RAFB DUARTE

At joining us for and thanks for good evening good evening and thanks for joining us for 41nbc news at 5:30.

I'm shelby coates.

First -- it's a story... only on 41-nbc.

For women's history month... we are highlighting many of the top positions held by women... at robins air force base.

This includes -- colonel rosalie duarte.

Coming from a navy family.... she had no plans of joining the military.

In fact -- she had a hard time... landing leadership roles.

But now, as vice commander of the 78th air base wing... she's *constructing change ... and re-defining the expectations of leadership.

Nats: "i had a promotion ceremony to lt.

Col.

In that building."

Colonel rosalie duarte's success ... is written all over the wall.

Nats: "squadron commander at alcanberry as a captain."

She is the vice commander of the 78th air base wing.

Arriving at robins last june, she is at the service of the base wing commander -- his right hand woman.

"in a phase, i do what needs done.

I do what needs doing."

The wing's 27-hundred personnel report directly to duarte.

She oversees the facilities and equipment support for the base's 54 mission partners.

She's also responsible for the safety and morale of all 24-thousand airmen at robins.

And 28-thousand family dependents and retirees... fall under her responsiblity too.

"everything that we do, every action that we take supports people and the national defense strategy."

Duarte says her days are long.

And every day is different.

But she loves to lead.

However leading in the united states air force almost didn't happen.

"it didn't know how much service was in my blood until i was serving."

After receiving a masters degree in health promotion, duarte went to work in a north carolina hospital system.

As she tells it... she actually had trouble getting promoted.

"i kept getting to the last level of a job interview where they would ask how many people have you supervised.

And what kinds of things have you led.

Up until then the answer was a spinning class."

Her father and fiancee -- who both served in the navy -- recommended she join the us air force ... as the best way to gain leadership experience and maintain a decent quality of life.

The plan was to serve four years and get back to the health feild.

But her career took a non-traditional route to the top.

"vice commander was, is a little unexpected.

Certainly a privildge.

I didn't spend any time as a group commander which is normally what you do after squardron."

Along the way ... duarte says leaders who looked like her were few and far between.

***"there were pockets of women i could look up to and i could see as role models, but more often than not i would be the only female leader at a table."

Being "an only" did not bother duarte... she says because of her own sense of self and knowing what she brings to the table.

***"i don't wait to be asked my opinion.

If there is something i have a prespective that i have that people need to hear."

In her 23-year, air force career, duarte says being a woman -- born in the phillipines -- has not hindered her.

Instead she claims..

Her time in the service has helped her avoid some of the prejudices her other peers face outside the gates.

"there is a male colonel next to me on my right and on my left.

We are all making the same money.

We;re all getting the same title.

We all -- i might be making more because i speak more languages then them, you know what i mean.

There is definately a level of merit."

Although amibitous... duarte says titles are not her top priority.

Instead she sees leadership as an act of service.

And her message for others is this.

"the importance of we, the colloboration, that my voice -- c1 3 b13 though strong -- should give way to some other opinions."

Shelby coates 41-nbc as mentioned, colonel rosalie duarte is responsible for the safety and morale of all airmen at robins... and their families.

This includes ... overseeing the sexual assualt prevention and response program.

She also leads ... the air force's only "intergrated resilience and prevention office... which focuses on mental