Foundation Board of Directors

Louis Bremer is the founder and CEO of Windage Partners, a middle-market-focused private equity firm that makes control investments in the aerospace, defense and government services end-markets. Since 2002, he has led or advised on more than $25 billion in strategic M&A and financing transactions and has held board positions with numerous private equity-backed companies, including as the chairman of Root9B and Creative Radicals.

Following his graduation from the United States Air Force Academy in 1992, Bremer was commissioned in the U.S. Navy and served for eight years as a Naval Special Warfare (SEAL) officer, completing operational tours at SEAL Team 3 and SEAL Team 8. As a platoon commander, he led numerous classified, multinational operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina during Operation Joint Forge.

In 2007, Bremer was appointed by President George W. Bush to the 2007-2008 Class of White House Fellows and served on the Homeland Security Council staff in the executive office of the president. He was the director of strategy and resources and co-authored the 2007 National Strategy for Homeland Security.

In 2020, he was nominated by President Donald J. Trump for the position of assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict, the senior Department of Defense official responsible for overseeing America’s Special Operations Forces. He testified in front of the United States Senate but did not receive a confirmation vote due to the outcome of the presidential election.

Bremer serves on the advisory board of The Navy SEAL Museum San Diego. He is a co-founder and former director of the Navy SEAL Foundation, a former director of the White House Fellows Foundation and Association, and a former director of the Carson Scholars Fund. He holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he serves on the Private Equity Council, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Business Executives for National Security, Council for National Policy, and Alder.

Mr. Bruni earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the United States Air Force Academy and a Master of Arts degree in economics from UCLA. He worked as an Operations Research officer for the U.S. Air Force and served on the Department of Economics faculty at the U. S. Air Force Academy, where he directed and taught courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and financial markets. He was twice named by the Academy as the Outstanding Educator in Economics. Mr. Bruni is the founder and president of Colorado Springs-based J. V. Bruni and Company, the largest independent money management firm in southern Colorado. An experienced investor, he has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, CNNMoney, Fortune, and other financial media. He is also a popular speaker for college students, teachers and community groups. Mr. Bruni, who is an active supporter of many non-profit organizations, also founded and is president of the Bruni Foundation, which supports education and development programs nationwide for students and adults. He is also an Overseer of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Additionally, he is a former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Council for Economic Education and a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Council for Economic Education.

Paul Capon has over a decade of experience managing teams and investing in and running companies, including private equity, startups and those in distressed situations. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a captain responsible for 150+ personnel, a convoy commander for over 100 missions in Kabul, Afghanistan, and logistics lead in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Capon joined Capstone in early 2013 and worked in the restructuring industry both company and lender sides, helping recoup lent capital or helping companies secure DIP financing .

In early 2015, Capon founded LunaCap Ventures, a venture debt firm focused on hybrid growth capital investing. As managing partner, he has led and executed over 30 investments. He successfully sold one of his portfolio companies as vice chairman and helped guide it out of distress to its first profitable year and subsequent sale, realizing a fortyfold return in five years. He was also the CEO of Wessex Press, a LunaCap Ventures portfolio company, where he increased revenue eightfold and led the company to its first profitable year since inception within in his first three years. Most recently, Capon founded and is the CEO of Stellar Alliance, a private equity and venture capital group focused on buying and investing in companies in the aerospace and defense industry.

Capon is an investor and on the board of New Majority Capital, a fund that teaches and invests in individuals focused on self-funded search acquisitions through LBOs. Capon is also the founder of LunaCap Foundation, a nonprofit that provides scholarships to veterans and/or Mexicans attending top-tier business schools. Since inception in 2018, he has personally funded and awarded over 50 scholarships totaling more than $500,000 and raised more than $1.4 million.

He holds a B.S. from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and MBAs from Columbia Business School and London Business School.

Dr. John Childs is a founder of Evidence In Motion and Confluent Health (which includes EIM), a network of 800+ outpatient physical therapy centers in more than 35 states. He also is founder of Fit for Work, which provides workplace injury prevention services focused on reducing workers' compensation claims. Childs is a board-certified orthopaedic clinical specialist from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (Emeritus) and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic and Manual Physical Therapists. Having served 20 years in the Air Force, Childs has collaborated on more than $10 million in grant funding and published more than 150 papers in leading scientific journals. He served 10 years as associate editor for Physical Therapy and Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy. He has received numerous research, education and business awards, including being an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist and San Antonio Health Care Hero. He is the youngest fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association, the profession's highest honor recognizing individuals for professional excellence and making a profound impact in advancing the profession.

A distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1994, Childs completed a Master of Physical Therapy from Baylor University in 1996, an MBA from the University of Arizona in 2000, and a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh in 2003.

William Clohan has served in numerous senior positions in the military, the private sector and with the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. He is currently a strategic business consultant in Irvine, California.

From 2014 to 2017, Clohan was president and CEO for West Coast University (WCU), an institution educating principally healthcare students at the baccalaureate to doctoral levels. Prior to 2014, he served on the WCU board and the boards of four other higher education institutions.

From 2001 to 2008, Clohan was chairman of U.S. Education Corporation (USEC), a postsecondary education company he founded with 17 campuses serving approximately 10,000 students in seven Western states. DeVry Inc. acquired USEC in September 2008. Clohan served as a special advisor to the DeVry president/CEO and its Medical & Healthcare Group, and then as senior advisor to the president/CEO of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities.

His involvement with education-affiliated organizations has been extensive. Clohan was executive director of the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools, the primary trade association representing 315 private career colleges and schools in California. He also has served as general counsel to the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools and the Association of Independent Colleges and Schools.

He was a founding partner in Clohan & Dean, a Washington-based law firm specializing in representation of education, disability and banking clients before Congress and state and federal government agencies. Clohan served as U.S. undersecretary of education (1981-82), as education counsel to the Education & Labor Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives (1978-81), and as legislative assistant to two members of congress (1976-78).

As an officer in the U.S. Air Force, he served as commander of the headquarters support squadrons for Tactical Air Command and for Systems Command.

Clohan has a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, a master’s degree in government administration from George Washington University, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and international affairs from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Clohan and his wife, Dexanne, a physician, live in Irvine, California.

Evan Dadosky is a partner at Bain & Company, where he primarily works with private equity firms, advising on potential investments in the healthcare and life sciences space. Additionally, he serves as the Global Chair for Veterans at Bain, responsible for overseeing the recruitment and development of veteran talent at the firm. He began his career as an acquisitions officer in the U.S. Air Force where he was stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base and served as the program manager for the F-22 and F-35 mission planning systems.

He holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and a B.S. in systems engineering management from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Evan lives in Chicago with his wife, Jessie, and their two children, Leni and Miles.

Col. (Ret.) Lucky Ekman (Class of 1963) earned his nickname flying F-105s in over 350 missions during the war in Vietnam, including 287 missions over North Vietnam and 1,000 hours in combat. Between combat tours, Ekman had an Olmsted Scholarship to Geneva. After his second tour, Ekman returned to the United States Air Force Academy where he taught Political Science, served as an AOC, and was a soaring instructor. After his Academy tour, Ekman flew F-4 and F-16 fighters. He ended his Air Force career as a Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council, chronicling the collapse of the Soviet Union’s military establishment. In 1990, Ekman joined Snow Aviation International, Inc. in Columbus, Ohio, where he served as Vice President of Government Affairs. He also directed the test program for Snow Aviation’s performance enhanced C-130. Lucky and his wife Kaye are the parents of two career Air Force officers, Brig. Gen. Kenneth P. Ekman (Class if ’91) and Lt. Col. Katrina A. Taylor (Class of ’96). Lucky is now retired, but stays in the air, serving as a glider pilot instructor in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Elizabeth Ferrill is a partner with the intellectual property law firm, Finnegan, LLP in Washington, D.C., where she counsels clients in acquiring IP and litigates intellectual property infringement cases through trial. After leaving the service, she graduated from University of North Carolina-School of Law in 2006 and served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Liam O’Grady at the United States Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria, Virginia.

