Bethany Major: Communication
Employment: Commander of the Oklahoma City West Recruiting Company for the United States Army in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
What you do: I lead 44 Recruiters and 8 Station Commanders to identify qualified military applicants, engage, and engender commitment to motivate them to join the United States Army. Our eight stations cover 38,000 square miles of urban, suburban, and rural Oklahoma and Texas.
As one of the senior Army leaders in the community I serve as an Army Ambassador—telling the Army story and relating how important the Army’s mission is to the continued vitality of our nation. I regularly engage with community, business, education, and government leaders at the local, county, state, and national levels to influence the recruiting environment and build Army partnerships.
One of my primary roles is building relationships with secondary and post-secondary institutions at the teacher, counselor, administrator, and school board level. I work to build bridges between different community partners and to leverage the Army and its assets in order to form effective, two-way relationships.
In November of 2019, I was selected for the Army’s Public Affairs branch. Formerly I was a Signal Officer, responsible for IT and communication in the Army.
In October of 2020, I will become the Public Affairs Officer for the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
What inspires you: Having the ability to influence and mentor others is tremendously rewarding. Every day I have the opportunity to help someone achieve their goals and to serve as a storyteller and communicator who enhances my organization.
How you want to make a difference: I want to continue helping the Army and my unit tell their stories, and I want to help develop those I meet along the way.
How Bethany prepared you: The education I received at BLC absolutely set me up for success in so many ways. Being involved in the creation and development of the Audio/Video Studio and production program back in 2001-2005 taught me a tremendous amount about work ethic, delegation, and achieving results. The student to faculty ratio and the concern and care for their charges displayed by the professors will always remain with me. Having personal relationships with them contributed greatly to my growth there.
What you remember most about Bethany: I will always remember being the Producer for the MSU Maverick’s hockey broadcast in 2002, the first year we took full control of the broadcast from Charter. Working with Chris Johnson and fellow students to develop a program from the ground up was something I’ll never forget.
Advice for current students: Move outside your comfort zone and what you think may interest you. Before arriving at Bethany I never would have thought AV Production would be something that would guide my life, but it has. Even though I moved out of the television production field after several years, I continue to leverage the knowledge and experienced I gained there on a regular basis.