Generation Dayton Featured Professional
- Name:
Leslie Heck- Title:
- Technical Writer/Editor (support contractor)
- Organization:
- KC-46 Tanker Modernization Directorate, Aeronautical Systems Center, Air Force Materiel Command / Contractor: Experis Manpower Group (formerly ASET Intl. Services, LLC)
- Community Involvement (groups, clubs, boards, etc.):
- Generation Dayton's Community Service Committee, but I am looking to get involved with other organizations and serve on a board
- Hobbies and Tnterests:
- Hiking, rock climbing at Dayton's own Urban Krag, yoga, cycling, golf, reading, writing, volunteering
- Favorite Area Eatery:
- For lunch, Olive an Urban Dive; for lunch and dinner, Sidebar or The Winds; for casual and quick, Smokin' BBQ
- Favorite Weekend Activity:
- Currently, hiking and taking photos of the fall colors or checking out a festival
- What do you love about Dayton?
- I love that Dayton is a mid-sized city. It's not like a big city, where one can feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to get involved or discouraged by thinking that there are already so many leaders that they don't need any help. Dayton is like a "small town" with big possibilities. I have been so encouraged by the development and revitalization of downtown in the past decade or so; before that, I rarely went downtown. And I am so proud of Dayton's history of innovation. Having that foundation keeps us from being complacent and letting Dayton become a forgotten city. I am so glad that Dayton has nurtured its connection with the air force base. I hope it continues to do so in a bigger capacity.
I also am grateful for the diverse experiences the Dayton area provides: arts & culture, heritage celebration, urban, suburban, rural, historical preservation, growth and development, nature preservation and outdoor opportunities, etc. Such experiences make our residents and children the well-rounded people the Midwest is known for.
- How has Generation Dayton aided your professional, personal and/or social development?
- Generation Dayton has opened up a whole new world for me. I moved back to Dayton after attending Ohio University (OU) and also living in another state to have the support of family and friends while recovering from some personal issues but intended on leaving the city, and possibly state, again. Having grown up here, I had this notion that I already knew everyone and experienced everything the area had to offer; so, I was bored with it. And the people I did know from high school seemed to have either moved away, gotten married and/or had kids and were generally just busy with their own lives. I heard about Generation Dayton from a friend in finance a year before I actually joined, but I thought, "I'm a writer; I'm not in business or finance. I don't need that kind of professional development or networking." And I had this notion that the people were all phonies because they liked to network, despite never having met them. But another friend of mine in journalism got involved with GenD a few months before I joined, and that opened me up to joining.
I realized that there are people of all professionals in Generation Dayton, and everyone is friendly and ready and willing to meet new people. I have met and become friends with so many like-minded people who like to get out, explore everything the city has to offer and get involved in improving and promoting the city and local causes. Before GenD, I used to just go home every night after work or working out but now, thanks to GenD, there are always things to do, whether it be intramural sports, networking, volunteering, hearing other professionals speak and give advice, support/attend the local arts, be introduced to other local clubs, organizations and businesses or simply just eat at and try out different restaurants. I find that I am downtown now more often than not! Most of the time, I don't even realize I'm networking; I'm just having fun. But the more events I go to, the more contacts I make and the more people I meet who want to help me in my career. And the professional development opportunities aren't profession-specific; they just show you how to put the best foot forward and how getting involved with the community outside of work can help your business and career.
- Tell us a little more about your profession and company.
- I actually graduated with a journalism degree from OU, but the state of print media, the economy and media convergence led me to this job. I work for the Air Force's number-one acquisition priority, the KC-X (now KC-46) aerial refueling tanker plane program, which will bring increased global mobility to the warfighter and disaster relief support by replacing the fleet of aging 50-year-old KC-135 planes. I aided this program's success in awarding a $35 billion contract to Boeing after KC-X's ten previous years of failure by editing seemingly endless engineering documentation for clarity and comprehension under intense pressure and deadlines to avoid a protest by the company with the losing bid. More recently, my two fellow technical writers and I interviewed 70 of the Air Force's and Pentagon's top personnel with which we had already worked, including the Director of Pricing for the DoD, the head acquisition lawyer for the DoD, the four-star general commander of Air Mobility Command and the commander of Wright-Patt's own Aeronautical Systems Center, Lieutenant General Thomas Owen. Based on those interviews, we are currently writing a report about the actions of our program that can be learned from and adopted by other US military acquisition programs to successfully award contracts and avoid protest by companies with losing bids.
Aside from this, journalism is still my passion, and I am looking for writing opportunities.
- What do you enjoy about your career/profession? Employer?
- My passion for writing and editing began as early as sixth grade with the enjoyment of manipulating the language. Editing and technical writing has allowed me to convey to other professionals with non-writing backgrounds, the importance of using the English language correctly not only to clearly communicate information but to convey intelligence and, thereby, gain and keep respect in the industry. Fortunately, the Air Force and the military are beginning to understand more of a need for this.
My passion for writing has also always involved telling stories, whether they are stories that need to be told or simply stories that inform us about life. Being a writer means being a student of life; it allows me to continuously learn from research and people I interview. It allows me the opportunity to make connections with people I wouldn't otherwise meet and pursue interests I may not have otherwise realized I had. A writing assignment I had in college led to my interest in covering the military, which led to my willingness to take this job. Because of this job, I have had the opportunity to learn about the military acquisition process. And because of the high profile of this program, I have gotten to work with some of the military's brightest and most talented active duty and civilian engineers, logisticians, program managers, lawyers, contract negotiaters and leaders. Because of the importance of the program's mission, I get to feel like I am contributing to my nation's defense.
- Favorite quote or inspirational saying:
- The idea that one door closing is another door opening and "Persistence is the difference between success and failure"
-- Certified Professional Speaker Jane Boucher during her recent talk on Chaotic: Managing Organizational Change & Stress in a Turbulent Environment