She received the Intellectual Property Owners Association’s Carl B. Horton Distinguished Service Award in 2021 and has been recognized for many years by Intellectual Asset Management as a leader in patent litigation and transactions in the Washington, D.C., area, and nationally for her design patent work. Ferrill is editor-in-chief and principal author of Comparative Global Design Law, published by Bloomberg Law.

After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1998 with a degree in computer science, Ferrill received a master’s degree in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology on a graduate school scholarship from the USAFA Dean of Faculty. Following her studies, she served as a communications officer in the intelligence area and at Thule Air Base, Greenland.

She is the head of Finnegan’s veterans pro bono program, which represents veterans in disability claims before the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and in discharge review cases before the respective military review boards. For more than a decade, she served on the board of directors of Community Tax Aid, Inc., a local Washington, D.C., nonprofit that provides free tax preparation service to low- and moderate-income families. For six years, she also ran a major fundraising activity for her children’s elementary school, raising more than $250,000.

Ferrill lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her twins and her dog.

John M. Fox '63 founded and was president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Markwest Energy Partners, a New York Stock Exchange company, from its inception in 1988 through his retirement in 2009. He currently serves as chairman for Beech Resources, LLC, and Kona Mountain Coffee Company, LLC. Prior to Markwest, Fox was a founder of Western Gas Resources, Inc., formerly listed on the NYSE, and was its executive vice president and chief operating officer from 1972 to 1986. Fox is currently on the board of directors for Colorado Uplift and the Alliance for Choice in Education. He was a founding director for the USAFA Endowment (now the Air Force Academy Foundation) and former vice chairman.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering science from the U.S. Air Force Academy and was a T-38 instructor pilot at Laughlin Air Force Base. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Denver. He is a 2017 recipient of the USAFA Distinguished Graduate Award and was the 2014 recipient of the USAFA Distinguished Service Award. He was inducted into the Rocky Mountain Oil & Gas Hall of Fame by the Independent Petroleum Association of the Mountain States in 2009.

Brian Gornick is the managing partner of Charles Thayne Capital, a technology-focused private equity firm. Prior to co-founding Charles Thayne Capital, he worked as a private equity investor at GTCR, Golden Gate Capital and Accel-KKR. Previously, Gornick was the vice president of business development at KANA Software (sold to Verint Systems) and worked as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley.

He began his career as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and is also a former professional ice hockey player (NHL draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks). He holds an MBA with honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in operations research with minors in mathematics and Spanish from the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he was a two sport Division I athlete and graduated first in his class.

Gornick lives in Chicago with his wife, Alona, and their two daughters, Riley and Morgan.

Alex Granados '04 is owner and CEO of Prescient Edge. He is responsible for establishing and executing corporate-wide processes, tools, facilities and procedures to ensure flawless execution of contracts as well as spearheading the identification and capture of strategic growth opportunities.Granados joined Prescient Edge from CACI International where, as director of the Acquisition Support Group, he was responsible for new business and strategic contracting activities. In this role, he delivered double-digit growth within a federal market that experienced budget cuts over the same period. Prior to that position, he led a CACI Division as a subject matter expert in government source selections. In this capacity, Granados advised the government on over 1,000 major professional services and systems acquisitions source selections. He also served as a contracting advisor to senior leadership for Department of Defense Congressional and Presidential Commissions.

Granados began his career as a contracting officer for the United States Air Force where he provided acquisition direction, contract development, and administration for professional services. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and received his MBA in international business and finance from the George Washington University School of Business. He is a Defense Acquisition University Level III Contracting Professional and a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Bradley C. Hosmer was a member of the first graduating class of the Academy in 1959. He holds the distinction of being the Academy’s first Rhodes Scholar and the first graduate to return to the Academy to serve as its superintendent. As superintendent from 1991 to 1994, Hosmer spearheaded the development of the Academy’s core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence in All We Do. The Air Force later adopted these principles as its core values. During his 35-year Air Force career, Hosmer was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for service in Vietnam, served as vice director of the Joint Staff and Air Force inspector general, commanded two fighter wings and an air division and was president of the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. As a command pilot he flew more than 4,000 hours, principally in fighter aircraft. After retiring in 1994, Hosmer served as an adviser to senior Air Force leadership on a variety of subjects including counterterrorism, leadership development and the Academy’s character development program. He also served as a regent of the University of New Mexico, chairman of the Academic and Student Affairs and Research Committee and a director of UNM Health Services Center.

Major General (Retired) Edward "Randy" Jayne is a partner with Heidrick & Struggles, one of the nation's leading executive search and leadership consulting firms. He has led the firm's Aerospace, Defense & Aviation Practice, and has recruited over one hundred CEOs for clients globally. Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, Randy held a number of leadership positions in the aerospace industry, including president of the McDonnell Douglas Missile Systems Company, vice president and general manager of the F-15 Eagle program, and vice president at General Dynamics. Previously, he also served as president and chief operating officer at Insituform Mid America. Before embarking on his corporate career, Randy was an officer in the Air Force, serving two combat tours in Southeast Asia, and served three tours in the White House. He was selected as a White House Fellow, and was later on the staff of the National Security Council. He also served as associate director for National Security and International Affairs in the Office of Management and Budget in the White House. He continued his military service as a reserve forces aviator and commander through 2000, and retired as a major general in the Air National Guard, as ANG Assistant to Air Force Space Command. He serves on the boards of the Institute for Defense Analysis and the USAFA Falcon Foundation. He previously served on the boards of CAE, the White House Fellows Foundation and Association, the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, and a number of tech startups. Randy holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Air Force Academy and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

BJ Jones ’85 is the chief commercial officer at NewAmsterdam Pharma, a late-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing a new era of life-saving treatments for heart disease and other lipid-related conditions. Previously, BJ was CCO of Biohaven Pharmaceuticals. He has over 30 years of commercial experience in the healthcare industry and has held executive leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Astra Zeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer-Ingelheim and NitroMed. He has significant experience in mass market product launches.

In addition to his Air Force Academy Foundation board service, Jones serves on the board of directors of Apogee Therapeutics and Annexon Biosciences. He also supports the LUNGevity Foundation and Life Science Cares through voluntary board membership. He holds a Bachelor of Science in human factors engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a Master of Science in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Dr. Paul G. Kaminski is chairman and chief executive officer of Technovation, Inc., a consulting company dedicated to fostering innovation and the development and application of advanced technology. From 1994 to 1997, Kaminski served as the under secretary of defense for acquisition and technology. In this position, he was responsible for all matters relating to Department of Defense acquisition, research and development, procurement, and the defense technology and industrial base. Prior to 1994, he served as chairman and chief executive officer of Technology Strategies and Alliances, a technology oriented investment banking and consulting firm.

Kaminski also has served twice as chairman of the Defense Science Board, chairman of RAND, and member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, The FBI Director’s Advisory Board, and the DNI SAG. He currently chairs the boards of Exostar, HRL (formerly Hughes Research Labs), and Seagate Government solutions. He is also a director of CoVant Technologies, LinQuist , the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, MITRE, and the Air Force Academy Foundation.

