The Professional Development Center (PDC) at Royal Air Force Mildenhall has won the 2023 Air Force PDC of the year award, its first ever, for its significant contributions to the professional growth and development of Team Mildenhall members.

The award recognizes the PDC’s commitment to delivering quality professional development experiences and fostering a culture of continuous learning.

“One of the things that helped make us successful was having (noncommissioned officers) regularly rotate out and support from the base populace,” said Master Sgt. Lyndsie Duemmel, former 100th Force Support Squadron Professional Development Center development advisor. “That enabled us to have the most retraining counseling by anyone in the Air Force.”

Under the leadership of development advisor Duemmel, the PDC team organized monthly courses and retraining counseling, demonstrating a dedication to meeting the evolving needs of the Air Force. The PDC team led the Department of the Air Force by holding 622 courses and 1,521 counseling sessions, fueling the wing’s outstanding 88% retention rate, surpassing the U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa’s 58% average.
The team launched the installation’s first “Air Force specialty code Shadow Program,” teaming 30 members across 17 AFSCs and three major commands. They also executed Team Mildenhall’s first three-day senior enlisted leader symposium, educating and developing 25 future SELs from four wings. The team mitigated an inter-MAJCOM development advisor shortfall for four months while simultaneously managing 33 seminars and advising four professional military education courses for three wings.

The PDC team managed to accomplish this feat with little to no funding. Despite this challenge, the team demonstrated resourcefulness and utilized the assets and partnerships they had at their disposal.

“It definitely was a challenge as we had to move buildings and have reduced classroom sizes,” said Duemmel. “We were pulling on purse strings searching for funds but thankfully we had good partnerships with our surrounding organizations on base and they helped us fund the opportunities that we can provide for our members at Team Mildenhall.”

The PDC aims to build on its success by continuing to provide high-quality retraining courses, to meet the demand for foundational programs. The center’s focus on openness, flexibility and inclusivity sets a positive example for other professional development centers across the Air Force, fostering a culture of teamwork and shared success.

“We couldn’t have done what we did to win that award without the support from the base populace because we outsource facilitators, subject matter experts and resource approvers,” said Staff Sgt. Christian Guzman, 100th Force Support Squadron Professional Development Center NCO in charge.

With a commitment to empowering individuals through education and professional growth, the PDC remains dedicated to its mission. The center’s legacy of excellence and its team efforts to create a supportive work environment highlight its role as an innovator in academic development.