Air & Space Conference Speakers

Featured Speakers

Lieutenant General John A. Bradley

Lieutenant General John A. Bradley is Chief of Air Force Reserve, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., and Commander, Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. As Chief of Air Force Reserve, he serves as principal adviser on Reserve matters to the Air Force Chief of Staff. As Commander of Air Force Reserve Command, he has full responsibility for the supervision of all U.S. Air Force Reserve units around the world. Before assuming his current position, General Bradley was Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for Reserve Matters. The general is a command pilot with more than 6,800 flying hours, including 337 combat missions in Vietnam.

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Lieutenant General Roger A. Brady

Lieutenant General Roger A. Brady is Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He serves as the senior Air Force officer responsible for comprehensive plans and policies covering all life cycles of military and civilian personnel management, which includes military and civilian end strength management, education and training, and compensation and resource allocation. Prior to assuming his current position, General Brady served as the Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff for Force Development. The general is a command pilot with more than 2,600 hours in the C-130, F-16, KC-135, T-1, T-37 and T-38.

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Mr. Daniel S. Butler

Daniel S. Butler is Executive Director, Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. He serves as adviser to the AFOSI Commander, oversees the AFOSI Special Investigations Career Program and is responsible for executive-level policy coordination, liaison, and representation to national and international organizations. Mr. Butler served on active duty with the U.S. Navy from 1981 to 1991 as an intelligence officer. After his release from the Navy in 1991, he served as a Naval Reserve officer assigned to the Joint Military Intelligence College as an adjunct professor. He retired from the Naval Reserve in 2002. Mr. Butler worked for seven years at Headquarters Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Washington, D.C., where he was Deputy Assistant Director for Government Liaison and Public Affairs, and executive assistant to the Director and Coordinator of Strategic Planning. He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in December 2000.

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Bruce Christopher

What separates psychologist/humorist Bruce Christopher from the rest of the pack is his outrageously funny and dynamic delivery of today’s hot topics. He has captivated audiences internationally by giving them real and practical solutions for success, without fluff and hype. He has been honored to speak at the exclusive Million Dollar Round Table Conference, the Royal College of Surgeons in London, the Mayo Clinic, and on the largest stage in the world. Christopher is a Clinical Psychologist holding degrees in both Professional Psychology and Interpersonal Communication. As a credentialed professional speaker, Bruce’s client list comprises some of the best organizations in the world; he speaks over 150 times a year and is one of the most sought after speakers in the Fortune 500.

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Colonel John A. Daniels

Colonel John A. Daniels is the Director of the Airborne Laser (ABL) System Program Office, Missile Defense Agency (MDA), at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. He directs acquisition planning, programming, budgeting, and Congressional activities for the $13 billion Airborne Laser program. He also executes MDA’s Airborne Sensor and Laser Technology Programs. Colonel Daniels enlisted in the Air Force in 1979 and began his career as a crew chief on the C-141A aircraft. After graduation from Officer Training School in 1985, he has served in a variety of assignments. He assumed his current duties in March of 2005.

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The Honorable Michael L. Dominguez

Michael L. Dominguez is Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Washington, DC. Mr. Dominguez heads a four-division department that deals at the policy level with Air Force manpower and Reserve affairs issues. His areas of responsibility include force management and personnel, equal opportunity and diversity, Reserve affairs and Air Force review boards. Mr. Dominguez is also the Co-Chair of the National Security Personnel System (NSPS) Overarching Integrated Product Team, responsible for providing advice and support to the Senior Executive for NSPS and to the Program Executive Office on the development and implementation of NSPS. He is a former Air Force dependent who was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1975. Mr. Dominguez entered the Senior Executive Service in 1991 as PA&E's Director for Planning and Analytical Support.