Kaminski holds a B.S. from the Air Force Academy, M.S. degrees in both aeronautics and astronautics and in electrical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University. He has received numerous awards and recognitions throughout his career, including the National Medal of Technology, election to the National Aviation Hall of Fame, the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service (5 awards), and the 2002 U.S. Air Force Academy Distinguished Graduate Award.

Jason Kim is CEO of Firefly Aerospace. He has more than two decades of experience in executive management involving small and large satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles, mission payloads, ground systems, artificial intelligence and machine learning, data processing, command and control, launch, program management, systems engineering, prototyping, assembly and integration, and testing and operations of aerospace and defense systems.

Previously he served as chief executive officer of Millennium Space Systems, a non-fully integrated Boeing subsidiary based in El Segundo, California. Prior to that he was the business development executive at Raytheon Intelligence & Space, where he led a team to fully develop and execute a global and domestic growth strategy. He worked to meet the growth goals of a vertically integrated, multi-billion-dollar space and command-and-control business.

From 2006 to 2019, Kim demonstrated his ability to grow companies as vice president of strategic planning at Millennium Space Systems and as a program manager at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. From 1999 to 2006, he served as a program manager in the U.S. Air Force’s Space Superiority Systems Program and Reconnaissance Systems Program offices, where he gained a deep background in advancing autonomous systems starting on unmanned aerial vehicle programs such as the Global Hawk and Predator and growing to acquisitions and developments of first-of-its-kind classified and unclassified space and ground systems.

Kim has served on the National Defense Industrial Association board of directors and Space Enterprise Consortium formation committee and has been an active member of the National Security Space Association.

He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. He received a Master of Science in electrical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California at Los Angeles Anderson School of Management.

Scott Kirby '89 is chief executive officer of United Airlines. He served as the company’s president from 2016 to 2020 and was responsible for its operations, marketing, sales, alliances, network planning and revenue management. As president, he played a pivotal role in enabling United’s cultural transformation and executing the company’s strategic growth plan. Elected in December 2020, Kirby serves as the chairman of the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB). Prior to joining United, he was president of American Airlines from 2013 to 2016 and president of US Airways from 2006 to 2013. He is a well-known industry veteran, with a broad and accomplished three-decade-long career in significant leadership roles within the airline industry. Kirby started his career at the Pentagon and in the technology sector. He holds bachelor’s degrees in computer science and operations research from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Master of Science in operations research from George Washington University. He is married and has seven children.

Jack Kucera is president and CEO of Varitec Solutions. Varitec provides large commercial and industrial air conditioning solutions and is the Southwest’s largest independent provider of industrial automation and control solutions for health care, HVAC, lighting, fire, life safety, security and card access. He is a co-founder of HUNTAIR and a former owner of CleanPak International. Each company has developed many innovative solutions that have become industry standards for the pharmaceutical, bio-tech and semiconductor industries. Mr. Kucera received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the United States Air Force Academy in 1978 and a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University in 1986.

Matthew Kuta is the president and co-founder of Voyager Technologies. He was also the founding executive director for Space for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that has sent non-traditional civilian passengers from around the world into space on commercial space vehicles. Prior to co-founding Voyager Technologies, Kuta was a key member of the private equity investment team at Goldman Sachs in New York City. He started his private sector career focusing on middle market private equity at Plexus Capital in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Kuta is also an accomplished leader with global experience. As a former military officer, he has led large multi-national teams in very high-stakes initiatives as an F-15E fighter pilot. He has been recognized for multiple professional accolades, including the Jabara Award, awarded to the top U.S. Air Force Academy graduate for contributions to aviation. He is also a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, the highest medal solely for aviation in the U.S. military that can be awarded in combat.

Kuta holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Air Force Academy and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. He is on the board of directors of Voyager Technologies, Space for Humanity and the National Defense Industrial Association and is an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow. He resides in Denver with his wife and two daughters.

Mike Lambert, a retired colonel, graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1970 with a major in physics. During his second-class year, he completed a summer research project at the Laser Weapons Lab and a follow-up project at USAFA. He then underwent pilot training and served as a T-38 instructor pilot. Subsequently, he earned his MD from Baylor College of Medicine, completed a residency at Wilford Hall, and a fellowship at Duke University in vitreoretinal surgery, where he applied his AFA-acquired laser knowledge to eye surgery.

Returning to Wilford Hall Medical Center, he assumed the roles of chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, chief of the Division of Surgery and consultant to the surgeon general. In 1990, Col. Lambert retired from the Air Force and went on to serve on the faculties at Emory University and Baylor College of Medicine. Now a retired clinical professor at several centers, he is also the founder of Retina and Vitreous of Texas. Col. Lambert is a prolific author and worldwide lecturer and holds several patents for instruments and machines used in complex vitreoretinal surgeries. He actively participates in charitable foundations and provides charity care with I Care San Antonio. He and his wife, Jenny, are also involved in scholarship programs at his Ohio high school and were instrumental in building a new elementary, junior high and high school there. He was involved in fundraising and developing the Class of 1970 SEA Pavilion and Plaza of Heroes and is the class's “Mike the Messenger.” Moreover, he is the founding president of the Central Texas Chapter of the AOG and serves on the advisory boards of several graduate-owned and internet-related companies.

Col. Lambert was honored with the 2023 Houston Methodist Hospital’s and Houston Ophthalmological Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award and recognized as a 2018 USAFA Distinguished Graduate, which he feels is his greatest honor. He and Jenny currently resides in Austin, Texas.

Dr. P. Michael Leahy is the founder of Champion Health Associates and the respected inventor of Active Release Techniques®. He is an honor graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and served as a fighter- and test-pilot. Dr. Leahy graduated summa cum laude as the valedictorian of Los Angeles College of Chiropractic in 1984 and became a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician (CCSP) in 1986. For the past 15 years, Dr. Leahy has been proudly serving Colorado Springs area patients and their families. In 1985, Dr. Leahy began developing Active Release Techniques® in order to meet the needs of his patients more effectively. He now teaches the technique to physicians of many disciplines throughout the world. He has assisted aspiring, professional, and world-class athletes in a wide range of modes, including professional golfers, hockey, football, and Olympic sports. In addition to serving athletes, Dr. Leahy discovered and published the Law of Repetitive Motion and the Cumulative Injury Cycle, which has helped redefine prevention and treatment of work-related injuries. He created Champion Health to serve people in need by working with their supporting medical team to achieve normal function and improved health.

Ted Legasey is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and holds a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He spent nine years on active duty as an Air Force officer, and then went on to an entrepreneurial career in the information technology and systems integration business. He helped to found and, for the next 26 years, build SRA International, Inc., a highly successful company that eventually merged with CSC Federal to form CSRA, which was subsequently acquired by General Dynamics Information Technology. SRA was listed by Fortune magazine as one of the “100 Best Places to Work for in America” for 10 straight years.

Legasey actively serves in a variety of non-profit organizations. He served for six years on the board of directors of the Association of Graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy, including four years as the chairman of the board. He was board chair of Malden Catholic High School in Massachusetts for nine years and is a past president of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. He is board chair of the Charleston Promise Neighborhood and a member of the boards of the Air Force Academy Foundation, the Tri-County Cradle-to-Career Collaborative, and the Charleston Gaillard Center. He received Charleston’s Outstanding Individual Philanthropist Award in 2010, was named Community Builder of the Year for 2015, and was selected as one of Charleston’s 50 Most Progressive Leaders in 2016. And he is the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Service Award and the 2012 Distinguished Graduate Award from the Academy.

