The Battle Within: Perspectives on Leadership and Challenging Gender and Cultural Stereotypes from the Military s Top Female APA Attorneys The views expressed by the panelists are the panelists own, and do not necessarily reflect the position of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, or U.S. Air Force. 1
Panel Member Captain Reynolds currently serves as Commanding Officer, Region Legal Service Office Hawaii. Captain Reynolds shore tours include Joint Interagency Task Force West (Staff Judge Advocate); Trial Service Office Pacific Detachment Yokosuka, Japan (Assistant Officerin-Charge); Commanding Officer of Naval Legal Service Office, Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia; and Special Assistant for Legal and Legislative Matters to the Secretary of the Navy. Captain Reynolds sea and operational tours include USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) (Discipline Officer); Carrier Strike Group Eleven (CSG 11) (Staff Judge Advocate); U.S. Third Fleet (Fleet Judge Advocate); and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. Fifth Fleet (Deputy Force/Fleet Judge Advocate). Captain Lia Reynolds Judge Advocate General s Corps U.S. Navy 2
Panel Member Lieutenant Colonel Blackwell currently serves as Chief of Judge Advocate Recruiting for the U.S. Army. She has held various legal positions in the JAG Corps, including serving as a legal assistance attorney, administrative law attorney, prosecutor, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, and as a professor at The Judge Advocate General s Legal Center and School. Lieutenant Colonel Blackwell has also served in several leadership positions within the Judge Advocate General s Corps, including Deputy Staff Judge Advocate for Fifth Corps in Wiesbaden, Germany; Chief, U.S. Army Claims Service - Europe; and Command Judge Advocate for Joint Base Langley-Eustis at Fort Eustis, Virginia. Lieutenant Colonel Blackwell deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 to assist in training and developing the Afghan Army s first judge advocates and setting up their legal school in Kabul. Lieutenant Colonel Tonya Blackwell Judge Advocate General s Corps U.S. Army 3
Panel Member Lieutenant Colonel Quitugua currently serves as the Staff Judge Advocate to the 82 nd Training Wing, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Lieutenant Colonel Quitugua was commissioned in June 1999 from the U.S. Air Force Academy. She was subsequently assigned as a contracts negotiator and manager for the Air Force Research Laboratories (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In August 2001, Lieutenant Colonel Quitugua was selected for the Funded Legal Education Program and began law school at the University of Texas. Since becoming a judge advocate, she has served as a chief of military justice, area defense counsel, senior defense counsel, chief of detainee operations, Air Staff counsel, and as Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Quitugua Judge Advocate General s Corps U.S Air Force 4
Panel Moderator Commander Wong currently serves as Deputy Division Director of Military Personnel at the Office of the Judge Advocate General. Commander Wong s previous assignments include Staff Judge Advocate for Amphibious Squadron Eleven; Staff Judge Advocate for Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia; Command Services Attorney at Region Legal Service Office, Mid-Atlantic; Operational Law Attorney for NATO s International Security Assistance Force, Regional Command (South) in Kandahar, Afghanistan; Staff Judge Advocate for Carrier Strike Group One, embarked in USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), which deployed to the Western Pacific and Northern Arabian Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom; Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Executive Officer at Region Legal Service Office Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia. Commander Sylvaine Wong Judge Advocate General s Corps U.S. Navy 5
Panel Topics Stereotypes female Asian Pacific American judge advocates face and how the panelists overcame those stereotypes; Personal and professional challenges often faced by female Asian Pacific American judge advocates and how the panelists overcame those challenges; How the panelists learned to lead and be perceived as leaders even before they were assigned to official positions of leadership; Leadership qualities the panelists developed during their careers that were the most valuable in leading large organizations; The most important leadership qualities the panelists wish they had developed in their younger years as female Asian Pacific Americans just starting out in the legal and military professions. 6
Asian Pacific Americans in the Military - Statistics 7 6 5 4 3 2 Total % APA Officers Total % APA Judge Advocates 1 0 U.S. Navy U.S. Army U.S. Air Force 7
Principles of Leadership Junior Leaders Be Proactive! Follow Confidence Action vs. Rank Find a mentor(s) Ask questions Volunteer Starting thinking about leadership NOW Great leaders also know how to follow Work to build it early Continue to build it Leadership is not about position it is about action Take initiative 8
Principles of Leadership Senior Leaders Make Decisions Leaders make the tough decisions Timely decisionmaking Look Up and Down Know what leadership needs Know what those below you need Mentor Take time to mentor the next generation A leader s most important task! 9
Barriers to Service and Leadership Family expectations The military stereotype The battle between traditional APA values and the Western expectation that leaders stand out Belief that leadership and making a difference require action on a grand scale 10
Diversity makes teams stronger! Seek to use your own personal and professional background, training, and experiences to bring value to your team! 11
Suggested Resources The Athena Doctrine: How Women (and the Men Who Think Like Them) Will Rule the Future. Gerzema, John and Michael D Antonio. Jossey-Bass (2013). The Bathsheba Syndrome: The Ethical Failure of Successful Leaders. Ludwig, Dean and Clinton Longenecker. Journal of Business Ethics 12: 265-273 (1993). The Caine Mutiny. Wouk, Herman. Back Bay Books, Reprint Edition (1992). The Five Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential. Maxwell, John. Center Street, Reprint Edition (2013). Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. Sandberg, Sheryl. Knopf (2013). My Beloved World. Sotomayor, Sonia. Knopf (2012). The inclusion of listed resources does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, or U.S. Air Force. 12