Allen Wampler is a true believer in leadership development programs.
Currently a student in AMCOM's Advanced Leader Development Investment for Tomorrow program, Wampler is a graduate of the Intermediate LIFT class and has also served as the LIFT Alumni chairman.
"It's a unique experience when you bring together employees from all different organizations and have them discuss leadership," Wampler said.
"It's interesting to hear all the different perspectives on leadership. There are things you learn in a leader development class that you can't learn working at a desk all day. There are different perspectives on how to solve problems and build relationships and essentially lead organizations to success."
Wampler is halfway through his Advanced LIFT class. He and the 14 employees in his class began meeting monthly in February and joined together with employees from the other two LIFT classes in July for a leader forum. The three classes of LIFT will graduate in December.
"The Leader Forum is great because we got to hear from a variety of senior leaders on leadership and how to tackle unique leadership challenges," he said.
In the Advanced LIFT classroom, Wampler has especially enjoyed the relationships he has developed with classmates.
"The facilitators and lessons are wonderful, but the group of 14 other classmates in Advanced LIFT are some of the most hardworking professionals I have encountered in my 11-year career," he said.
He is serving this year as the deputy project manager for his Advanced LIFT team's class project, a mobile application that aims to streamline communication for the workforce of Team Redstone. The app will push important notifications to both Android and Apple mobile phones and will also have a calendar of events, a library of Redstone Arsenal web links, a map with public releasable information and the Team Redstone social media feeds. The application is being developed by the Army Game Studio (AMRDEC) and should be released by the end of this year.
"It is a very ambitious project for such a short timeline. I'm hoping that the lessons learned and the feedback I receive from this project will transition into better performance and leadership in my work environment," Wampler said.
Wampler is the Missile Systems coordinator for the AMCOM G-5 (Strategy, Concepts, and Plans). He analyzes and makes recommendations on the AMCOM interests in sustainment requirements and strategies for future missile systems.
He has been in his current position since August 2015. Prior to that he worked in various positions with the AMCOM Logistics Center and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), then a part of the Missile Defense Agency. He served as the AMCOM coordinator for the first deployment of the THAAD missile system.
"That effort required long stressful days, extremely short deadlines and the requirement to interface with 15-plus organizations to ensure my part of the mission was successful. That was an experience I will never forget," he said.
Wampler faces similar challenges in his current job, working closely with many stakeholders on developing Army missile systems.
"I enjoy the challenge of my job. Every day is different and presents its own issues requiring technical expertise, relationship building, coordination and strategic analysis," Wampler said. "It is exciting and humbling to be a part of the requirements shaping for all future Army missile systems."
Wampler works to address sustainment issues in the early stages of missile design and development.
"By involving logistics and sustainment early in the acquisition process for new missiles systems, the goal is to decrease costs and increase sustainability for AMC and AMCOM in the future," he said.
Wampler is motivated to be the best at his job by the Soldiers who will be the future beneficiaries of the work he does today.
"To me, a good government employee is one who realizes how their actions and work contribute to the support of our Army and its warfighters," he said. "No matter how large or small the task is, a good government employee understands how they fit into the mission and uses that understanding for motivation to do their very best every day."
As he learns about leadership, Wampler hopes he exhibits leadership qualities to those he works with every day, particularly the quality of integrity.
"If you are a leader and do not do what you say you will do, display a questionable character or do not support your people, you will not be very effective," he said.
When not at work, Wampler is focused on raising and setting a good example for his two sons and baby daughter with wife Kimberly.
"They dominate the majority of my free time outside of work. But when I get a chance, I love golf -- both watching it and playing, hunting, fishing and Alabama football," he said.
Among his many involvements with his children, Wampler coached his oldest son's baseball team for three years, receiving appreciation plaques for his efforts.
Wampler earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and a master's degree in Logistics Management from the Florida Institute of Technology.
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