Rod Little is president and chief executive officer of Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE – EPC). Before being named CEO in March 2019, he served as the company’s chief financial officer. Little has more than 20 years of global experience in consumer goods organizations, significant public company experience, and a strong track record of driving results. Prior to Edgewell, he served as CFO with HSN, Inc.. Earlier in his career, Rod was executive vice president and CFO of Elizabeth Arden. Before that, he spent 16 years at Procter & Gamble gaining a broad, global perspective and valuable consumer insights across a wide product portfolio. He held various leadership positions throughout his tenure including Division CFO Global Salon Professional, Associate Finance Director North America Salon Professional, and Associate Director Corporate Acquisitions & Divestitures, among other management positions. Little served in the United States Air Force for five years. He earned an MBA in finance from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Bachelor of Science in management from the United States Air Force Academy. He is currently an independent director on the board of directors for Victoria’s Secret (NYSE – VSCO) and serves as a member of the Human Capital & Compensation Committee.

Gene Lupia was named a 2021 Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. After he earned his bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1967, he received a Phillips Petroleum scholarship to Oklahoma State University where he received his master’s degree in civil engineering in 1968. He had a 32-year Air Force career, a 15-year career in industry and has had his own consulting company since 2015. In 1970 he was advisor to the Vietnamese base civil engineer at Tan Son Nhut Air Base. In 1971 he joined the Air Force engineering staff at the Pentagon. He commanded the civil engineering squadron at McConnell AFB; was a director on the Headquarters USAFE staff; and later was selected as the first civil engineer to command a wing, at Ramstein AB, Germany. He also served as a Mobilization Fellow at the Federal Emergency Management Agency where he was responsible for managing the Protection of the Industrial Capability Program for the National Security Council. After serving as the command civil engineer at both Strategic Air Command and the new Air Mobility Command, in 1995 he became the Air Force civil engineer – the first USAFA graduate to hold that position. He was responsible for managing over $6 billion in facility development, operations, maintenance and environmental programs at bases around the world and interacting with Congress, government agencies, communities and the media. He retired from the Air Force in 1999. Two annual Air Force awards - for outstanding service and leadership - are awarded in his honor to young engineers in civil engineering. Each year he presents the Lupia Award to the top AFA cadet graduating with a degree in civil engineering. Lupia was president of CH2M Hill’s Global Environmental Services Business Group, president of their Enterprise Delivery Excellence Group, and president of their Government Facilities and Infrastructure Business Group. He is a life member of the AOG, a member of the Leadership Circle of the Sabre Society, a trustee of the Falcon Foundation, a member of the Polaris Society and a founding director of the Air Force Academy Foundation.

Paul Madera is a 1978 graduate of the USAF Academy and is currently Managing Director at Meritech Capital Partners, a $3.1 billion venture capital fund he co-founded in 1999. He currently invests in private technology companies in the SaaS, storage, e-commerce, financial, and medical device sectors. Over the years he has led Meritech's investments into several of the most successful tech companies of the era including 2Wire, BlueArc, Facebook, Force10 Networks, Glaukos, IntraLase, Riverbed Technology, and Salesforce. He has been consistently listed in the top tier of Forbes "Midas List" of successful venture capital investors since 2010. Prior to Meritech, Paul was Managing Director of Private Equity at Montgomery Securities/Banc of America where he and his group advised technology startups in raising capital. He began his career in finance as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley & Co. in New York. Before entering the private sector, he served in the United States Air Force as an F-16 Pilot based in South Korea, Spain, and Utah. He also spent a tour at the Pentagon as a member of the Air Force Liaison Office where he interfaced with Senate and House Armed Services Committees. Paul holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is the recipient of the 2015 Distinguished Graduate Award from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Sarah (Saxer) Marshall was a Partner at Farrell Marsh & Co. (subsequently merged with Academy Securities) until her retirement in 2015. At Farrell Marsh, Sarah led private equity placement engagements, representing diverse global private equity strategies to raise targeted capital among international institutional investors. For clients, Sarah designed customized marketing and sales strategies based on extensive market research, authored investment prospectuses and created detailed marketing materials.

Sarah maintains her Series 7 and Series 63 through the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Prior to Farrell Marsh, Sarah was a private equity investment associate at CMS Companies and Safeguard Scientifics, both near Philadelphia.

Sarah completed her MBA from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business in 2000, with an emphasis on marketing research and entrepreneurial studies. Sarah is a 1993 graduate of the US Air Force Academy, where she was an Academic All American on the Springboard Diving team, competing in Nationals all four years as a cadet. Sarah pursued Acquisitions as her Air Force career, working as Test Program Manager and ultimately Program Manager for B-2 Stealth Bomber Mission Planning Systems with Electronic System Command at Hanscom Air Force Base.

She currently serves on the board of HelpUsAdopt.org, a non-discriminatory non-profit grant organization that helps families with the financial burdens of adoption. Sarah is also a board member of the Opera Company of Philadelphia. For several years Sarah has served on Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Meehan’s USAFA Nomination Board.

Sarah’s daughter, Caitlin Sullivan, is a 2016 graduate of the Air Force Academy.

Mr. Martin is a successful entrepreneur, aviator, and active philanthropist. He has co-founded and led several oil and gas companies since the early 1980’s, principally engaged in natural gas operations in Wyoming’s Jonah Field and Pinedale Anticline. Currently, Mr. Martin owns M&N Aviation; a part 135 charter flight operation based in Wyoming and Colorado, and is actively engaged in oil and gas exploration throughout the Rockies and in Alaska. Mr. Martin is also deeply involved in charitable activities, having started the Martin Family Foundation focused giving to the disadvantaged, poor, homeless, and education for low-income children. Over the past decade, Mr. Martin has also been major donor to both the Air Force Academy and the University of Wyoming. He is a former F-101 fighter pilot, and a 1969 graduate of the Air Force Academy.

John H. Martinson has been a venture capitalist, engaged philanthropist and software industry leader for 48 years. In 1986, Martinson founded Edison Venture Fund, which has invested $2.5 billion in over 250 east coast information technology companies. Martinson Ventures has invested in 75 emerging software businesses and 25 private equity funds. He has served as chair of National Venture Capital Association and several entrepreneurial groups. In 2008, he received the organization’s Distinguished Service Award for his impact on the venture capital industry spanning 30 years. His current board of director seats span technology, trade, education and performing arts organizations. The Martinson Family Foundation supports unique programs at 10 colleges to improve K-12 STEM instruction. He sponsors 10 honors colleges and provides technology to performing arts programs at nine colleges and 11 local theaters. He has been recognized among the top 50 U.S. Donors by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Martinson earned his Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1970. He earned two master’s degrees and has received four honorary doctorates. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross during the Vietnam War. In 2008, Martinson was named a Distinguished Graduate by the Air Force Academy, where he sponsored the Martinson Academic Innovation Fund, the Planetarium and STEM Center renovation, AI course development, the Martinson Honors Program and the golf team practice facility. In 2025, he received the Academy’s Distinguished Service Award. He is a founding director of the Air Force Academy Foundation.

Dick McConn, a native of North Dakota, is the CEO and founder of M International Inc., a U.S. government subcontractor and export management company specializing in turbine engine OEM service centers in the United States and Canada. Prior to founding M International, McConn was the director of planning and development at Flight Safety International Inc. He retired as a Lt. Colonel from the USAF Reserve and served in a variety of positions in the Pentagon on active and reserve duty including an assignment as a White House aide to the president of the United States.

