ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. Aca,!" She may have come to the depot from Europe, but for Tawania Brulles, the installationAca,!a,,cs new Army Community Service director, accepting the job here was like coming home.
Born in Georgia and raised in northeast Alabama, Brulles graduated from the University of Alabama before enlisting in the Army in 1983. In 1987, she resigned from the military to continue her education at Jacksonville State University.
A tour of duty in Germany with her then husband took her out of the country for the first time and interrupted her educational plans. Fortunately, she was able to work on her masterAca,!a,,cs degree in international relations through Troy State University while overseas.
A masterAca,!a,,cs degree in education from JSU followed when she returned stateside, but her world travels werenAca,!a,,ct over.
During a three-year stay in England, Brulles began her work with community and family support groups through Air Force Family Support Center.
Her first Army Community Service job came shortly thereafter in Geissen, Germany. Positions in family support at Luke Air Force Base, Spangdahlem Air Force Base and the headquarters for the European Command followed.
Along the way, she continued her education, earning a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in clinical counseling from Ottawa University.
Her next post was supposed to be in Texas, but, an opportunity to return home to Alabama intervened.
Aca,!A"I was on orders to go to San Antonio when the offer came from Anniston Army Depot,Aca,!A? said Brulles. Aca,!A"IAca,!a,,cm really happy to be back in Alabama. ItAca,!a,,cs a very exciting time, we have a great center and IAca,!a,,cm excited about the prospects for the future.Aca,!A?
Brulles arrived at Anniston on Jan. 18, but found she needed to travel again almost immediately.
Aca,!A"I was here four days and had to go on temporary duty to Kentucky to attend the Soldier Family Action Plan Training Symposium, so I hit the ground running,Aca,!A? said Brulles.
Brulles put the information gleaned from the symposium to use earlier this week as she participated in her first Army Family Action Plan committee at Anniston.
The next few months will be busy ones for Brulles as she prepares for ACS accreditation in June and attends classes for her new position.
Aca,!A"She is a ball of fire. She is just wonderful,Aca,!A? said Jim Webb, director of community and family services. Aca,!A"Tawania has come to us at a very critical time because we are preparing for our three-year accreditation.Aca,!A?
Once the accreditation inspection is past, Brulles plans to reach more people through the depotAca,!a,,cs ACS program.
Aca,!A"Outreach is my biggest goal,Aca,!A? said Brulles. Aca,!A"I think there are a lot of opportunities for growth in our outreach program, especially among workers in the industrial area.Aca,!A?
Brulles would also like to work with spouses of deployed civilians, to give them some of the support military spouses receive during deployments.
Aca,!A"Family is an important thing to me,Aca,!A? she said.
Having seen the way family support works on various different levels, Brulles has insight into how the system works.
She is thrilled to be working again on an installation level where she directly affects those who use the services.
Aca,!A"I have a lot of great ideas and IAca,!a,,cm really high energy. There is a lot of potential here with this center and a really great staff,Aca,!A? said Brulles.
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