One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 128 years of family serving family.
Who she is: Jessica Provan, main store manager of the KMCC Exchange at Ramstein AFB
Years with the Exchange: 19 years
What brought her to the Exchange: “I am a legacy hire by marriage. My mother-in-law, father-in-law and husband all worked for the Exchange. My passion for serving others was met by this company.”
What she did at first: Provan’s first position with the Exchange was a temporary role with the Exchange headquarters’ Treasury Offset Program in Finance and Accounting in 2004. Her primary duties were debt reconciliation. After working for this department for six weeks, Provan was transferred to the Human Resources team.
Provan moved through HR for about a year in 2004. She advanced to the marketing and communications department for six years, filling seven roles between 2006 and 2011. In 2011, Provan PCS’d to Okinawa and began filling roles in upper management in the Okinawa Retail Office. Provan has held more than 11 management positions within the Exchange since 2011.
Military connection: Provan’s grandfather was in the Army for six years, serving in World War II. He was involved in the liberation of the Dachau concentration complex in 1945. Her father-in-law, David Provan, served in the Navy for 20 years.
“Having only distant connections with the military community as a child, I never fully realized the sacrifices a military family makes until I took on a new last name,” Provan says. “When I joined the Provan family, I quickly learned how special it is to be part of this community. Watching my father-in-law deploy multiple times with the Exchange allowed me to see firsthand how passionate he was about serving our nation. After 20 years of honorable service in the USN, he still had a burning desire to serve and continued to serve with the Exchange until 2016.”
Exchange connection: Provan’s husband worked for the Exchange in the headquarters marketing department until 2011. Her mother-in-law worked in the Exchange headquarters’ Equal Employment Opportunity, Diversity & Inclusion department until 2013. Her father-in-law also worked at Exchange headquarters as a deployed contractor until 2016.
Memorable moments: “Learning about the sacrifices a military family makes had a significant impact on me and my career; our subsequent moves across the globe came full circle when I was able to recognize David’s Vietnam War Era service and present him with the commemorative pin at Fort Hood (Cavazos) in 2019. This is one of the defining moments in my career and my heart still bursts with pride when I reflect on that day. I’m glad I get to carry that in my heart forever, it was truly an honor and with his passing in July of this year, I am so grateful to have been able to experience that privilege. It is something that I will reflect on and during a hard day, perhaps the roots that keep me grounded to push through, as the service we provide to our warfighters and their families is nothing short of a privilege and an honor.”
Provan also recalls a Christmas season moment in 2016 in Okinawa. The Exchange in Okinawa hosts a Kid’s Shopping Night every Christmas where students from Kadena High school’s JROTC program purchase and wrap a gift anonymously for members of the community who may be missing out on a holiday season with their loved ones.
“The Sunday after Christmas, a woman came into the store and hugged me with tears in her eyes, thanking me for my involvement in the Kid’s Shopping Night. The woman was a military spouse who was often alone during the holiday season. She said that it was the first time in nine years that she had opened a surprise for herself. That is when I knew I had chosen the right path with the Exchange family.”
Family Serving Family: “Family has always been very important to me, so this idea of family serving family was a natural fit. I have a passion for serving others. The Exchange is the most noble place to do that. Serving the military community has given me a renewed appreciation for the sacrifices service members make. I am honored to be part of this family. I could not choose a better family! I love the Exchange; I love what we do and how we take care of one another. I genuinely believe in what we do. I bleed the Exchange, red and blue.”
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