McConn graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science degree in international affairs. He currently sits on the boards of M International Inc., Voyager Space Holdings, the American Legation in Morocco, the Falcon Foundation, the National Defense Industrial Association (Chairman) and the United Arab Emirates Defense conglomerate (GAL/Edge). He serves on the Academic Committee and co-chairs the Cyber Committee as a founding director of the Air Force Academy Foundation. In 2011, McConn was named a Distinguished Graduate by the Air Force Academy and its Association of Graduates. He and his wife, Mili, maintain homes in Virginia and northwest Minnesota.

Brad Meissen is an attorney at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago, where he represents private equity and venture capital fund sponsors in their organization, operations, management, capital raises, and portfolio investments. Before entering the private sector, Meissen served in the United States Air Force as an aerospace physiology officer leading high G-force and high-altitude training programs.

Meissen received his J.D. from the Northwestern University School of Law and his MBA in finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He received his B.S. from the United States Air Force Academy, where he was a letterman on the football team and an Academic All-Mountain West Conference selection.

Meissen currently lives in Chicago with his wife, Lauren, and their four children, Sarah, Anna, Jack and James.

Ben Moe is the managing partner at Osceola Capital Management, a lower middle market private equity firm. He oversees all aspects of the firm’s investment activities including origination, evaluation and execution of investments. As a member of the Investment Committee, he serves on the boards of several Osceola portfolio companies, including Forward Solutions, Revelation Pharma, Valor Exterior Partners and Sightline Services. Moe has completed over 125 merger and acquisition transactions across a wide variety of industries.

Previously, Moe served as CEO of Avesta Asset Management, a private equity firm focused on value-add multifamily real estate investments. Before Avesta, he was CFO of Advantage Waypoint, an outsourced business services company, where he helped lead the acquisition of 24 businesses before an eventual sale to Apax Partners. Moe also spent six years in the investment banking groups of Bear Stearns and Raymond James and five years as a U.S. Air Force officer and hospital administrator.

Moe earned an MBA from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree in management from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He lives in Tampa with his wife and two sons and enjoys fishing and snowboarding.

Patrick M. Nesbitt, is the founder, chairman and CEO of Windsor Capital Group Inc. (WCG) based in Santa Monica, Calif. He started his real estate career at 13, rehabilitating residential projects in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan.

Since he founded WCG over 49 years ago, the company has become the largest private owner and operator of Embassy Suite Hotels in the United States. In addition, WCG owns and manages a number of other hospitality assets under Marriott and Hilton franchise agreements. In total, WCG owns and/or operates 10 branded hotels in four states. The company's development projects also include office buildings, shopping centers, apartment complexes and exclusive residential developments.

Nesbitt is a member of the World Presidents Organization (WPO) and the Young Presidents Organization (YPO). He is the former president of the San Fernando Valley YPO Chapter and has served as education chairman for YPO's Pacific Region. As an educator, he has taught real estate law at the USC Graduate School of Business, lectured at Loyola Marymount and UCSB and has served on the Imperial Valley College faculty. Nesbitt has also conducted seminars nationwide on computerized multi-listing techniques for the National Association of Realtors.

Nesbitt is actively involved in the high-goal polo circuit both nationally and internationally. He is the past governor of the Pacific Coast Circuit and in 2011 was elected president of the United States Polo Association, the first player from California to be elected to that post in the 120-year history of the Association. He represents the U.S. as a member on the Council of Administration of the Federation of International Polo (FIP) and serves as a member of its marketing committee. He is the current executive director of the Pan American Polo Confederation and was the executive director of the 5th World Polo Championships in Santa Barbara, California, in August 1998. Through these organizations, Nesbitt is working to return polo to the Summer Olympic Games, along with introducing polo into the Pan American Games.

His civic activities include fundraising work as a member of the board of trustees of the Whittier College School of Law in Los Angeles and as the chairman of the development committee at his alma mater in Detroit, Catholic Central High School. In this later capacity, he was primarily responsible for developing a new 60-acre, state of the art high school campus, which is now named after him.

Nesbitt completed his undergraduate studies at the U.S. Air Force Academy and earned a master’s degree in systems engineering from the University of Michigan. He also earned his J.D. from Whittier College in California and has been a member of the Los Angeles County, California, and American Bar Associations since 1982, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

Mr. O'Donnell serves as Of Counsel at the law firm of Williams & Connolly LLP, Washington DC, and was a Partner there from 1977-89, 1992-2016. Mr. O'Donnell's past experiences are: Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Textron Inc., 2000-2012; General Counsel, U.S. Department of Defense, 1989-92; Chairman of U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors, 1985-87; Member 1981-87; Special Assistant and Personal Aide to President Gerald R. Ford, 1974-77; Deputy Special Assistant to President Richard M. Nixon, 1972-74. Board Member, ePlus Inc.; Trustee, Gerald R. Ford Foundation; Trustee, Falcon Foundation; Board Member, Air Force Academy Foundation. Mr. O'Donnell graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1966 and from Georgetown University Law School in 1971.

Kevin O' Neil is the founder and CEO of ONE Funds, a company established in 2022. He also serves on the investment committee and oversees all fund operations and investments.

Before starting ONE Funds, O’Neil managed numerous personal investments in private equity and real estate. His entrepreneurial journey began in the textile industry and distressed multi-family real estate and later expanded into aerospace and defense private equity in 2008 with the acquisition of Braxton Technologies. Since then, O’Neil has been the CEO of the O' Neil Group, which he founded in 2008. He has also been a managing broker for Paramount Group, a property management company owned by the O' Neil Group, since 2011.

In 2015, he founded Catalyst Campus in downtown Colorado Springs. This collaborative ecosystem brings together small businesses, entrepreneurs, startups and venture capital in the aerospace and defense industry to foster community, workforce development, innovation and business growth. Catalyst Campus has become a critical component in the advancement of technologies for the Air Force, Space Force and other defense branches and government agencies.

O’Neil is deeply committed to the prosperity of southern Colorado, and he is passionate about making investments that will have a meaningful and lasting imp act on the region.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs in 1990. He was honored as the 2019 Business Citizen of the Year by the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC. He has served as board chair for Employers Council and was selected to participate and serve on the Air And Space Forces Civic Leader Program.

Gen. (Ret.) Terrence O’Shaughnessy ’86 is a senior advisor to Elon Musk on matters regarding SpaceX, and he is the vice president of SpaceX’s Special Programs Group. The Special Programs Group focuses on leveraging SpaceX commercial technology for government applications,. including Starshield satellites that leverage SpaceX’s Starlink technology to support national security efforts, as well as the Rocket Cargo program leveraging SpaceX’s Starship development.

As a U.S. Air Force Officer, O’Shaughnessy commanded at the squadron, group, wing, numbered Air Force, major command and combatant command levels. His commands during his 34-year career included 57th Wing, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base, Japan; the 613th Air and Space Operations Center, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii; Air Component Command, Republic of Korea/U.S. Combined Forces Command; Seventh Air Force, Osan Air Base, South Korea; and Pacific Air Force. He culminated his Air Force career as commander of United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command.

He was a Weapons School instructor pilot, an aggressor pilot and a command pilot with more than 3,000 hours in the F-16 Fighting Falcon, including 168 combat hours.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Academy.

Harry Pearce is currently chairman of MDU Resources Group, Inc. Mr. Pearce was Chairman of the Hughes Electronics Corporation Board of Directors, a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation, from May 2001 until the sale by General Motors of its interest in Hughes in December 2003. Mr. Pearce had served on the Hughes Board since November 1992. He was Vice Chairman of General Motors Corporation Board of Directors from 1996 until his retirement from General Motors in May 2001.

