Board members provide insight to the officer school selection process

  • Published
  • By Maj. Lennea Montandon
  • Air Reserve Personnel Center Public Affairs
BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo.-- --  A diverse group of 18 senior leaders from across Air Force Reserve Command met here in July for the Reserve School Selection Board.

The board spent three days reviewing hundreds of officer records and selected applicants to attend career broadening in-residence and correspondence short courses.

"This is very rewarding to influence someone's career in a positive way and at the same time provide a lot of value to the Air Force, putting the right person [into a school] at the right time and place," said board member Col. Augusto Casado, 94th Maintenance Group commander, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga. "It was a great opportunity to see how these boards work, how fair they are and how many checks and balances are put in place," he said.

Reserve School Selection Boards meet twice a year and are comprised of colonels and led by a general. Individual mobilization augmentees, traditional reservists, air reserve technicians and active guard reservists from various careers make up the board and provide unique perspectives and experiences.

"The different AFSCs allow us to have a better understanding for the diverse career fields, like knowing space personnel may not have the opportunity to deploy versus flight nurses who can deploy more often," said Col. Vanessa Mattox, 459th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron commander, Joint Base Andrews. She also sat on the board.

ARPC's Force Development branch performs all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into these boards. From the call for school nominations to the announcement of those selected, the RSSB process takes nearly five months. They first ensure all applicants are eligible for the school they are applying for then build databases with points, education, decorations, performance reports, Reserve Officer Development Plan, application and recommendation letters. Once board members convene, this information is used to determine those best suited for schools.

"The board spends three days racking and stacking in order of merit and place top applicants into classes based on score," said Senior Master Sgt. Brian Marr, ARPC Force Development Branch superintendent. They look at benefits for the member but also the return on investment for the Air Force, he explained.

The Force Development Branch then outbriefs the AFRC commander and releases the results.

Casado and Mattox both stressed that reservists need to review and update their SURF since it's frequently referenced during boards. If you are uncertain of what should be reflected in your records, contact ARPC for direction.

Both felt that understanding how candidates are selected made them better Air Force mentors, especially since the process reflected how the Reserve prefers its members to broaden their experience, rather than staying with one unit throughout their careers. They also encouraged those who were not selected to reapply rather than feel they did not meet some unknown criteria. Timing or additional experience may benefit applicants in the future. Overall, Casado and Mattox were impressed by the numbers of Guard and Reserve members who "were on fire," exceeding requirements.

The ARPC Force Development branch also coordinates and facilitates enlisted and officer development teams, Reserve Developmental Education Designation Boards for longer officer education courses, and Enlisted Developmental Education Boards held by enlisted leaders for short courses. In 2012, ARPC brought in 612 board members who provided career guidance or selected individuals for courses, developing well-rounded leaders for the Air National Guard and Reserve.