So Ya Wanna Be THE Chief?!

CMSgt Daniel Hall III is the Senior Enlisted Leader of the Wing Staff Agency and Comptroller Squadron (CPTS) assigned to the Air Education and Training Command, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB, Arizona. CMSgt Hall provides guidance, mentorship and leadership to 212 personnel across 24 career fields and 19 agencies that support 27 units, two Geographically Separated Units, 200 pilot trainees annually,...

CMSgt Ecatarina M Garcia is the Senior Enlisted Leader of the 301st Intelligence Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. She is the principal advisor to the commander on all matters concerning professional development, readiness, morale, welfare, quality of life, and effective deployment utilization.  CMSgt Garcia entered the United States Air Force in June of 2004. She has served in va...

Chief Master Sergeant Henry "Mac" McRoberts, From Little Rock Arkansas, is a Senior Enlisted Leader of the 701st Munitions Support Squadron located at Kleine Brogel Air Base Belgium, advising the Commander and Director of Operations on the training, equipping and quality of life matters impacting 152 Airmen in efforts of NATO mission execution. He has served for 23 years in functional an...

Colonel Christina P. Perez is the Division Chief of Enterprise Information Technology (EIT) Investment Management, Office of the Chief Information Officer for the Department of the Air Force, comprised of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. She provides the executive and senior level leadership planning, governance, and resourcing recommendations for Department-wide EIT initiatives and issues...

CMSgt Adrian T. Garcia is the Flight Chief, Vehicle Management, 673d Logistics Readiness Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Alaska. Chief Garcia leads 133 civilian and military personnel and is responsible for the management and maintenance of the Air Force’s largest snow removal fleet and its third largest vehicle fleet. Chief Garcia was born in Lorain, Ohio and entered the Air For...

Kodi Bailey is a retired Chief Master Sergeant who served honorably for 24 years. Throughout his career, Chief Bailey led with compassion, discipline, and a deep commitment to mentoring the next generation of Airmen.  As the author of Letters to Airmen: Lessons on Growth, Resilience, and Service In The Airman Tier , Kodi draws from decades of lived experience to guide new Airmen through the challe...

Chief Master Sergeant Gerardo J. Ventura is dual hatted as the Senior Enlisted Leader for Headquarters Seventh Air Force and the Force Protection Division, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea.  Chief Ventura advises the Seventh Air Force Chief of Staff, Directors, and over 200 United States and Republic of Korea personnel on the best use of human resources to meet mission requirements to ensure a uni...

Chief Master Sergeant Felipe E. Perez is the Senior Enlisted Leader of the 844th Communications Group at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. He advises the Commander on cyber operations and leads 970 personnel supporting 32,000 users across 84 units, 6 wings, and 3 joint bases. He oversees $250 million in systems and circuits, supports global command and control for senior U.S. leaders, and manages exec...

Dan Stellabotte is a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant now serving as (OWF) Regional Coordinator for Region 8 Rocky Mountain and Great Plains Region which covers ND, SD, NE, KS, WY, UT, and CO. Having served for 28 years, he embraced his passion for helping people, especially as a Career Assistance Advisor, where he assisted countless service members with transition assistance, educational o...

DJ Vanas, an internationally acclaimed speaker and bestselling author, is a powerhouse speaker for Fortune 500 companies, hundreds of tribal nations, and over 7000 audiences nationwide. He has also spoken at the White House. More important than all of that is that he’s my Chosen Brother! He wrote the foreword to my book, So Ya Wanna Be THE Chief?!, and has mentored me in several areas of my life. ...

Chief Master Sergeant Jacob “Jake” Simmons is the Command Senior Enlisted Leader for United States Space Command at Peterson Space Force Base Colorado. U.S. Space Command is the Unified Combatant Command responsible for conducting operations in, from, and to space to deter conflict, and if necessary, defeat aggression, deliver space combat power for the Joint/Combined force, and defend U.S. vital...

Chief Master Sergeant Troy Davis serves as the Chief Enlisted Manager for Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs – Space Force. He advises the Deputy Director for Space on matters related to morale, welfare, recognition, and career progression for more than 152 uniformed and civilian personnel. He provides senior enlisted perspective and subject matter expertise on matters concerning leadership...

