The future of the U.S. is brown and gray, according to a University of North Carolina professor who spoke at NAVAIR’s national Black History Month event Feb. 27.

“We are in the midst of unprecedented demographic changes; if you ignore them, you ignore them at your own peril,” said James Johnson Jr., the William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship and director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center at the university.

He listed what he called six “disruptive demographic changes,” according to data from the 2010 Census and the American Community Survey. These include population growth in the South, an increase in non-white Americans, the rise of interracial marriages, an aging white population, women on the cusp of surpassing men as a majority in the workforce and an increase in children being raised by their grandparents.

These changes, Johnson argued, will naturally filter into the workplace, and organizations such as NAVAIR must become more agile and flexible to recruit and retain their employees.

“We cannot build a future military without being sensitive to the kinds of changes going on,” he said. “We have to do a better job of building a pipeline, starting at the latest in middle school, and giving students clear instructions on what it takes to get there.”

He recognized that NAVAIR’s future employees will need several qualities: strong analytical reasoning skills, entrepreneurial acumen, contextual intelligence — “the ability to see around the corner well before you get there” — and soft skills. To recruit and retain these top tier employees, Johnson said NAVAIR must develop career ladders and give employees clear instructions on how to climb them. He also recommended embracing immigrants and actively engaging with young students to ensure a steady flow of talent.

“Managing the transition from graying to browning won’t be easy, but we have to do it,” he said.

Diversity is part of NAVAIR’s long-range strategy to “encourage diversity of skills, background and experience to enhance problem solving, creativity and innovation,” according to NAVAIR Commander Vice Adm. David Dunaway.

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