Mr. Pearce was the founding Chairman of The Sabre Society and served as a member, and later as Chairman of the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He received the U.S. Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation’s Colonel I. Robert Kriendler Memorial Award in 1998. In 2001, he was selected as one of the first recipients of the first U.S. Air Force Academy’s Distinguished Graduate Award. During his service career, Mr. Pearce served as a Staff Judge Advocate in the Air Force and was certified as a military judge. On his return to civilian life in 1970 he joined Pearce and Durick, a law firm in Bismarck, N.D. He was a municipal judge in Bismarck from 1970 to 1976, was elected a city commissioner, and also served as United States Commissioner and U.S. Magistrate. As a partner in Pearce and Durick he represented the auto industry in product liability cases across the country until 1985 when he joined the legal staff of General Motors as an Associate General Counsel. He was elected Vice President and General Counsel of General Motors in 1987. Mr. Pearce was a member of the board of directors of Marriott International from 1995 to 2015, served as past Chairman of the National Defense University Foundation and National Bone Marrow Foundation and as a director of The National Bone Marrow Transplant Link. Mr. Pearce is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and a fellow in the International Society of Barristers. He served as the first chairman of the Product Liability Advisory Council Foundation and was a founding member of the Minority Counsel Demonstration Program of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession, and served as the founding Chairman of Yale University’s Chairmen’s Forum. Mr. Pearce served as co-chair of the Presidential Commission on the United States Postal Service, and also serves as a trustee of Northwestern University. Mr. Pearce was born on Aug. 20, 1942, in Bismarck, N.D. He received a bachelor's degree in engineering sciences from the United States Air Force Academy in 1964. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Northwestern University's School of Law in 1967. He received an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 1997 and an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Northwestern University in 1998. In 2005, he received the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation Public Service Award; the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award in 2004; the Society of Surgical Oncology’s James Ewing Layman’s Award in 2003; the International Association of Organ Donation’s Corporate Benefactor Award and The American Jewish Committee’s National Human Relations Award in 2001; the National Conference for Community & Justice Humanitarian Award, The Black Patriots Foundation Leadership Award in 2000; Parents magazine’s "As They Grow" Award in 1999; The Detroit News "Michiganian of the Year" Award in 1998; and the ABA’s Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession’s "Spirit of Excellence" Award in 1997.

Charles Phillips '81 is the managing partner and co-founder of Recognize, a technology investment and transformation company with over $1 billion in assets. He is the former CEO and chairman of Infor, the third largest business software applications company in the world with operations in 190 countries and 17,000 employees. During his nine-year tenure, the company transformed into the first industry cloud company with over 70 million subscribers on Amazon AWS. Infor was sold in 2020 for a $13 billion enterprise value exit. Prior to Infor, Phillips was president of Oracle Corporation and a member of its board of directors. During his eight-year tenure, the company tripled in size and market capitalization and successfully acquired 65 companies. Before Oracle, Phillips was a managing director at Morgan Stanley in the Technology Group and served on its board of directors and was an Institutional Investor All Star for 10 consecutive years. Phillips served as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps in the 2nd Battalion, 10th Marines at Camp Lejeune in a line of three generations of military service.

Phillips holds a B.S. in computer science from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a J.D. from New York Law School, and an MBA from Hampton University and is a member of the Georgia State Bar Association. Phillips serves on the boards of ViacomCBS Corporation, American Express, the Apollo Theater, and the Council of Foreign Relations. Phillips also served on President Obama’s Economic Recovery Board and board of the Federal Reserve of New York. He is also the co-founder and co-chairman of the Black Economic Alliance, a policy organization focused on economic growth in Black communities and co-founder of OneTen, a job training network for Black workers and large employers.

Gregg Popovich is in his 26th season as the San Antonio Spurs head coach. Currently, he is the longest-tenured active coach in all four U.S. major sports leagues. Popovich has led the Spurs to five NBA Championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014) and is one of five coaches in history with five-or-more NBA Championships. He is the NBA’s all-time leader in combined wins (regular season and playoffs), and he ranks first all-time among NBA coaches for the most consecutive winning regular seasons with 23.

Popovich was named NBA Coach of the Year three times and is an inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Internationally, Popovich served as head coach of the USA Basketball Senior Men’s National Team from 2017 to 2020, guiding Team USA to a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics. He has also served as an assistant coach for five USA Basketball national teams, winning one gold medal and one bronze medal.

Born in East Chicago, Indiana, Popovich graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in Soviet studies in 1970. While there, he played basketball for four seasons, and, as a senior, he was named the team’s captain and was their leading scorer. After graduation, Popovich served his five-year military commitment in the U.S. Air Force. Popovich returned in 1973 to the Air Force Academy and was head coach of the USAFA Prep School for three seasons (1973-76), and spent three seasons (1976-79) as an assistant at the U.S. Air Force Academy. In 2007, Coach Popovich was honored by the Air Force Academy with its Distinguished Graduate award for his outstanding contributions to the Academy, his community and the nation.

Vince Reyna oversees strategy, process, and partnerships along the continuum of Pennybacker Capital’s investments. He brings business and technical acumen to sourcing, closing, underwriting and analyzing deal structures. Reyna closely monitors existing investments and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. He joined Pennybacker Capital subsequent to his tenure as vice president and senior underwriter with CIT Corporate Finance. At CIT, he analyzed and structured asset and cash-flow-based loans to middle market companies. Prior to CIT, Reyna helped Prudential Capital Group originate, analyze and monitor cash-flow loans to middle market companies. His earliest private equity experience was marketing limited partnership interests for private equity funds at JPMorgan. He earned his undergraduate degree in astronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and an MBA from McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and serves on the Small Scale Development Council of the Urban Land Institute.

Paul Rossetti is a senior advisor for American Securities in New York City. He is currently a director of Global Tel-Link. Prior to joining American Securities, Rossetti was a partner at Apax Partners (formerly Patricof & Co. Ventures) and a managing director at Greenwich Street Capital Partners. He spent eight years as a senior officer of The Dyson-Kissner-Moran Corporation where he oversaw acquisitions, corporate strategy and numerous operating companies. Previously, Rossetti worked as a consultant with Bain & Company.

A 1970 distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Rossetti served for 11 years in the Air Force, achieving the rank of major. During his Air Force career, Rossetti served as a fighter pilot in Southeast Asia and as an operational test pilot for the F-16. He continues to serve as treasurer for the USAFA Class of 1970. Rossetti received a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Academy, a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Purdue University and an MBA from Harvard Business School as a Baker Scholar. Rossetti and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Edwards, Colorado.

Dan Schnepf is a founding principal, chairman and CEO of Matrix Design Group, Inc., an award-winning firm providing professional engineering and environmental consulting for the private and public sectors. Prior to forming Matrix in 1999, Schnepf was an owner and vice president of BRW, Inc. He is a nationally recognized expert in planning, design and construction of large interdisciplinary projects including the redevelopment of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) sites. He is currently directing the design of various projects in Colorado, in addition to planning and design projects for clients nationwide. He has provided extensive engineering services for the United States Air Force Academy.

Schnepf holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the Air Force Academy and a Master of Engineering in structural engineering from California State Polytechnic University. He taught civil engineering at the Air Force Academy from 1990 to 1993 and is a registered engineer in Colorado, New York and Guam. He recently formed Blue & Silver Development Partners for the specific purpose of planning, designing and constructing a new Visitors’ Center at the Academy. Dan and his wife, Lorraine, live in Colorado Springs.