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Brigadier General Charles J. Dunlap Jr

Brigadier General Charles J. Dunlap Jr. is the Staff Judge Advocate, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. General Dunlap is the principal legal adviser to the Air Combat Command Commander and staff on legal issues involving military justice, combat operations, civil litigation, environmental law, international law, administrative law, claims and other legal matters. The general provides professional guidance to more than 200 military and civilian attorneys, and to 400 enlisted paralegals and civilians. He establishes policy oversight for 21 base legal offices, including four general court-martial jurisdictions, which provide legal services to more than 214,000 active-duty personnel and dependents. General Dunlap has deployed to support operations including Provide Relief, Restore Hope, Vigilant Warrior, Desert Fox, Bright Star and Enduring Freedom. He has led military-to-military delegations to Uruguay, the Czech Republic, South Africa and Colombia. General Dunlap speaks widely on legal and national security issues, and is published in Aerospace Power Journal, Peacekeeping & International Relations, Parameters, Proceedings, Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, Air Force Times, Wake Forest Law Review, Air Force Law Review, Tennessee Law Review and Strategic Review, among others.

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Mr. Ric Edelman

Ric Edelman is one of the nation’s most acclaimed financial advisors. Barron’s has twice (2004 and 2005) ranked Ric among America’s 100 top financial advisors. In 2004, Ric was inducted into the Financial Advisor Hall of Fame. The same year, he was ranked the #1 advisor in the nation by Research Magazine for his focus on the individual client and Bloomberg Wealth Manager ranked his firm, Edelman Financial Services LLC, as one of the largest independent financial planning firms in the nation with $2.6 billion in client assets. Ric’s bestselling books have collectively sold more than one million copies. He is a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, hosts weekly radio and TV shows in Washington, D.C. and founded The Edelman Center for Personal Finance Education.

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The Honorable Pete Geren

Pete Geren is the acting Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C. In this role, he is responsible for the affairs of the Department of the Air Force, including the organizing, training, equipping and providing for the welfare of its more than 360,000 men and women on active duty, 180,000 members of the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve, 160,000 civilians, and their families. Prior to this, Geren served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense with responsibilities in the areas of inter-agency initiatives, legislative affairs and special projects. Before joining the Department of Defense, Geren was an attorney and businessman in Fort Worth, Texas. From 1989 until his retirement in 1997, he represented the Twelfth Congressional District of Texas as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

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Mr. John Gilroy

In 1991, John Gilroy developed the concept of a radio show with a simple premise: open the phone lines to listeners and provide clear, practical advice on personal computing. This led to the creation of “The Computer Guys” program on WAMU in Washington, D.C., an immensely popular segment that is still running today. Gilroy has also been a regular columnist for The Washington Post since 1994, providing advice to the paper’s readers through the Sunday Business Section. His expertise in computers has earned him dozens of local and national television appearances, including Dateline, NBC, C-SPAN, PBS Nightly News and ABC’s Nightline. In addition, speaking engagements take him regularly across the country to address private corporations, non-profit organizations, and government agencies.

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Major General Stephen M. Goldfein

Major General Stephen M. Goldfein is Commander, Air Warfare Center, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The Air Warfare Center conducts operational test and evaluation; develops tactics for the employment of fighter, bomber and unmanned aerial vehicle systems; and directs combat training for the U.S. Air Force through the Air-Ground Operations Center and the Air-Ground Operations, Weapons, Munitions and Maintenance Officer Schools, encompassing doctorate-level training for officers in 14 weapons systems. The center is also responsible for the Red, Blue and Silver Flag combat training exercises. The general commands 12,000 Airmen serving in the 57th Wing, 99th Air Base Wing, 98th Range Wing, 53rd Wing, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Air Warfare Battlelabs, and the 505th Command and Control Wing. Prior to his current assignment, General Goldfein was Director of Requirements for the U.S. Air Force. He is a command pilot with more than 3,700 flying hours.

