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Mary Page McCanless |
Multi-tasking at Its Best
Mary Page McCanless
July 2005
When MITRE officially launched the MITRE Aviation Institute (MAI)
several years ago, Mary Page McCanless was there seeing to the myriad
of details in developing the first core courses. Now as the MAI
provides regularly offered courses and customized programs to a
diverse audience both inside and outside of MITRE, McCanless continues
to devote her time and energy into making each course as good as
possible.
MITRE's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD),
the federally funded research and development center for the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA), started the MAI several years ago
to harness its staff's expertise in aviation issues. The Institute,
which provides comprehensive and specialized courses on a variety
of aviation issues and technology, has grown rapidly to keep up
with demand.
All MAI courses are open to everyone in government and industry,
as well as to the MITRE population. As McCanless explains, "The
goal of the MAI is to provide training in CAASD's core areas of
expertise and to support the FAA and its mission."
McCanless is an expert at multi-tasking, both at home and on the
job. Used to managing a busy household of seven, these skills have
helped her handle the many tasks involved in the day-to-day operations
of the MAI. "I do a lot of everything at the MAI," she says. "Our
core staff is made up of Director CC Hsin, Course Manager Cheryl
Andrews, and me. We all work very hard to make the MAI a success.
There are so many factors to think about when you are developing
and delivering a new course—such as recruiting instructors,
gathering and developing course materials, promoting the course
and coordinating details."
She adds, "As a team, CC, Cheryl and I are very straightforward
in our goals for the MAI and we try hard for what we call precision
execution. We grade ourselves on everything. We want to be better
than the best and are always trying to improve the courses, materials,
and delivery. We are passionately committed to what we do."
CC Hsin, who is both MAI Director and CAASD's Regional Director,
Asia-Pacific, is quick to praise McCanless's efforts. "Mary Page's
support and contributions have been major factors in the success
of MAI," he says. "She has been involved in every phase of the training
programs, including business planning, promotion, partnership building,
and course operation, and she does all her work with dedication
and enthusiasm. She is very professional, thorough, and efficient,
and she always adds a human touch."
This type of dedication and persistence has paid off. Since its
inception, the MAI has offered over 62 courses and continues to
add more as new issues emerge. In addition, the MAI is working in
partnership with the aviation industry, including the American Association
of Airport Executives and the Air Traffic Control Association, on
future collaborative training efforts. By drawing on the vast resources
within CAASD, the MAI further aligns MITRE with the aviation industry
and provides a public service with its national and international
training on aviation issues.
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MAI's Mary Page McCanless
and CC Hsin |
McCanless, who first joined MITRE in 1984, worked in several different
departments prior to the MAI and, as a result, knows many people
throughout the company. When asked what she enjoys most about her
current job she replies, "The opportunity to work with so many MITRE
professionals is wonderful and the variety inherent to this job
is very stimulating. I also appreciate being able to see a project
through from beginning to completion. I like the challenges involved
in finding the best way to get the job done and knowing there is
always some way to work the problem. Additionally, I feel honored
to work with so many experts in their respective fields both inside
and outside MITRE."
She continues, "Seeing the customer satisfaction when we have delivered
what they need is incredibly rewarding. When I hear someone who
attended an MAI course say 'that course really helped me,' I feel
like we have accomplished our goal. From a personal perspective,
knowing that I did a good job is a terrific feeling."
—by Kay M. Upham
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