U.S. Army Garrison Okinawa teammate graduates from prestigious leadership program

Torii Station's very own Jon Vance, acting chief of U.S. Army Garrison Okinawa’s Military Personal Division, graduated July 24 from the U.S. Army Pacific’s Emerging Enterprise Leader Program.

Vance was one of only 19 Army Civilian professionals within USARPAC to participate this year’s program.

The intent of the program is to engage mid-grade GS 11 - 12 and equivalent employees with a premiere leadership developmental experience. The Army’s mission relies heavily on the Army Civilian Corps to provide expertise, continuity and implementation of initiatives in order to maintain the readiness of the unit. In turn, the Army is committed to providing opportunities for career development and advancement, while simultaneously building a strong bench of highly competitive candidates.

"Upon Jon's arrival to USAG Okinawa he hit the ground running and it was clearly evident to me that he was already an experienced leader having retired from the U.S. Air Force several years earlier,” said Matt Matunas, U.S. Army Garrison Okinawa Human Resources director. “Life as a government civilian is a bit different than active duty however, so he was the ideal candidate for us to submit for this program.”

“The EELP was an amazing growth experience. The opportunity to interact with 18 other high performing leaders from across U.S. Army Pacific as we took course work, participated in group projects, experienced mentorship, and formed a network is priceless,” Vance said.

"This is an outstanding accomplishment by Jon that only a very few, select individuals have had the opportunity to complete as it only occurs once each year,” Matunas said. “We look forward to greater accomplishments from him in the future!"