JBLM Voice of the Workforce Board elevates civilian employee ideas

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s Voice of the Workforce Board is helping improve the installation through ideas and feedback from font-line civilian employees.

The VOW Board meets the fourth Thursday of each month with JBLM Garrison Chief of Staff Greta Buccellato. Its vision is for “a connected, engaged and highly effective JBLM Garrison workforce where productive communication drives collaborative problem solving and a thriving, resilient organizational culture.”

The board supports that vision through its online Peer-to-Peer Solutions portal, which allows Garrison workforce members to submit innovative ideas, suggest process improvements and raise concerns directly to VOW. The board reviews and organizes submissions before briefing them to Buccellato, helping to ensure that senior leaders remain in touch with the JBLM workforce’s everyday experiences and perspectives.

VOW’s successes include the creation of Chat with the Chief — regularly scheduled virtual meetings between Buccellato and Garrison employees — and approval of the JBLM Leader Development Course. The board has also advocated for and implemented the distribution of class and professional development information to the entire workforce, ensuring equal access to training opportunities.

Deborah Starr-Calhoun, JBLM’s acting assistant chief of staff and VOW adviser, founded the board in January 2022. The board consists of 14 non-supervisory members who represent each Garrison directorate and pay plan.

“The goal was really to identify systemic issues and to do that with front-line employees instead of leadership,” Starr-Calhoun said. She added that board members engage with their directorates, are open to input and share those ideas with the chief of staff.

The board creates “a pipeline for information that doesn’t have to go through layers of supervisors and leadership to get to our senior civilian,” Starr-Calhoun said.

The pipeline also works in the other direction, she said. The chief of staff can share information with VOW Board members, who can then communicate it to the workforce.

Since the Peer-to-Peer Solutions portal was created in 2026, submissions have increased, Starr-Calhoun said. The VOW Board considers every submission and responds to every person who submits an idea.

Jenelee Nganga, JBLM McVeigh Fitness Center manager, submitted a suggestion via the portal to help make the self-help Directorate of Public Works warehouse more accessible. VOW selected her as its first Innovator of the Quarter, and she received a monetary award.

“It was surprising to receive the award just for making a recommendation, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised,” she said.

Nganga’s suggestion also prompted a visit to the warehouse by incoming command teams, Starr-Calhoun said.

“The warehouse manager said it was the first time — ever — that anyone had come for a tour,” Starr-Calhoun said. “This is helpful because … anything that units can do to accomplish their own painting, toilet-fixing, light-bulb replacement, etc., will help reduce the backlog of (work orders).”

The VOW Board has also started conducting site visits during its meetings.

“Instead of waiting for people to come to us, we’re going out to the people,” Starr-Calhoun said. “The plan is to proactively go out into the workforce and take the VOW Board to different teams.”

Nganga recommended that other civilian employees submit ideas to VOW.

“It’s positive to feel like there could be things implemented to make our lives a little bit easier,” she said.

The difference VOW has made at JBLM is noticeable to Dylan Worrell, JBLM director of religious education and VOW coordinator.

“When I talk to my counterparts at different installations, there is a vastly greater dissemination of information on this installation and this Garrison, I think in part because of the VOW,” he said.

Starr-Calhoun said she has seen VOW Board members develop as leaders within their organizations during their tenure.

“I think that it’s an empowerment tool, and any empowerment tool is going to positively affect the culture of an organization and is going to amplify the fact that our leadership is supportive of our workforce at all levels, and that they value what they have to say,” she said.

JBLM Garrison workforce members can submit ideas and suggestions through the VOW Board’s Peer-to-Peer Solutions portal.