2019 LIFT inspires innovation at Fairchild Published April 24, 2019 By Airman 1st Class Lawrence Sena 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Team Fairchild hosted the third annual Leaders Inspiring for Tomorrow summit April 19 at the base theater, with this year’s topic focused on inspiring innovation. LIFT is an event designed to host dynamic and innovative speakers who will inspire Airmen to be better leaders and innovators, and to work on developing those skills to find new and improved ways to effectively complete the mission. “This year’s theme is ‘developing the innovator in you,’” said Maj. Burke Wilson, 92nd Medical Group pharmacy flight commander and LIFT project officer. “The focus is primarily on innovation and how we can use the resources we have to think outside the box and positively impact the mission.” This year’s summit consisted of seven speakers ranging from retired military, active duty, business executives, and civilians with ties to the local area. Each speaker shared their stories of innovative success and how to develop a culture of innovation. “We want our Airmen to be innovators and to be able to adopt an innovative mindset,” said Col. J. Scot Heathman, 92nd Air Refueling Wing vice commander. “That begins with establishing an innovative culture that empowers Airmen of all ranks to be able experiment and become problem solvers; this year’s LIFT summit is just another step forward in creating that culture.” The event culminated in a 40-minute panel, allowing attendees to have questions answered by the guest speakers. “I’ve been to this event the past two years and it’s one of the unique things we do that can be highly impactful to Airmen,” Wilson said. LIFT required over 3 months of planning and coordination from a team of over 30 members throughout Fairchild, allowing it to not only be shared with the 400 attendees on base, but also to be live streamed and loaded onto the Defense Visual Information Distribution System, DVIDS, for those who were unable to attend. Hosting the 2019 LIFT summit with a focus on innovation is just one of the many ways Team Fairchild is embracing an innovative culture. Currently, Fairchild is working to add an ‘Inland Spark’ thinker space for Airmen to have a place work on their ideas and map out concepts, allowing them to continue improving the success of the Rapid Global Mobility mission. For information on the 2019 LIFT Summit visit www.fairchild.af.mil/LIFT.
