortable space of respite from work, where customers could enjoy an assortment of healthy café options with their coworkers and friends.