By Lt Col Timothy J. Pettit, PhD
Assistant Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management, and Military Deputy, Department of Operational Sciences

    The Air Force Institute of Technology recently honored the first graduate of its new Graduate Certificate program in Supply Chain Management (SCM), Ms. Robbin Miller, chief, Air Force packaging technology and engineering facility. 

    During the October 22, presentation ceremony, Miller was congratulated by Maj. Gen. Gary McCoy, Commander, Air Force Global Logistics Support Center (AFGLSC), Scott AFB, Ill., Col. Ray Lindsay, Commander, 591st Supply Chain Management Group, and by her co-workers from AFGLSC’s 403rd Supply Chain Management Squadron here at Wright-Patterson AFB.  Ms. Miller is responsible for leading a team in the design, testing and fabrication of many of the long-life containers that transport AF high dollar assets through the supply chain. 

   She said, “When the opportunity to enroll in AFIT’s Supply Chain Management Certificate Program became available to me, I saw it as an opportunity to learn just what supply chain management was all about; not just from a top level management scenario but from the individual specialties perspective as well.” 

   The AFIT Graduate School of Engineering and Management’s Department of Operational Sciences stepped up to the challenge of delivering courses to a diverse workforce of military and civilian logisticians when AF logistics leaders included graduate level education as part of Workforce Development.  The primary issue was how to reach the civilian logisticians, less than 5 percent of whom work here at Wright-Patterson.  Therefore, AFIT expanded their graduate Distance Learning programs to include foundational supply chain courses from the in-residence master’s program.  Initial course offerings have already reached students as far away as Balad Air Base, Iraq.   

   Graduate Certificate SCM courses, which may be applied to AFIT’s resident MS in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, cover the fundamentals of Supply Chain Management, with particular emphasis on DoD and Air Force applications.  Lean operations related to Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century (AFSO21) are also covered, along with statistical data analysis and basic quantitative modeling, to include linear programming, simulation analysis, and heuristics. 

     The program’s objective is to enable Air Force Logistics Readiness Officers, Maintenance Officers, civilian logisticians, and other DoD personnel to apply state of the art analytical and problem solving techniques to Air Force and DoD specific supply chain management problems.

   “This is a significant achievement,” said John Reisner, AFIT’s Director of Extension Services. “Not just for Ms. Miller, but for the entire graduate school.  Two years ago, we offered only three certificate programs via distance learning; today, we have five plus a complete Masters degree.”

   He said, “Whenever a student is the first through a new program, it represents a milestone for the student, as well as for the faculty and staff working behind the scenes.”  AFIT currently offers graduate distance learning certificate programs in Systems Engineering, Space Systems, Supply Chain Management, Test and Evaluation, and Advanced Geospatial Intelligence, as well as a Masters Degree in Systems Engineering.  More information can be found at www.afit.edu/en/dl.   

   “I have already incorporated many of the things that I learned from each class into my day-to-day management philosophy. I personally use all this supply chain management knowledge as a tool chest to become a better leader and provide better customer support,” said Ms. Miller. “ My team consistently implements lean thinking, source selection, source competition and quality techniques in the management of their projects.”

For more information about AFIT’s graduate logistics programs, contact Lt Col Tim Pettit at DSN 785-2549  or e-mail Timothy.Pettit@afit.edu.