HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Meet Tamra Griffis, lead scheduler with the 809th Support Group's Maintenance Support Squadron in the Ogden Air Logistics Complex.
Tamra began her career for the government as a contractor for the Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory (PMEL). After 18 years, she moved over to civil service, working for the Metrology Calibration Flight (MCF). She has been working for the federal government for a total of 33 years!
Technicians in the 809th MXSS calibrate all types of aircraft equipment. The MXSS receives equipment not only from places on Hill AFB, but also from locations all over the world. Tamra’s job is to schedule the equipment for calibration as it comes into the Depot. Once the equipment is calibrated, she schedules it to be shipped back to its original owners.
When Tamra is not scheduling calibrations for aircraft parts, she heads up the morale committee, helping boost the morale of the people she works with. She plans potlucks and retirement parties, helping the workforce to not only stay connected, but also to create a positive place where people enjoy working.
Although Tamra calls Layton, Utah her home, she was born in England. Her father served in the military, and their family moved around when she was young. When her father retired, her family decided to put down roots in Utah.
Tamra also enjoys working in her garden to grow beautiful flowers .She and her husband have created an outdoor oasis in her own backyard, complete with a pond full of goldfish with a waterfall feature, a pergola, and lots of flowers
“I could be outside for hours tinkering around my garden and caring for my flowers,” she said.
Tamra also enjoys camping and traveling with her family. On one most memorable traveling excursion to Isla Mujeres, an island off the coast of Cancun, Mexico, Tamra and her family found themselves stuck in the path of a Hurricane Beryl. As the hurricane began hurdling towards the hotel where Tamra, her husband, son, daughter-in-law and two of her grandchildren were staying, the hotel staff told them they needed to move for their own safety from their first-floor rooms to rooms on the third floor. It was a good thing they moved to the higher floors because the hurricane was so severe, windows were blown out, trees were uprooted, and the first couple of floors of the hotel flooded with the aggressive nature of the storm. Luckily, Tamra and her family hunkered down in their hotel for a couple of days until the hurricane passed. Their vacation was spoiled, but they survived.
Tamra says her children and her grandchildren are her greatest achievement.
“I raised my children, and they turned out well. My family is everything to me,” she said.
When asked about what motivates her to wake up and go to work in the morning, Tamra said, “The people! I love my team, I love my customers, and I love my job."