DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EYES EDWARDS MANAGERS TWO CIVILIANS SELECTED FOR DOD LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS.

Byline: Daily News

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - Two civilian Edwards Air Force Base managers have been selected for Defense Department-sponsored leadership programs, regarded as preparation for top civil service jobs.

Pete Martini of Lancaster is the Flight Test Center's Enterprise Business Solution project manager and has been selected for the Defense Leadership and Management Program, or DLAMP.

Bill Shelton of Palmdale is director of operations for the 412th Operations Support Squadron and has been selected for the Civilian Competitive Development Program, or CCDP.

Both programs are designed to give government civilian employees a Department of Defense-wide perspective and prepare them for future leadership roles within the department.

``Both Pete and Bill were extremely strong candidates for these career development programs and based upon their achievements here at the Flight Test Center were also very competitive,'' said Les Bordelon, executive director of the Flight Test Center.

Martini worked at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia and the Naval Air Warfare Center at Point Mugu before coming to Edwards.

``What we do is critically important and it becomes even more visible in times like this,'' Martini said. ``What we do in building weapon systems, especially at places like Edwards, is to ensure they work the first time, every time - we put people in harm's way, and it doesn't get more important than that.''

Martini will go to Southbridge, Mass., in March for a two-week orientation to the program. He will then return to Southbridge several times to complete the required 18 advanced, graduate-level college courses. Martini, who has completed Air Command and Staff College, will also attend a senior-level course in professional military education, most likely in-residence, as part of the program.

In addition, the program requires that participants complete a career-broadening assignment normally outside of their functional area. Martini said it will take close to six years to complete all of the coursework and the rotation required by the program.

Shelton will participate in the CCDP's Excellence in Government Fellows Program beginning in September. The program consists of a series of temporary duty assignments that will allow Shelton to work with experts from government agencies outside the Defense Department.

``This program is an opportunity to step out of the box that you are normally assigned to and to participate in discussions with other government agencies to see how they solve problems,'' Shelton said.

Shelton, who began his government career working for the Federal Aviation Administration, has worked at Edwards since 1979.

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2 photos

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(1 -- color) MARTINI

(2) SHELTON