1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley hosted a Leadership Professional Development panel Five distinguished individuals from in and outside military ranks joined the 1st Infantry Division this Wednesday to participate in Leadership Professional Development panels.
The panel consisted of United States Marine Corps Maj. Gen.-Retired Charles F. Bolden, founder and CEO Emeritus Charles F. Bolden Group, Professor Briana Goff from Kansas State University, Maribeth Kieffer, director of the Flint Hills Bread Basket, Brittany Scott, a 1st-grade teacher at Ware Elementary School, and Stephanie Hilton, a 4th-grade teacher at Ware Elementary School. Joining them was the moderator, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs Officer Lt. Col. Alex Tignor.
Each panelist brought something unique to the discussion—from teaching young children to what it’s like to be a Marine Corps leader, each experience brought a unique perspective to the conversation.
The very first question for the panel was relatively simple but remained impactful. Tignor prompted, “What inspires you to do the things you do?”
Goff works closely with individuals affected by PTSD and other diagnoses in order to understand the disorder better and help individuals return to normal. She said her inspiration is drawn from the veterans she first worked with when entering the mental health and behavioral health fields.
Early in the conversations, Tignor prompted Bolden with a question about his previous campaign that is similar to today’s U.S. Army People First. Tignor asked, “What inspired you to start that program?”
Bolden said, “Soldiers would talk about fear, and how fear affects them. My wife [Alexis Walker] is really the one who came up with this idea, but we wanted to hear about these things mentally. Having been in combat in Thailand and Vietnam, getting a little bit afraid myself, we decided to try to help make people understand that it’s okay to be afraid, it’s okay to have difficulty with everything else.”
Tignor, later in the conversations, asked schoolteachers Scott and Hilton how they persevered throughout the COVID-19 lockdowns and virtual schooling.
“We went remote when COVID started that spring 2020 and, we always had a dance party on Friday mornings in order to get our frustrations out for the week. I wanted to make sure our computer time remained interactive, I still wanted a connection with my kids,” said Scott.