BLACK JACK CHAPTER (NELLIS AFB, NEVADA)

The Blackjack Chapter began the new year with chapter leadership elections. Captain Joe Bonita was elected president, Captains Kristie Canterbury and Charles Hawkins were elected vice presidents, Captain Trace Steyaert was elected activities officer, Lieutenant Anthony Fleming was elected the membership officer, and Lieutenant Michelle Horner was elected the information officer. Chapter leadership is comprised of officers from the 57 WG, 99 ABW and the USAF Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Officers School (AMMOS). Representation across the Air Warfare Center is important as we're in the early stages of preparation for the 2004 National LOA Conference. As mentioned, the Blackjack Chapter is hosting the 2004 national conference. This has driven most of the chapter's recent activity. In addition to planned quarterly chapter meetings to enhance member education and professional development, conference committee leaders have been meeting every other week to work event planning details. The Nellis AFB logistics community has been active in planning all stages of the conference, and we're looking forward to hosting everyone in October at what we expect to be an extraordinary LOA conference. Expect a feature article with more details in the ER soon! Along with conference planning, the Blackjack Chapter is actively working to bolster membership. Nellis AFB is fortunate to have nearly 171 members eligible for LOA, and our goal is to increase our national membership by at least 25% during 2004. We're looking into activities to enhance professional development, and are capitalizing on the many distinguished visitors coming through Nellis AFB as potential guest speakers to the LOA chapter membership. We anticipate several senior logisticians visiting the USAF AMMOS this year as well, and are hoping to include chapter-wide professional development speaking engagements in their itineraries. The Blackjack Chapter is betting on an exciting year. We've engaged the base logistics community to prepare what we believe will be the benchmark national conference. Chapter leaders are actively pursuing means to achieve the national goals of Educate, Unite the Membership, and Enhance the Readiness and Effectiveness of the Nellis AFB logistics team through regular chapter meetings and events. Hope to see all of you in October 2004!