EO Director of the Year: respect, professional workplace key to mission success

  • Published
  • By Capt. Mark Graff
  • 65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LAJES FIELD, Azores --  When Master Sgt. Crumel Mooring was named the Air Force's 2013 Equal Opportunity Director of the Year on March 12, he was in disbelief.

"Winning the award is a true blessing. When my boss announced it... I was totally surprised and caught off guard," said Mooring, the 65th Air Base Wing's equal opportunity director.

Earning the Solomon Starks, Jr. Equal Opportunity Director of the Year Award was a goal Mooring set upon arriving at Lajes Field. However, Mooring said winning the award still proved a humbling experience.

"I couldn't believe that a goal that I set for myself was achieved," the master sergeant said. "It was amazing to know that I'm just a regular Airman doing my job and that I just happened to get recognized."

As EO director, Mooring's duties include working sexual harassment and discrimination complains for military, DoD civilian employees and family members. Air Force EO professionals also conduct unit climate assessments and in general, seek Airmen's feedback.

"Basically, we're responsible for the culture and climate," said Mooring, a Coatesville, Penn., native. "We conduct daily visits within the units making sure morale is high and making sure individuals don't feel like they're in a hostile office environment. We handle teambuilding, mediation and facilitation because we want people communicating more effectively and efficiently with one another."

Supporting unit commanders is one of the most important elements of a successful EO program Mooring said.

"Our day-to-day interaction with commanders is letting them know what's available," said Mooring. "If they have any conflicts within their workplace we can customize teambuilding and we can facilitate conversations between individuals."

The central goal of Air Force EO programs is to promote a professional workplace, thereby enabling mission accomplishment.

"Basically we pull commanders into promoting the atmosphere of zero tolerance for sexual harassment and discrimination and also promoting respect in the workplace," said Mooring. "The key to the success of the equal opportunity program is Airmen being proactive and communicating and commanders being open-minded and supportive."

Despite recent accolades, serving in the Air Force wasn't always easy for Mooring, who served eight years in the Marine Corps first. The Marine-to-Airman transformation was difficult he said.

"(The change) was tough at first because I was going around with an 'I'm better than everybody' mentality," said Mooring, who entered the Air Force as a staff sergeant and worked in logistics. "I honestly felt like no one compared as a leader because they hadn't led the amount of Marines I had and they hadn't faced the challenges I had faced. What changed all that was a technical sergeant that pulled me to the side and just started mentoring me, saying 'let's put all this energy you have to good use'."

From there, he got involved in base professional and private organizations. Some 12 years later, Mooring credits his mentor with saving his Air Force career. Still, Mooring remembers his time as a Marine as a positive, formative experience.

"My time in the Marine Corps was phenomenal. I know for certain that it took a boy and turned him into a leader," the master sergeant said. "My time in the Marine Corps helped me get started on life."

Mooring's energy has turned into a passion for organizing community events. In 2013, Mooring and the Lajes Field Chapel sponsored a community theater event to promote the four resiliency pillars of Comprehensive Airman Fitness - physical, mental, spiritual and social.

"The community theater grew out of the Community Action Information Board... and it basically created an event for people to showcase their talents and abilities," said Mooring, who lists creating Gospel plays as a hobby. "It had a spiritual basis, but it was about reaching out to the community to promote resiliency."

Mooring focuses on taking care of Airmen so they can take care of the mission.

"We have an overall mission in the Air Force: fly, fight, and win. However, from an EO perspective, it's number one to take care of your people," he said. "However if you take care of your people, the mission will get done - exceedingly well."