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Dr. Rebecca Grant

Rebecca Grant is president of IRIS Independent Research, which she founded in 1995. Recent IRIS Independent Research projects include an examination of the “War of 9/11” and how it has transformed America’s air and space weapon, an analysis of air and space power during the second Gulf War, and a study on the F/A-22. She is the author of The B-2 Goes to War (2001) and The Radar Game (1999) as well as several magazine articles on aspects of aerospace power. Dr. Grant is also a fellow of the Eaker Institute of Aerospace Concepts, the public policy and research arm of the Air Force Association. Previously, Grant worked in the operations group of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force as well as for the Secretary of the Air Force.

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The Honorable Frederick D. Gregory

Frederick D. Gregory was confirmed by the United States Senate in 2002 as the Deputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In that capacity, he serves as the chief operating officer for the Agency, and is responsible for directing and managing many of its programs as well as day-to-day operations and activities. Prior to becoming the Deputy Administrator, Mr. Gregory served as the Associate Administrator for Space Flight from December 2001 to August 2002. From June 1992 to December 2001, he held the position of Associate Administrator, Office of Safety and Mission Assurance. Mr. Gregory has extensive experience as an astronaut, test pilot, and manager of flight safety programs and launch support operations. He was selected as an astronaut in January 1978 and has logged 455 hours in space: as pilot for the Orbiter Challenger in 1985, as spacecraft commander aboard Discovery in 1989, and as spacecraft commander aboard Atlantis in 1991. Mr. Gregory retired as a Colonel in the United States Air Force in December 1993 after logging 7,000 hours in more than 50 types of aircraft, including 550 combat missions in Vietnam.

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Lieutenant General Michael A. Hamel

Lieutenant General Michael A. Hamel is Commander, Space and Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. General Hamel is responsible for managing the research, design, development, acquisition and sustainment of space and missile systems, launch, command and control, and operational satellite systems. He oversees more than 6,500 employees nationwide and an annual total budget in excess of $10 billion. General Hamel is the Air Force Program Executive Officer for Space and is responsible for the Air Force Satellite Control Network; space launch and range programs; the Space-Based Infrared System Program; military satellite communication programs; the Global Positioning System; intercontinental ballistic missile programs; Defense Meteorological Satellite Program; the space superiority system programs and other emerging transformational space programs. Prior to his current position, General Hamel commanded the 14th Air Force "Flying Tigers," and was responsible for all U.S. Air Force space forces and operations as well as the execution of assigned U.S. Strategic Command’s space operations.

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Honorable Robin Hayes

The Honorable Robin Hayes is currently serving his fourth term in the House of Representatives representing North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District. Congressman Hayes serves on three House Committees: Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Armed Services (where he is Vice Chairman of the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee and also serves on the Readiness Subcommittee and Military Personnel Subcommittee). He is the Chairman of the Special Operations Forces Caucus and an Assistant Whip in the House leadership. A native of North Carolina, Hayes earned a degree in History from Duke University in 1967 and upon graduation began a career in business that has ranged from textiles to trucking. He is the current owner and operator of Mt. Pleasant Hosiery Mill and an active pilot with a commercial rating.

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Dr. Howard M. Hensel

Dr. Howard M. Hensel has been a Professor on the faculty of the Air War College since 1986 and currently serves in the Department of Strategy and International Security. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr Hensel has served as the Academic Director of the Air War College's Electives Program (1997-2001), Director of Strategy ( 1994-1995), Director of International Security Studies (1990-1992), and Director of Soviet Studies (1988-1990). He received his B.A. degree in history from Texas A&M University in 1968, his M.A. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia in 1971, and his PhD in government from the University of Virginia in 1976. Before joining the faculty of the Air War College, Dr. Hensel served as Visiting Professor of National Security Affairs at the Air Command and Staff College (1983-1986). He is the author of several books, including: The Sword of the Union: Federal Objectives and Strategies During the American Civil War; The USSR and Outer Space: Soviet Media Images of Superpower Space Policy; and The Anatomy of Failure. In addition, he has published 29 articles and book chapters focusing on various aspects of international relations, Soviet foreign/military policy, military history, and strategy.

