The Air Force District of Washington encompasses more than 30,000 Airmen in 1,758 units stationed at 500 locations in 108 countries. AFDW Airmen execute varied missions around the world alongside service members and civilians from different Air Force major commands, joint units and international organizations. AFDW will highlight Airmen in these unique missions in an “AFDW Around the World” series.
Meet Tech. Sgt. Andrew Wright:
The Airman: Sergeant Wright is the administration support section chief, Chief Information Office Headquarters at the Defense Intelligence Agency on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C. His hometown is Rentz, Georgia.
The job: As the section chief for the CIO/HQ, Sergeant Wright leads a 12-person, joint service member team that provides administrative support to Defense Intelligence Agency joints military personnel and civilian leadership. He oversees processes and activities to support organizational communications and leaders, including evaluation reports, awards and decorations, unit fitness, suspense tracking, content management, sponsorship program, personnel rosters, and functional management of administrative support personnel within CIO worldwide.
The highlights: As it is Sergeant Wright’s first time working in a joint environment and working in a construct outside of the traditional Air Force, he says the unique thing he loves about his job at DIA is getting the opportunity to support individuals outside of his branch of service.
The challenges: The biggest challenge Sergeant Wright says he has faced in his career is with culture change – specifically the challenge of navigating complex bureaucratic procedures and regulations in a large organization. To overcome this challenge, he says it was necessary to find the balance between asking hard and frank questions to ensure proper understanding of procedures while also being mindful of building positive professional relationships in the work environment. He says he challenges himself daily to become more knowledgeable on the organization and build synergy within his directorate to better support the DIA organization.
The lessons: This job and the Air Force has taught him that networking and communication are the key to success, he says, adding that he truly believes transparency and communication can either hinder or propel an organization. Face-to-face interaction and communication, he says, are the key to tackling issues and establishing a strong foundation for effective.
The hobbies: In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, photography and videography.