Presidential Scholars Program leads to conversations with former presidents, new programs at and around Scott AFB

When Kathy Wever, NGA Support Team Chief at the U.S. Transportation Command, saw an article in USA Today about a new leadership program, she seized the opportunity to not only grow her leadership skills, but aid the community.

The Presidential Leadership Scholars program selects people from diverse backgrounds and across the United States who desire to act on a societal challenge with a community project, which they pitch to the program panel as part of the application.

The program is a partnership between the Clinton Foundation in Little Rock, Ark.; the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas; the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation in Austin, Texas; and the George Bush Library Foundation in College Station, Texas. The objective is to inspire a growing network of motivated leaders who are committed to make the world a better place.

In its third year, the program garnered more than 600 applicants in each of the first two years with the final rosters showing approximately 60 scholars representing a variety of sectors including corporate, government, nonprofit, education, health care, the military, and more. The selection process is extensive.

Wever said even if not selected, the application process alone teaches a lot. She was selected for the 2016 class, and her project was to develop a new service added to the military’s Transition Assistance Program. Specifically, it aims to help military service members and their families prepare effective resumes, job applications, and interview skills through a mentoring and sharing network of commercial and government employees at Scott’s Airmen and Family Readiness Center. As a result, the service members are better prepared for seeking jobs upon leaving the military.

“If they’re more prepared, they are more inspired to seek jobs and through this network, they gain broader opportunities to seek jobs,” Wever said.

Mike Marascia, PLS class of 2015 and also at Scott Air Force Base, said what Wever has done is “phenomenal.”

“The working relationships she has built with the Airmen Family and Readiness Center is so important and is already showing a profound impact,” he added.

Wever said, “I looked around after six months at Scott AFB and from personal experience with my military family members, I knew this was an area that could be improved.”

Scott Raether, Employment Program Manager for the Readiness Center, says he will be able to sustain what Wever has begun.

“Kathy has done so much and her program(s) are continuously progressing into something people talk about and look forward to participating,” Raether said.

He credits her with implementing three initiatives: Mock interviews with employers; panels comprised of area company leadership who come and answer generic questions; and speed networking where people sit in pods of three-four and a recruiter flows from pod to pod, engaging with the various topics.

He said when she first approached him, she wanted to help people with resume writing, but the center already had resume writers, so brainstorming led Wever to come up with the resulting beneficial programs.

Marascia’s 2015 PLS project was to bridge the gap between fire departments on and off base for the benefit of improving fire and emergency service.

Marascia, who is the Scott Air Force Base Fire Chief, has established weekly training with the O’Fallon Fire Department and his crew is also now working with the Mascoutah Fire Department. The training focuses on education and prevention. The effort ensures better ability to serve in an emergency.

Wever and Marascia say they find their experience with PLS has enabled them to work together in ways they wouldn’t have been able to before since they didn’t know one another. Wever saw Marascia’s name and Scott AFB location on the 2015 class roster while she was scouring the PLS website. Now, Marascia brings his firefighters to the Airmen Family and Readiness Center program and they, in turn, spread the news.

The PLS program left lasting impressions on both participants. Some of those impressions were made by President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton themselves, who engaged with the attendees in a very up close and personal manner.

“Our conversations with the presidents were honest and forthcoming and enabled me to see them as average guys,” Wever said.

She told of how George H.W. Bush displayed a commitment to personal diplomacy throughout his presidency and altered her own behavior.

She saw this applied through personal letters and cards the scholars reviewed in preparing for their session in College Station.

“We were told how on Saturdays he called or wrote notes to everyone he had met during the week,” she added.

While she had previously written notes to people on occasion, she makes sure to take time to write personal notes to more people.

The presidents offered a view of their behind the scenes activities. Bill Clinton was also in attendance during Wever’s session and she remarked at how close the Bush and Clinton families are; how the program incorporates the presidential libraries of the two Bush presidents, Clinton’s, and the Lyndon B. Johnson Library.

“The program has changed the way I operate and how I look at my workforce, especially my civilians,” Marascia said. “It completely changes your perspective.”

Wevers said the program was above and beyond her expectation and has changed how she thinks and acts daily.

During the course, scholars travel to participating presidential centers to work with former presidents when possible and key administration officials, learning various approaches to leadership and exchange ideas they can put to use for impact in their communities. The presidents provide insights into how they approached pressing challenges.

For more information or to possibly apply, visit www.presidentialleadershipscholars.org. Applications for the Presidential Leadership Scholars 2018 class are open until Aug. 31.

This story was originally published August 24, 2017 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Presidential Scholars Program leads to conversations with former presidents, new programs at and around Scott AFB."