Jacob Bleymaier is a Captain in the U.S. Air Force. He grew up a military brat as his father was a career Maintenance Officer. Captain Bleymaier joined the Air Force in 2019 after commissioning through ROTC at Liberty University where he earned a degree in Politics and Policy and a Minor in Military History. He's currently pursuing a Master’s degree in History through LU and raising his two c...

Chief Master Sergeant (Ret) Alan Weary hails from Alamogordo, New Mexico. He enlisted in August 1999 as a Biomedical Equipment Repair Technician. Throughout his career, he has completed 11 assignments, including three overseas, with his final post as Installation Command Chief at Hanscom Air Force Base. He retired from active duty on January 1, 2025, after over 25 years of service to our nation. ...

Chief Master Sergeant, Retired, Laten Tony Williams was born in Kingston, Jamaica. His family moved to Port Salerno, Florida when he was 11 years old. After graduating from high school in 1982, he attended Indian River Community College before joining the United States Air Force in September 1983. He retired in 2011. During his 28 years, Chief Williams served mostly in the Services career field. H...

Colonel (Ret) Kurt Pfiztner is a Prior Enlisted Officer who served as an enlisted member in the United States Air Force from 1976 to 1979 and as an officer from 1982 through 2008. He began his career as a Law Enforcement Specialist and retired as the Director of Staff at the Air Force Personnel Center. His story is featured in the recently published book titled, A Different Shade of Blue: Stories...

Maryann Navarro is a retired Chief Master Sergeant who served as a key resource and adviser to senior leadership and staff on human resources and operational activities at the Air Force’s second-largest training installation with a workforce comprised of over 12,000 personnel. She directly led and mentored over 1,600 personnel in six diverse branches executing combat support, logistics, and servic...

Dr. José A. Lugo Santiago, ASQ CMQ/OE, PMP, CSSMBB, is an accomplished Senior Executive Leader, U.S Air Force Veteran, Published Author, Entrepreneur, and Keynote Speaker with +20 years of experience living abroad, managing and transforming organizations, leading, and developing thousands of personnel. He is experienced in the creation and deployment of organizational strategy, quality systems and...

Manny Martinez hails from Olympia WA. He’s the President of Relentless Leadership LLC., a Crestcom International authorized agent. Crestcom delivers interactive learning experiences in leadership and management which help people produce real business results across 60 countries and 25,000 clients.  In October 2018, Manny completed a 30-year career in the United States Air Force, reaching the summi...

Danny Roby is Vice President, AMU Business Development and Student Success. He oversees AMU Brand Management encompassing the B2B, Military/Veteran and International markets.  He has been with the university since 2005. Prior to joining APUS, Chief Roby served in the US Air Force for 27 years, retiring as a CMSgt (E-9) in 2005.  He held numerous positions as a security policeman in the early part...

Master Sergeant Andrew Livingston is a seasoned entrepreneur and veteran, with a graduate-level education and a distinguished 20-year career in the United States Air Force, where he earned multiple awards across four different AFSCs, including the prestigious title of First Sergeant of the Year. He is the founder of Bring the Awesome Inc., a company specializing in real estate transactions across...

Chief Master Sergeant (Retired) Sarah Sparks served as the Command Chief Master Sergeant at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. She advised the Academy’s Superintendent and senior staff in the direction of a premier higher-education institution offering a world-class, highly structured four-year regimen of comprehensive military training, unparalleled academics, expans...

Senior Master Sergeant Mealinda M. Koory is the Superintendent of the Commander Support Staff, 302nd Aeromedical Staging Squadron, United States Air Force Reserve, Peterson SFB, CO. Her team is responsible for coordinating administrative and operational duties and programs, ensuring unit and Wing members can focus on core tasks impacting overall mission readiness.  SMSgt Koory enlisted in the Air...

CMSgt (Ret) Todd Salzman is a 30-year Air Force veteran. He logged over 2700 hours of instructor and evaluator time in KC-135R and deployed globally in support of numerous operations and contingencies. Todd served as Command Chief at the 22nd Air Refueling Wing, McConnell AFB, Kansas, 13th Air Force, Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and finally at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colora...

Chief Master Sgt (Ret) Jeffrey J. Trottier served as the Command Chief of the 109th Airlift Wing, Stratton Air National Guard Base Scotia, New York. Stratton is home to the ski-equipped LC-130H cargo plane whose primary mission is to support National Science Foundation directed operations in the Arctic and Antarctica polar regions. As the 11th Senior Enlisted Advisor/Command Chief, he served as th...