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From Honorary Commander to AMC Civic Leader

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Ashlin Federick
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Whether making a cake for customers or working with Airmen at the base, Dawne Nickerson-Banez has baked her heart into the local community and the lives of Team Dover Airmen. Possessing all the right ingredients and tools has been Nickerson-Banez's key to success as a business owner, honorary commander at Dover AFB and now Air Mobility Command civic leader. 

Nickerson-Banez is the owner of Frankfurt Bakery and Deli in Dover, Delaware, with two locations. Prior to achieving her dream of small business ownership, she was an assistant vice president of business banking for Citizens Bank. She was the first female paramedic in Kent County, Delaware, worked in human resources and logistics at Playtex Products and was the director of development for a Kent-Sussex Industries. She is an Honorary Commander Alumnus, past president of the Downtown Dover Rotary Club, a member of the Military Affairs Committee, Air Force Association, Delaware Veterans Club and Downtown Dover Partnership.

Being a former Navy corpsman, helping people is in her blood. After taking a tour of the base, Nickerson-Banez realized there were no hands-on nutritional classes for Airmen living in the dorms.

Coming up on the two-year mark of the program she established, "Dorm to Gourm," Nickerson-Banez said she enjoys hanging out with dorm residents while teaching them healthy meal preparations on a budget.

"Out of everything I am involved in, Dorm to Gourm is my favorite because it is my baby," said Nickerson-Banez.

"Dorm to Gourm" is a program which teaches Airmen who live in the dorms how to cook basic meals. It is an interactive and hands-on program that allows Airmen to prepare meals and then sit down and enjoy it while they socialize and network with other Airmen. The program is held every other Tuesday in the Health and Wellness Center's state-of-the-art kitchen.

Nickerson-Banez said this program is important to her because some of the Airmen involved would have never met each other had it not been for the program.

"If one works in the aerial port squadron and the other in the logistics readiness squadron they may never cross paths but because of Dorm to Gourm, they met, found common ground and now are the best of friends," said Nickerson-Banez. "There is a lot that has happened in the course of two years and I am very proud of that because I feel like not only am I making memories for them, I am also creating friendships for them to have for life, too."

Before being named an AMC Civic Leader, Nickerson-Banez was part of the Dover AFB Honorary Commander Program for three years.

"It was some of the proudest years of my life," said Nickerson-Banez. "I think it is an awesome program and I love everything that we do. It enhances us. We get the behind-the-scenes tours and we understand what is happening at the base level and we can bring it back to our communities."

Team Dover's Honorary Commander Program matches individuals from across the state with commanders from the 436th AW, 512th AW, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, Joint Personal Effects Depot and the 373d Training Squadron, Detachment 3. It is a way to help members of the community understand the importance of Dover AFB and the Air Force's mission. It also allows military commanders and their Airmen to learn more about the community in which they live.

Nickerson-Banez hopes to gain more understanding of the Air Force globally as well as at the base level by being a part of the AMC Civic Leader program. She said this program is like the Honorary Commander program taken to the next level. It is a cross section of people from all over the country who get to meet with the leader of AMC to ask questions and get feedback.

"It is an honor for me to have been selected," said Nickerson-Banez. "I think it gives our base a voice and it puts a face to our base. We get to see what leadership wants us to bring back to our bases as well as our communities. Reversely, we can bring back issues in our community and base to the AMC level."

The AMC Civic Leader Program is a program that provides an opportunity for civic leaders to develop relationships with the AMC commander, provide trusted advice and counsel and to work towards increasing understanding and cooperation between the civilian community and the Air Force.

Being prior military herself, Nickerson-Banez said people should know the military and the various ways they can support the base and the military in general. She said it is important for people to know how to get more involved.

"I love the military and I love helping others," said Nickerson-Banez. "What I do is part of who I am. I just love serving. Muhammed Ali said, 'Serving the community and volunteering is the rent we pay for our space on earth.' I believe it. It's in my heart."