LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --
Rank and name: Staff Sgt. Amber Ihlen
Unit: 19 AW Equal Opportunity office
Official Duty title: EO Practitioner
Hometown: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Time in service: 7 Years
Time at Little Rock: 6 Months
Goals: Complete her Criminal Justice Bachelor degree, EO School Instructor and travel
Hobbies: Camping, snowboarding, music and family time
Staff Sgt. Ihlen identified an error in a Department of the Air Force Instruction for sexual harassment procedures and alerted chain of command. Her efforts led to a policy change, ensuring reporting access for all federal employees and avoided fines for arbitrated legal action against civilian union labor agreements.
In addition to her roles, Ihlen filled the GS-12 Director and Deputy Director position during agency critical manning for 60 days. Executing higher echelon duties flawlessly and meeting all timelines and requirements.
Finally, Ihlen mentored a colleague at Sheppard AFB with processing fours complaints during a staffing shortage and was lauded by 2 Equal Opportunity Functional Area Managers for her assistance.