Waukon Chamber of Commerce Director answers another call to serve this past summer

Many may have noticed the absence of Waukon Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Leddia Tallman for a three-month span this past summer, but many may not realize that absence was due to another calling to dedicated service.

Tallman, who was hired as the Chamber’s executive director in the spring of 2020, is also a member of the Iowa Army National Guard, and she spent mid-June to mid-September of this year at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina training with the National Guard to become an Adjutant General Officer. Tallman is currently a Second Lieutenant with the Guard, and is anticipating being soon promoted to First Lieutenant.

Tallman’s training this summer included working with members of the Army Reserves and Army Active Duty to expand her knowledge in Military Human Resources Systems across the Army as a whole. She currently serves as the Battalion S1 (Human Resources Officer) for the 133d Infantry Battalion of the Iowa National Guard based out of Waterloo.

“I would say my reasoning for serving is because my grandpa served in the National Guard when times were different; he was a truck driver during Desert Storm and Vietnam,” Tallman shared in regard to her service. “I looked up to my grandpa a lot and he was a huge mentor in my life. Anything I can do to honor him, I try my best to do. My dad also tried to get me into the ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) program and I was not interested at first, but then finally gave it a shot, and now that he is no longer here, I feel like I am honoring him as well with this journey.”

Tallman says she wants to take her own experiences and use them to help others, especially when they need it the most. That is a focus she has both in her service and her civilian life.

“I really want to be there for people and I try my best to make an impact in someone’s life,” she shared. “I have seen how poor leadership is and I want to be a strong, trustworthy and empathetic leader to have my subordinates look up to me, especially in a time of need in their lives. I know there have been many setbacks in my life, and I wanted to share with people that you can be resilient in every situation and that there are genuine people there for you. I want to be an advocate for women, and men, within the services.”

Now that her most recent training is complete, Tallman says she is excited to be back to work with local businesses within Waukon. She is also ready to implement her training in the National Guard to best assist those she serves in all aspects of her life.