Expeditionary Center NCO named top instructor by national organization

Published Oct. 1, 2010
By Staff Sgt. Zachary Wilson
U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center

JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- A U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center non-commissioned officer here was recently recognized as the 2009 National Defense Transportation Association's Outstanding Instructor of the Year during the NDTA's forum and exposition Sept. 20 in Baltimore, Md.

Staff Sgt. Robyn Tabako, an instructor with Mobility Operations School's Air Transportation section, was selected based upon her instructor expertise and dedication to continuous self-improvement, according to EC officials.

"The competition was extremely rigorous and all nominees should be commended for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the success of transportation missions throughout the award period," said Ms. Sue Lumpkins, Deputy Director of Logistics for the Air Force deputy chief of staff for logistics, installations and mission support at the Pentagon.

According to Sergeant Tabako's supervisor, Master Sgt. Joseph Neubauer, the award considered each person's "technical knowledge, teaching skills, self-development and general leadership abilities."

"Robyn not only met the criteria; she surpassed all requirements for the nomination," he added. "Her technical knowledge as an aerial porter, also affectionately known as 'Port Dawgs', is amazing. Her port dawg experience includes time in a major strategic aerial port and in forward deployed environments. This experience has been invaluable in the classroom because she shares her experience with her students."

Sergeant Tabako, an aerial porter by trade, who is the course director for the customer service web-based training course hosted here, has led innovative web development for courses taught both at the Expeditionary Center and remotely at duty locations across the world.

"I was very humbled (to win this award)," Sergeant Tabako said. "If the competition was anything like the caliber of people I work with day-in and day-out, just to be recognized as a contender for this award was a huge feat in itself."

The NDTA is a non-political, non-profit educational association of government, military, and industry professionals dedicated to fostering a strong and efficient global logistics and transportation system in support of national security, according to the organization's fact sheet.

Some of the organizations key goals are to advance knowledge and science of logistics and transportation; facilitate knowledge sharing of logistics and transportation between government and industry and educate members on important issues affecting global logistics and transportation.

Sergeant Tabako's many accomplishments throughout the past year included investing hundreds of hours towards course development in both classroom and web-based training as well being placed within the top 10 percent of the Expeditionary Center's 230 instructors as a result of an "Outstanding" evaluation. Additionally, she has boasted a 100 percent pass rate for nearly three dozen students, including spending 20 hours towards guiding struggling students to pass courses, ensuring world-wide availability for contingency taskings.

She credits the mentorship and help she received from her section as the major factor in her winning the award.

"Senior Master Sgt. Heasley (recently retired) was absolutely instrumental in winning this award," Sergeant Tabako said. "She believed in me and thought I would be the right one to win, even if I wasn't always sure of myself. However, I could never exceed the expectations of my job without the help of my co-workers."

In addition to her skills as an instructor and subject-matter expert on aerial port operations, Sergeant Tabako was also recognized for her devotion to off-and on-duty education, physical fitness for her work section and participating in Expeditionary Center official events and serving on the board of the Expeditionary Center Association private organization. She completed 45 percent of her internship in one month and was certified as a Community College of the Air Force instructor 10 months early.

"Robyn continues to exceed minimum standards that helps set her apart from others which made her an easy choice as our nominee for the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) Instructor of the year," Sergeant Neubauer said. "She has done great things for Team MOLT, the MOS, the EC, and the Air Force. Her potential is limitless and we are very fortunate to have her on our team."

Sergeant Tabako's unique accomplishment was noted by Expeditionary Center leadership in an e-mail sent out earlier this summer after she was notified she was the winner of the award.

"This is a big deal and reflects the caliber of all our instructors and support personnel," said former U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center vice commander, Col. (retired) Tip Stinnette.