Voices of the VaANG: Master Sgt. Sabrina Jahner and Tech. Sgt. Stephen Kolmer, Leader Empowerment and Development program instructors
JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. — This edition of the Voices of the VaANG introduces two noncommissioned officers selected to spearhead the recently reignited Leader Empowerment and Development program. Master Sgt. Sabrina Jahner and Tech. Sgt. Stephen Kolmer are LEAD instructors who teach leadership skills to Virginia Air National Guard Airmen.
Jahner initially joined the VaANG for educational benefits but kept re-enlisting because of the people and because she enjoyed the job. She has now served for 17 years.
“I liked instructing, and I was passionate about leadership,” Jahner said. “It just felt like a good spot for me to apply.”
While Kolmer also valued the educational benefits, serving in the Guard was part of a family legacy. His father, retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Dave Kolmer, exposed him, his brother and his sister to the Virginia Air National Guard when it was still stationed in Sandston. He recalls having fun at Family Day events there. Kolmer and his siblings, all part of the VaANG, experienced the culture, camaraderie and relationships that come with being part of the VaANG.
“I saw how enriching this was for him [my older brother] and his life, and how much he enjoyed it,” Kolmer said. “That influenced my decision to join. And then, my younger sister also joined. There was definitely a legacy, and it makes me really proud to continue that.”
Kolmer previously served in avionics maintenance and on the aircraft maintenance flight line for 13 years.
The LEAD program was created to teach leadership and emotional intelligence skills to Airmen of all ranks across the organization.
Kolmer and Jahner previously worked in maintenance and brought years of teaching experience, making them ideal candidates to lead the program. The NCOs will hold these assignments for two years at the Virginia National Guard’s Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond.
“The program was created to inspire and cultivate leaders, to help them develop leadership skills to be as excellent as they can be, and to create a better culture and environment where people want to work and be a part of,” Jahner said.
The LEAD program currently offers classes on transformational leadership, emotional quotient and temperament intelligence. Jahner confirmed they are also working to add new topics.
One unique aspect of the VaANG is that Airmen bring their civilian knowledge and experience to the military, and vice versa. Jahner and Kolmer bring their training and instructional experience from their civilian jobs to teach VaANG Airmen.
The instructors will use engaging, interactive techniques, such as having students write on sticky notes, write on the board, participate in group discussions, and complete surveys to gauge the students’ understanding of a topic.
“For the emotional quotient class, the survey will score them on their strengths and weaknesses within the emotional quotient realm,” Jahner said. “And the survey for the transformational leadership class indicates what leadership style they lean toward.”
“Emotional intelligence is a muscle; leadership is a muscle. We might not all start at the same point, and we might not all end up at the same point, but we can certainly train and become better at those things,” Kolmer said. “One of the main purposes of LEAD is to develop good leaders and emotionally intelligent Airmen across all ranks.”
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