Programs support diversity, show base job opportunities Published July 15, 2016 By Argen Duncan Nucleus editor KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Kirtland Air Force Base officials are working with local leaders to educate community members and students about employment and contracting opportunities on base with a special focus on making sure Hispanic people have opportunities here. Cindy Dominguez-Trujillo, 377th Air Base Wing special assistant to the commander for diversity and affirmative employment, and Casey Anglada DeRaad, special assistant to the executive director of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, have been working together on diversity initiatives. They said NWC Executive Director Joseph Oder and 377th Air Base Wing Commander Col. Eric Froehlich consider diversity a high priority. Kirtland has the largest base civilian workforce in the Air Force Global Strike Command, and Froehlich would like KAFB to be the leader in diversity, Dominguez-Trujillo said. Since the 1980s, Hispanic advocacy groups have expressed concerns about the percentage of Hispanic workers on base being lower than the percentage of local Hispanic residents. Base leaders have taken various steps to address the issue throughout the last 30 years, but numbers have only slightly increased, Dominguez-Trujillo said. At a June public meeting, some advocacy group members expressed concerns over demographics for the 377th ABW, Air Force Research Laboratory, Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the National Nuclear Security Administration. However, Dominguez-Trujillo received feedback that the meeting was well-organized and showed true commitment to the community. According to 377th ABW numbers, 22 percent of the wing civilian personnel are Hispanic. Albuquerque has a 47.3 percent Hispanic population, while the U.S. population as a whole is 19 percent Hispanic. DeRaad said Hispanic advocates want to see the Kirtland workforce reflect local demographics, but it tends to reflect national demographics. Dominguez-Trujillo said law requires federal jobs to be advertised via USAJobs.gov, which reaches a national pool of applicants. Positions often have specific education or experience requirements, and do not consider applicants’ race or current location. Since starting her job, Dominguez-Trujillo has established a 377th ABW diversity action plan, instituted quarterly community meetings and created a KAFB Hispanic Community and Leaders Advisory Board. Leaders from the Nuclear Weapons Center and 377th are on the advisory board, as well as a base civilian who represents the National Organization for Mexican-American Rights. Dominguez-Trujillo wants to coordinate with more organizations on base in sharing statistics and diversity initiatives. For the future, she plans to begin working with the 377th ABW Contracting Division to track the demographics of contractors. She is also finalizing funding to have University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management Professor of Organizational Studies Jackie Hood speak on diversity and inclusion starting at 10:15 a.m. July 21 in the 377th Wing Presentation Center. Locally, Dominguez-Trujillo said, base personnel need to spend more time educating the community and students about what’s needed to get civilian employment and win small-business contracts. DeRaad said community members need to know what’s available on base to take advantage of opportunities. “They just don’t know what all goes on behind the fence,” she said. Dominguez-Trujillo also wants to introduce students to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. DeRaad said bringing local students into base entities increases diversity because the New Mexico population is diverse. “We want our New Mexico students to find these opportunities,” she said. DeRaad said Oder wants to start a mentoring program in which one organization adopts a high school, as well as to have base personnel work with local leaders. Among other things, Dominguez-Trujillo is establishing written partnerships with universities and helps UNM with job search preparation such as mock interviews. She plans to work with Mission: Graduate, a group that encourages students to get college degrees or certificates. DeRaad and Dominguez-Trujillo are doing outreach such as planning an event in September at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History for leaders and students to see STEM demonstrations and learn about career and small business opportunities. They recently organized a workshop for small businesses to learn about contract opportunities and how to compete for contracts. They also expect to support upcoming Hispanic Heritage Month observances.