By Laura Dempsey
A tour of MGMWERX in Montgomery, Alabama, provided Wright Brothers Institute (WBI) insight into their specialty of aligning Air University initiatives with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
MGMWERX was created under a Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) between DEFENSEWERX and AFRL, focused on Air University’s education initiatives. MGMWERX augments Air University programs by providing a direct connection to ideas that exist outside the military, giving students a basis of non-traditional thinking about ways of doing business.
Rob Klees, WBI’s Strategic Partnerships Manager, visited MGMWERX on March 10, 2020, literally days before the coronavirus threat upended business as usual in the United States, forcing many Americans to set up home work stations in the country-wide effort to maintain social distancing.
Klees expected the visit to be primarily exploratory in nature, but found that “in light of the times, MGMWERX has been on the leading edge of virtual connecting. They provide virtual support for Air University and are holding a Virtual Reality Showcase in early May, in which WBI has been invited to participate.”
It was clear that leveraging MGMWERX’s existing capabilities will be a valuable tool for WBI, adding another way of connecting the Air Force and AFRL to ideas, innovations and partners that were, perhaps, not previously, considered. The expertise and experience in virtual collaboration as shown at MGMWERX positions them at the forefront of what is undoubtedly the next generation of collaboration.
WBI’s commitment to collaboration and innovation with the Air Force makes pursuing these connections worthwhile, ultimately benefitting the warfighter by providing quick collaboration and exchange of ideas.