MANSFIELD LAHM AIRPORT, Ohio -- Captain Mary Kauffman, Director of Personnel with the 179th Airlift Wing Force Support Squadron, has seen first-hand in her military career how important diversity is to the success of an organization.
“Diversity to me means that you have a workforce with a bunch of different people and with a bunch of different backgrounds,” Said Kauffman.
“Everyone has a different history of how they were raised, how they grew up, where they came from. Everyone has a unique story of where they came from, everyone has a unique story they can bring to the table to offer new ideas and insights.”
Kauffman uses her background of being in the Army before joining the Air National Guard to help impact the wing and keep moving forward.
“The Army functions differently, so I learned a lot about regimented structures, training plans and schedules, I believe I have been able to bring that to the Air Force so that has really helped.” Said Kauffman.
In her role as Director of Personnel, Kauffman takes pride in leading a group of individuals that bring different ideas and experiences to the table.
“We have had a number of individuals come from different jobs, different bases, and even different states,” said Kauffman. “Because of that, they all contribute something unique to the organization.”
If everyone has the same background or history, you’re not going to have diversity in thought. People will come and solve problems off of their past experiences. In doing so, they’ll always offer something unique and new to help the organization overall, said Kauffman.