Norton A. Schwartz '73 serves as president and CEO of the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), a nonprofit corporation operating in the public interest. IDA manages three federally funded research and development centers that answer the most challenging U.S. security and science policy questions with objective analysis, leveraging extraordinary scientific, technical and analytic expertise. Schwartz directs the activities of more than 1,000 scientists and technologists employed by IDA. He has a long and prestigious career of service and leadership that spans over five decades. He was most recently president and CEO of Business Executives for National Security (BENS). During his six-year tenure at BENS, he was also a member of IDA’s board of trustees. Prior to retiring from the U.S. Air Force, Schwartz served as the 19th chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force from 2008 to 2012. He previously held senior joint positions as director of the Joint Staff and as the commander of the U.S. Transportation Command. He began his service as a pilot with the airlift evacuation out of Vietnam in 1975.

Schwartz is a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and holds an MBA from Central Michigan University. He is also an alumnus of the Armed Forces Staff College and the National War College. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a 1994 Fellow of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Seminar XXI. He has been married to Suzie since 1981.

Tom is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy’s Class of 1970. He began active duty at Stanford University where he graduated with a MS in Structural Mechanics in 1971, followed by assignment to the Sacramento Air Logistics Center at McClellan Air Force Base in California. He worked in a Service Engineering Division responsible for Aircraft Structural Integrity for F-104, F-100, F-105 and F-111 aircraft fleets worldwide. In 1974 he was assigned to the Aeronautical Systems Division at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio, where he worked in a fatigue and fracture group that supported turbine engine development programs for A-10, B-1, F-15 and F-16 aircraft programs. In 1976 he served as a program manager for the development and integration of the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine for the F-16. Tom separated from active duty in 1978, but continued his military career as a Reservist IMA. He retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1994 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In the private sector, Tom distinguished himself in the commercial construction industry. For more than 25 years he has been involved in many of Oregon’s signature construction projects, including the Oregon Convention Center, Fox Tower, PDX Airport expansions, as well as many college and university projects throughout Oregon, Washington and Idaho. As Operations Vice President for Hoffman Construction, Tom has overseen multi-million dollar construction projects for Fortune 500 client companies that included Nike, Intel, Boeing, Microsoft, Apple, and Google.

Wes Stowers ’76 is president and CEO of Stowers Machinery Corporation, the Caterpillar dealerserving the eastern third of Tennessee. After his graduation from the Academy, Stowers was a fighter pilot and instructor pilot in the Air Force through 1988, and then he served another 10 years in the Air Force Reserve. While there, he also was an Air Force Academy admissions liaison officer. He retired as a lieutenant colonel. He joined Stowers Machinery Corporation in 1988 focusing on sales, and he became president in 1992.

Stowers also serves on the boards of national and local organizations including Home Federal Bank, University Health Systems, East Tennessee Economic Development Agency, Holston Gases, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley. He is the past chairman of the Associated Equipment Distributors and Leadership Knoxville, and he is past president of the Tennessee Road Builders Association, Rotary Club of Knoxville, Great Smoky Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts, East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association and the Southeastern Caterpillar Dealer Association.

In addition to his bachelor’s degree in management, Stowers earned a master’s degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Institute.

Stowers and his wife, Elizabeth, reside in Knoxville, Tennessee.

David Strobel is executive chairman of Space Micro Inc. His expertise is in technical management of complex technologies for space and space market penetration experience. He gained this expertise during his seven years as president of Space Electronics Inc. (SEi) and 18 years at SAIC and Northrop Electronics. He built SEi from a small R&D startup company to over $13 million in annual space sales with 125 employees before Maxwell Technologies acquired it. This resulted in the Inc 500 award for Fastest Growing Companies in America two years in succession. He also won the SBA Tibbetts Award, for SBIR excellence; with a focus on rapidly commercializing technologies initiated under SBIR. At Space Electronics Inc, Strobel led four Phase I and two Phase II contracts from NASA, Air Force, and BMDO. Previously he managed IC production for both space and military markets. As an Air Force officer, he managed R&D programs for microelectronics for the MX, SICBM, and Minuteman rad hard missile programs. He holds six U.S. patents for space radiation shielding and microelectronics, including versions of RADPAK and RADCOAT. He holds an MBA from Claremont Graduate School, an M.S. in systems management from University of Southern California, an M.S. in nuclear engineering from Cornell University, and a B.S. in astronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Mr. Wecker is the Founder and President of William E. Wecker Associates, Inc. Prior to founding the company, Mr. Wecker enjoyed a distinguished academic career at the University of Chicago, the University of California, Davis, and Stanford University. Mr. Wecker holds a bachelor’s degree from the United States Air Force Academy and MS and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan. Mr. Wecker is a member of the American Association of the Advancement of Science, the American Statistical Association, the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and the Society for Risk Analysis. Previously, he has served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Business and Economic Statistics and the Journal of the American Statistical Association. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a fighter pilot. He is a 2021 recipient of the Academy’s Distinguished Graduate Award.

General Welsh served in the Air Force for 40 years. Welsh earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a Master of Science degree in computer resource management from Webster University, and graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College, the Air War College, and the National War College. He was a fellow of Seminar XXI at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a fellow of the National Security Studies Program of Syracuse University and Johns Hopkins University, a fellow of Ukrainian Security Studies at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, a fellow of the Pinnacle Course of the National Defense University, and a graduate of the General Manager Program at the Harvard Business School.

During his long military career, Welsh received numerous awards and decorations, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, and the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster.

Welsh became the 20th Chief of Staff of the Air Force in August 2012, serving as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of 664,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he and other service chiefs functioned as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council, and the President. His most recent previous post was Commander of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Commander of NATO’s Air Command, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. He also served as Associate Director of Military Affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency, and as Commandant of the United States Air Force Academy. Welsh currently serves as the Dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.

Prior to his retirement in July 2011, Dave Yost was CEO of AmerisourceBergen (NYSE: ABC). AmerisourceBergen is one of North America's largest distributors of pharmaceuticals and related products and services, with revenues of $78 billion the year he retired. During Yost’s 37 years with the company, he held a variety of jobs including COO, EVP, group president, division manager, sales manager, and territory manager. Yost serves on the board of directors for Bank of America, Marsh & McLennan and Johnson Controls International. Previously, he has served on the board of TYCO International, Excelis, Aetna, Electronic Data Systems, PharMerica, AmeriSource Health, AmerisourceBergen, The Hospital System of the University of Pennsylvania, and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers.

He is a 1969 graduate of the Air Force Academy and received an MBA from UCLA in 1970. In the January-February 2013 edition of the Harvard Business Review, he was recognized (#71) in the cover article "The 100 Best CEOs in the World." He received the Academy’s Distinguished Graduate Award in 2016.

