Goddard Equal Employment specialist Ijay Beltran uses his skills as an Air Force wingman to back up his colleagues in creating an equitable and fair work environment for all employees.
Name: Ijigale “Ijay” Beltran
Title: Deputy, Diversity and Inclusion Programs
Formal Job Classification: Supervisor, Equal Employment Specialist
Organization: Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity (Code 120)
What do you do at Goddard?
I help ensure that anything relevant to NASA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) programs are moving forward in alignment with NASA’s overall strategic plan. I help carry out Goddard’s certified DEIA implementation plan to ensure an equitable work environment for all employees.
What is your educational background?
In 2010, I received my Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Colorado Technical University. In 2012, I received a Master of Science in organizational leadership with a focus in human resources management from Colorado State University.
How has your military background influenced you?
While in college, in 2006, I joined the Colorado Air National Guard, a reserve component of the United States Air Force, as an airman first class doing computer security risk and boundary protection, stationed at Buckley Air Force Base. I next became an equal opportunity advisor for the Oregon Air National Guard in Portland because I wanted to work directly with people. I currently serve with the Maryland Air National Guard, assigned to Fort Meade working with the intelligence community. My current rank is master sergeant, on track to promote to the rank of senior master sergeant.
The beauty about the Air National Guard is that you can gain multiple skillsets and do many jobs.
I am in my current position because of the Air National Guard. The Guard’s core values are integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. This is my work ethic. I received a lot of great training, work experience, and a camaraderie among my fellow wingmen throughout the years.
What have been some of your prior military jobs?
While in college, I worked for the Colorado National Guard Headquarters in Denver, a federal agency, helping manage a non-profit organization that assisted soldiers and airmen in financial need. I transitioned jobs and became the Colorado State equal employment opportunity manager for the Colorado National Guard. I continued working while pursuing a master’s degree. I was transferred to the U.S. Mint at Denver as an EEO specialist.
My next assignment was at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., as an EEO specialist. Then I transferred to working for the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon, as an EEO specialist focusing on diversity and inclusion policies and training. Then I transferred to the National Guard Bureau at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland as a disability program manager and managing affirmative employment programs.
Tell us more about seeing yourself as a wingman.
Working in these different military positions taught me leadership skills, how to be assertive in asking questions, how to establish trust in relationships. It taught me how to work with partners in support of an overall program. It also taught me discipline in terms of perseverance with a strong work ethic.
A wingman is someone who always has your back, has your cover, got your six o’clock – I’ve got your back. I love to lead but I look from a lens of taking care of one another, as a cohesive team.
Why did you want to work for Goddard?
I came to Goddard in October 2022. I am fascinated that NASA was and is the best place to work in the federal government.
Please tell us more about Goddard’s certified DEIA implementation plan to ensure an equitable work environment for all employees.
The plan focuses on goals that assist to promote a culture at Goddard in which our employees feel they can be authentic, welcomed, respected, included, and engaged; maintaining an environment where our employees consistently and systematically receive fair, just, and impartial treatment; and ensuring our employees can fully and independently access facilities, information and communication technology, programs, and services. Since I’m new, I’m also focused to develop partnerships with employee resource groups affiliated with different minorities and other groups at Goddard. My goal is to develop positive relationships at Goddard and at NASA’s agency-level Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity (ODEO).
What is your role with the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) program?
I manage the ADR program, in which mediation is often used. If it is a non-EEO ADR request, I consult with legal before I move forward to schedule a session. In addition, I collect data for trend analysis and for reports to Agency ODEO.
What do you do for fun?
My wife and I have three small children, I love being a dad.
When I can, I travel back to Denver to hike or snowboard, depending on the season. I love the Rocky Mountains views early in the morning, when the hues of pink and purple are prevalent.
I also enjoy cycling and traveling, seeing the world. As my children reach the appropriate age to appreciate travel, I would like travel with them around the world, especially Japan.
What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words.
Dad. Caring. Trustworthy. Wingman. Determined. Outdoorsy.
By Elizabeth M. Jarrell
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.
