Julie Cantwell

Activist, Change Agent, Connector, Educator/Teacher, Event planner, Foodie, Global soul, Idea generator, Parent, Project manager, Public servant, Technologist, World traveler

Ms. Cantwell, is the Technical Director and Training Administrator for Language Education and Training at the 517th Training Group, Presidio of Monterey, CA. She serves as the foreign language functional expert and senior technical advisor to the commander and staff. She provides leadership, advice, expertise, and guidance on the continuum of foreign language training and education, integration, strategic policy, and management of the Air Force foreign language enterprise for cryptologic language analysis, foreign area officer development, and personnel exchange programs. Additionally, she serves as the commander’s senior technical representative to the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Headquarters Air Force Staff, Major Commands, Numbered Air Forces, Wings, Intelligence Community agencies, and other policy-level organizations for foreign language readiness and operations. She leads innovation projects through partnerships with Air Force, DoD, academia, and industry to leverage technology and advanced methodologies for improving and optimizing foreign language training for Air Force members. Prior to beginning her federal service career, Ms. Cantwell served on active duty in the Air Force as a career Chinese Cryptologic Language Analyst. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education studying organizational change and leadership. EDUCATION 1997 Chinese Mandarin Basic Course, Defense Language Institute, Monterey, CA 1997 Cryptologic Language Analyst Apprentice Course, Goodfellow AFB, TX 1999 Associates of Arts, Chinese Language, Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey, CA 2000 Airman Leadership School, Fort Meade, MD 2001 Associate of Applied Science, Communucations Applications Tech, CCAF, Maxwell AFB, AL 2002 Bachelor of Arts, Asian Studies, University of Maryland University College, Adelphi, MD 2005 Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, Kadena AB, Japan 2009 Middle Enlisted Career Cryptologic Advancement Program, Fort Meade, MD 2013 Master of Arts, International Relations, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 2014 Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Gunter Annex-Maxwell AFB, AL 2018 Certificate, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Bronze Star Defense Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster Air Force Meritorious Service Medal Joint Service Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster Joint Service Achievement Medal NATO Meritorious Service Medal

disrupting the status quo for positive change and empowering people to be their best selves.

We tend to put people in "boxes" based on any number of factors...whether it's the clothes they wear, what school they went to, how much money they make, where their family is from etc. After 25 years of working with people from all over the US and the world, I've learned to never make assumptions and to take the time to really get to know someone and let them show me who they are. You never know what special skill or talent or passion someone you work with may have that can help your organization or cause because it's outside the box you put them in.

China affairs, Cross Cultural Communication, Cyber Intelligence and Security, Education, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Language Ed, gaming, Intelligence analysis, Leadership, Leadership and Management Development, National Security Affairs, Tech Innovation, virtual reality

I started viewing TEDtalks back in the late 2000s when a colleague starting having sessions for people who "wanted to make change." As I moved to a new organization, I brought that ethic with me and introduced my new staff to TEDTalk Tuesdays, a weekly opportunity to take a breather moment and see the world through different perspectives. I also sought out opportunities to participate in conferences myself, through TEDx events locally and attending TEDWomen in 2015. Attending TEDWomen led me to my doctoral work thanks to the keynote speech by former President Jimmy Carter where he said gender equity would happen when "men give a damn." I'm now completing my dissertation looking at men's perceptions of their role in creating gender equity in executive leadership. In my new position, I continue to hold my weekly events to continue encouraging others to think differently and deeply about the world around them.