William J. Hybl currently serves as executive chairman of El Pomar Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is the vice chairman for Broadmoor Hotel Inc., chairman for Garden City Company, and director for FirstBank Holding Company. He has also been engaged in a variety of public service activities. Hybl is president emeritus of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). He served twice as president. He led the United States Olympic Team delegations at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France, and the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. In 1998, he again led the U.S. Team at the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, and, in 2000, at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He was a member of the International Olympic Committee from 2000-2002. He serves as chairman of the U.S. Olympic Endowment. He was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of fame in 2006. In 2008, Hybl was confirmed by the United States Senate as chairman of the U.S. Commission on Public Diplomacy, a position he was appointed to by President George W. Bush. At the recommendation of the Senate he was reappointed by President Barack Obama on June 1, 2011, and currently serves as vice chairman. Hybl is civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army Emeritus. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Hybl as U.S. Representative to the 56th General Assembly of the United Nations. In addition, Hybl was chairman of the board of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) from 2003 to 2009 and currently serves as chairman emeritus. Hybl is vice chairman of the board for International Programs at The Fund for American Studies. He was named Citizen of the West by the National Western Stock Show of Denver in 2003. Hybl is a 1964 Distinguished Military Graduate of Colorado College’s ROTC program, and he earned his juris doctor at the University of Colorado School of Law in 1967. He was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 1972 and was special counsel to President Ronald Reagan in 1981. He is married to Kathleen Horrigan and they have two sons, B.J. and Kyle, and six grandchildren.

Les Denend is retired. He volunteers in Menlo Park, California and at Stanford Hospital. He served on over twenty public and private company boards, including Vice Chairman and lead outside director of USAA. He is the former president and CEO of Network General Corporation. He was also a partner at McKinsey and Company. Mr. Denend served as Special Assistant to Zbigniew Brzezinski in the Carter Administration. He also served as the deputy director of the Cabinet Council on Economic Affairs in the Reagan administration. He was an advisor to General David Jones, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mr. Denend graduated from the U. S. Air Force Academy in 1963. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and earned a Ph.D. in Economics, Public Policy and Business, and an MBA from the Stanford University and the GSB. He was selected as a White House Fellow in the Ford Administration. Mr. Denend is a retired U. S. Air Force colonel and a Vietnam War combat fighter pilot. He currently serves as a trustee of the Air Force Academy Foundation and the Falcon Foundation.

Terrance Drabant is CEO and President of the JVax Investment Group, LLC, which is a private investment partnership. Prior to the formation of JVax IG, LLC, he was a Lockheed Martin Corporate Vice President and President, Lockheed Martin Mission Systems. This was a $1B systems integration company within Lockheed Martin that is responsible for contracts and proposals relating to information superiority, network centric warfare, command and control, and combat support. Previously, Mr. Drabant was vice president and general manager of IBM Federal Systems and president, Loral Federal Systems. Mr. Drabant holds a B.S. degree in Engineering Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and is a distinguished graduate of the Department of Defense Management School Program Management Course, a graduate of the UCLA Modern Engineering program and Fellow of the MIT Seminar XXI (Foreign Policies and the National Interest). Mr. Drabant is currently on the Board of Directors of Azul Systems Inc., VidSys Inc. and is a member of the University of Maryland College of Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics Board of Visitors. He has previously served as a Director of the Security Affairs Support Association, a member of the Systems Engineering Institute Software Process Program Advisory Board, member of the Board of Directors of the Information Technology Association of America, the 1998 World Congress of Information Technology, a member of the University of Colorado Department of Computer Science Board of Visitors and a member of the Board of Directors of RT Logic Inc.

Mr. Holaday headed the Private Markets Group of Brinson Partners and its predecessor entities for 15 years prior to his retirement in January 2001 as Managing Director of the UBS Asset Management Private Markets Group. He managed more than $19 billion in investments in venture capital, buyouts, real estate, timber, and oil and gas. Previous to his joining Brinson Partners, Inc., Mr. Holaday was a Vice President and Principal of the Innoven Venture Capital Group from 1983 to 1985. Prior to Innoven, Mr. Holaday founded and, as president for three years, ran Tenax Oil and Gas Corporation, an onshore Gulf Coast exploration and production company. He also has twelve additional years of senior management experience with both Gulf Oil and the federal government (Department of Defense, Department of the Interior and the Federal Energy Administration). Mr. Holaday graduated with honors from the United States Air Force Academy and was a Rhodes Scholar. He holds a Master’s degree from Oxford University, a Juris Doctorate from the George Washington School of Law, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of North Dakota. Mr. Holaday is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

After graduating with honors from the United States Air Force Academy, Mr. James flew with the astronauts in the Astronaut Recovery Program at Cape Canaveral. He then volunteered for Combat Air Rescue duty with the Jolly Green Giants in the Vietnam War, followed by an assignment as a combat instructor pilot. After his time in the military, Mr. James earned an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He then started his business career in the real estate industry as an international investment analyst, which led to a lucrative stint as a real estate sales executive and eventually a real estate developer. Mr. James’ company built, owned and operated eighteen hotels in California and Nevada. He became the Executive Vice President of Days Inns of America, CEO of Days of the West, and served on the Board of Directors of the California Governor’s California Tourism Corporation. Mr. James later returned to the world of real estate and developed several RE/MAX Real Estate territories in Northern California. The retail industry beckoned and Mr. James developed the world’s largest chain of owner operated kiosk retail stores. This involvement in the Specialty Retail Industry led him into numerous product lines, ranging from his American Yoyo Company to the cosmetic world of Avon, Revlon and Proactiv Solutions. Many other company product lines followed such as: Solar City, Hess Energy, ABCmouse, Harry & David, and others. Total revenues have exceeded $1.8 billion. Mr. James was selected as the first inductee into the Specialty Retail Hall of Fame. Currently, Mr. James is the Executive Chairman of American Kiosk Management, LLC, which operates several hundred retail kiosks in the US and Canada. He is the Founder of Camp Soaring Eagle, a camp for chronically and terminally ill children, now having served over 7,000 campers. Mr. James is a recipient of the Academy’s Distinguished Graduate Award.

Gilbert D. (Gil) Mook retired in 2001 from America West Airlines. While he was with America West, Mr. Mook was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and a member of the America West Board of Directors. Prior to that, Mr. Mook was the Senior Vice President of Air Operations for Federal Express. He joined Federal Express in 1983, where he served as Senior Vice President-Central Support Services. Prior to joining Federal Express, Mr. Mook was a program manager with General Dynamics. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Mr. Mook also holds an MBA from the University of Colorado. A decorated Vietnam veteran, Mr. Mook served in the Air Force as a fighter pilot for 10 years including an assignment as a member of the Air Force Thunderbirds.

Emeritus board director Hugh Williamson founded and currently serves as chairman and chief executive officer of Finna Sensors, Inc.. He is also a director of Calibrus, Inc.; advisory director of Canaan Natural Resources and Slipstream Properties; and manager of Humanade, LLC and Cleburne Properties, LLC. Williamson's extensive executive experience includes becoming the first Air Force Academy graduate to head a Fortune 500 company. He has also held CEO positions with NYSE, ASE, NASDAQ, and numerous privately held companies. In his over 40-year career, he has served as the chief executive officer of five public companies: Edgcomb Metals, Inc.; Revere Copper and Brass, Inc.; Ketema, Inc.; Emageon, Inc.; and XeDAR Corporation. He has also been the chairman and CEO of Keller Industries, Carolina Steel Corporation, and EASCO Aluminum; senior principal of Cherry Creek Capital Partners, chief executive officer and president of Schutte & Koerting Inc., director of Valen Analytics, Inc., and director of Prima Capital, along with various other smaller companies. Williamson has also served on the USAFA Falcon Foundation board of trustees since 1985 and is currently the vice chair. He also was a significant contributor to the construction of the Association of Graduates building, Doolittle Hall. Over this same period of time, Williamson has served many other nonprofit organizations, mostly as an officer and/or director, including Austin Presbyterian Seminary, Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters, United Way, Camp Soaring Eagle, and others, including his local churches. He is a past member of Young Presidents Organization and Chief Executive Organization, and is now a member of World Presidents Organization. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering science from the United States Air Force Academy and an MBA from Texas Tech University.