March is Women's History Month, providing JKO with a prime opportunity to shine a light on the accomplishments of women in the Joint Staff J-7. Since 1987, Women's History Month has celebrated women’s contributions to culture, history, and society. This year, we interviewed three women from within the Joint Training Directorate to showcase the talented women of our workforce and the important work they do.
Lieutenant Colonel Alexandra Carico
USSPACECOM Desk Officer,
Joint Exercise Division
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Dr. Elizabeth
Owens Lape
Sr. Education Specialist for Joint Staff J7 Joint Training, Plans and Operations Division
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Yadira McCoy
JKO Lead Joint Staff Content Development Coordinator
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What do you enjoy about working in the Joint Staff J-7?
Lape:
Training and education were my subspeciality while in the Navy, and my post graduate degrees are both in the education field. I have also been working in the joint community since 2000. These areas of interest are both supported within the Joint Staff J-7 as we are developing the joint force for operations today and in the future. We are the operational arm of the joint staff supporting combatant commands around the world ensuring their personnel are prepared.
Carico:
As a desk officer and one of the few Space Force members on the staff, I have enjoyed being able to help the joint force better understand what space officers can offer in the larger strategic fight. In my current position, I am able to help close knowledge gaps, whether it be providing people with contacts across commands or information from sources they would not have known how to access. I personally get great job satisfaction from helping others accomplish the mission.
McCoy:
It is an organization that is constantly changing and requires a team to be flexible. I have worked for the Joint Staff J-7 since 2005 and have never seen a dull moment in my career. Each role within the Joint Staff J-7 is unique but collectively we provide training, education, and development to the warfighter via the chairman’s guidance. I have been blessed to work with an amazing team and as part of JKO I interact with personnel from all military services, combatant commands, combat support agencies, allies and partners, and interagency organizations. Our customers could be departing bootcamp, prepping for retirement, an international student prepping for a major exercise or a curious learner expanding knowledge further with the diverse content the JKO catalog has to offer.
What advice do you have for other women in the Joint Staff?
Lape:
1) Don’t underestimate yourself. Women tend to believe they may be less qualified for positions than others. Go for that next job! 2) Find a mentor, and it doesn’t have to be a woman. Men can and should mentor women also. They have been through many of the same stages in their career. 3) Seek advice from other women on how to handle situations that may be unique to being a woman. Don’t be disgruntled without finding a solution.
Carico:
The best advice I could give would be to never be afraid to ask questions. The joint world is much different than working in our individual services or at operational levels. Don’t ever feel too intimidated to raise your hand and ask for clarification. You probably are not the only person who needs to know the information.
McCoy:
Empower one another to continue growing in/out of work. Support one another and lift each other to grow. If you see one of the women in the organization struggling, pick them up and help them succeed. Celebrate each other’s strengths and remember Henry Ford once said, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” Let’s take care of one another.
What kind of training would you like to see on JKO?
Lape:
As an educator I will always espouse continued lifelong learning. JKO has a lot of good courses that many are unaware of because they only have to sign on to JKO for the annual training requirements. I realize any new training requires resources to produce the course, so it may be a matter of getting the word out on courses already available or opening up other courses hosted by JKO on VCLASS that may be for that particular organization but would be useful for others.
Carico:
Honestly can’t think of any type of training JKO does not have.
McCoy:
Courses that enhance further understanding of an outward mindset, leadership development, and writing effectiveness.
Is there a course or training on JKO you would recommend?
Lape:
It is timely because of Women’s History Month, but applicable all year long…. I would recommend J3TA-US1398 – A&B “Introduction to Women, Peace, and Security - Part A (1 hr.) and Part B (1hr.)” The Women, Peace and Security Act of 2017, a bi-partisan act, requires all to have education and training in this topic. There are personnel at the combatant commands and services working hard to implement this training, but they are few and really busy. These two courses give an introduction to the subject and then an explanation on how the Department of Defense is implementing the required tasks that are reported upon annually to Congress.
Carico:
USSPACECOM is working with JKO to create an Intro to Space course. I would recommend as many people as possible take it. Space is vital to the joint force, and the more we can help people understand it, the stronger we will be as whole.
Editor’s Note- The Intro to Space course should be available on JKO this summer, 2023.
McCoy:
I recommend the Joint Force Curriculum (JFC) Level 100 and 200 content on JKO. The JFC 100 courses are a great way to learn and enhance your current joint fundamentals knowledge while the JFC 200 are the best practice and insight papers.
Editor’s Note- The first in the 100 and 200 curricula are linked above. Additional courses in these series are available on JKO.
Thank you to Lape, Carico, and McCoy for taking the time to share their experiences and advice with our readers. To learn more about our three interviewees, please view their bios below.
Lieutenant Colonel Alexandra Carico
USSPACECOM Desk Officer, Joint Exercise Division
Carico graduated from James Madison University and commissioned into the Air Force in 2006. She has since held positions in both space and joint force operations. Her first assignment was as a satellite vehicle operator for the MILSTAR constellation in the 4th Space Operations Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colorado. She was also a trainer and operator in the space cell of the 609th Air and Space Operations Center at Shaw AFB, South Carolina and Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar; a crew commander, flight commander and evaluator for SBIRS HEO Satellites in the 11th Space Warning Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colorado; and served in Air Education and Training Command, as the assistant operations officer and commandant of cadets for Air Force ROTC at Virginia Military Institute (VMI). Following VMI, she moved to joint operations at USSTRATCOM in the Joint Fires Element as the operations branch chief; then relocated to Virginia as the joint space and special technical operations (STO) planner at the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, TRANSCOM, Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia.
In 2020, she moved over to the Joint Staff J-7 and transferred from the Air Force to the Space Force where she was first a space operations exercise planner and is now the USSSPACECOM desk officer.
Dr. Elizabeth Owens Lape, Ph.D.
Sr. Education Specialist for Joint Staff J-7 Joint Training, Plans and Operations Division
Lape completed a 23-year career in the Navy after serving in a wide variety of shore management, training, and joint billets retiring as an education and training subspecialist and as a joint specialty officer. She graduated from the Purdue University Navy Reserve Officers' Training Corp program, received her master’s in education from Old Dominion University, and her doctorate in higher education administration at Old Dominion University. As a government civilian, Lape (GS14) is currently serving as the sr. education specialist in the plans & operations division for the Joint Staff J-7/Joint Training Directorate where she is also responsible for joint course certification and women, peace and security training/education.
Yadira McCoy
JKO Lead Joint Staff Content Development Coordinator
McCoy currently serves as the lead content development coordinator for the Joint Staff J-7, Deputy Director Joint Training, JKO Division, Knowledge Branch Services. In this role, she coordinates and develops secretary of defense, joint staff, combatant command, service and combat support agency joint training requirements via JKO's distributed learning capabilities to enhance individual/staff readiness for joint assignments and operations worldwide. Prior to her federal government career McCoy served in the Navy for four and half years. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Norfolk State University and a master’s degree from Liberty University in industrial/organizational psychology.