EP 08: Officership, Leadership & Personal Success with LTC Eskelund

This week Sarah & Nicole interview Sarah's mentor Mai Lee Eskelund. As a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army she shares her career advancement and the benefits & challenges she's experienced in her many years of service. Topics also discussed are: 

• Benefits of ROTC program 
• Experiences with mentorship and defining mentorship for yourself 
• Challenges as a young leaders 
• Being your authentic self 
• See-something-say-something 
• Developing yourself as a young leader
• Disagreeing with a leader vs. toxic leadership
• How do you define success?  
• Finding a balance in work & life 
• Aspects of a mentorship relationship 
• Organic vs. formal based mentorship 

 

About Mai Lee Eskelund: 

Lieutenant Colonel Mai Lee Eskelund is the Deputy Director of Task Force Strategic Officer Recruiting Detachment (SORD) and the Chief of the Houston location. She graduated from the University of Illinois of Chicago (UIC) with a BA in Psychology and commissioned through ROTC in 2003 as a branch detailed Signal Officer. 

After completing the Signal Transition Course, LTC Eskelund was assigned to I CORPS at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM), Washington. She was responsible for the only Signal Platoon in I CORPS, G6. In 2006, Mai Lee was assigned as the S6 and deployed with 22nd MP Battalion, which was quickly followed by 2008 deployment serving as the AS3 and Bravo Company Commander of 51st Signal Battalion.  

After graduating the Command and General Staff College, LTC Eskelund deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan as a Signal Executive Officer of the 25th Signal Battalion. In 2015, Mai Lee served as the Regimental S6 with 3d Cavalry Regiment in TB Gamberi and Fort Hood, TX. 

In 2017, LTC Eskelund served as the Assistant Professor of Military Science and the Executive Officer for Stephen F. Austin State University Military Science Program. She helped commission over 25 new second lieutenants for the Total Army.

An ROTC alumnus, LTC Eskelund fully understands the USACC mission and is well equipped to support recruiting and outreach efforts required to engage the Houston community. 

LTC Eskelund’s award are affiliated with her accomplishments. She is a world traveler, who claims Texas as her home. Mai Lee is pursuing a second Master’s Degree in Counseling for her career after of the Army.

 

You can reach us at:
Website: https://earfulofleadership.buzzsprout.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/earful.of.leadership/
Email: [e-mail]

 

This podcast was inspired by: Military Mentors, Militarymentors.org

Special thank you to your first sponsor: Mai Lee Eskelund

 

Disclaimer: Earful of Leadership is an independent project and is not endorsed by the Department of Defense or any Military component. The views expressed are those of the host and the content of this podcast is not meant to provide any legal or medical advice.