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Lieutenant General Daniel James III

Lieutenant General Daniel James III is Director, Air National Guard, Arlington, Virginia. The general is responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, plans and programs affecting more than 104,000 Guard members in more than 88 flying units and 200 geographically separated units throughout the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands. The general is a command pilot with approximately 4,000 hours in fighter and trainer aircraft. A combat veteran with two Distinguished Flying Crosses, General James completed two active duty tours in Southeast Asia, logging 500 combat hours as a forward air controller and F-4 Phantom aircraft commander. Prior to becoming ANG Director, General James was the Adjutant General for Texas National Guard headquarters.

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Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison

Kay Redfield Jamison is Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Honorary Professor of English at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She is the co-author of the standard medical text on manic-depressive illness and author of Touched with Fire, Night Falls Fast and Exuberance: The Passion for Life. She is also the author or co-author of more than 100 scientific articles about mood disorders, suicide, psychotherapy, and lithium. Her memoir about her own experiences with manic-depressive illness, An Unquiet Mind, was on The New York Times Bestseller List for more than five months.

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Frans Johansson

Frans Johansson is an author, speaker and consultant living in New York City. The concept of intersecting different disciplines and cultures is the topic of Johansson’s best-selling book, The Medici Effect: Breakthrough Insights at the Intersection of Ideas, Concepts, and Cultures. He has worked at several intersections in his career, including launching an enterprise software company called Inka.net, managing business development at Dola Health Systems and working as a strategic consultant. He earned his MBA at Harvard Business School and BS at Brown University. Johnansson was raised in Sweden by his African-American and Cherokee mother and Swedish father.

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David Jones

David Jones is the Director of Military Programming for the National Fatherhood Inititiative (NFI), a non-profit organization with the mission to “improve the well-being of children by increasing the proportion of children that grow up with involved, responsible, and committed fathers.” Jones deals specifically with military family readiness and support services to provide education, literature, and NFI products to military dads. Prior to this, he worked with the Utah National Guard as the State Family Program Director. In that position he was responsible for the overall support and readiness of soldiers and families. Jones completed Army ROTC at Brigham Young University and received his commission as an Army National Guard Officer. He is a Certified Family Life Educator through the National Council on Family Relations and is working on a Masters in Family and Human Development at Utah State University, where the focus of his work and research is military families.

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Major General Richard B.H. "Rick" Lewis

Major General Richard B.H. "Rick" Lewis is Air Force Program Executive Officer for the F/A-22 Program, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. General Lewis is responsible for all acquisition activities on the F/A-22. Prior to assuming his current position, he was the Program Executive Officer for Fighter and Bomber Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. The general served in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm as the Special Assistant to the Director of Campaign Plans, in the Pentagon as Deputy Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff for Roles and Missions, and with U.S. Air Forces in Europe as Special Assistant to the USAFE commander for Kosovo operations. He has had multiple flying assignments and has piloted the F-111, F-4 and F-16.

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Lieutenant General Arthur J. Lichte

Lieutenant General Arthur J. Lichte is Assistant Vice Chief of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington D.C. He is responsible for Air Staff organization and administration, serves as Deputy Chairman of the Air Force Council, and is the Air Force accreditation official for the Corps of Air Attachés. Prior to assuming his current position, General Lichte served as Vice Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, where he acted for, and in the absence of, the USAFE commander, conducting and coordinating offensive and defensive air, and space operations for U.S. European Command. During his Air Force career, the general has held command positions at squadron, group and wing levels. He is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours in various aircraft, including the C-17, C-20, C-21, C-32, C-37, C-130, EC/RC-121, KC-10, KC-135, UH-1N and VC-137.

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General Lance W. Lord

General Lance W. Lord is Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. He is responsible for the development, acquisition and operation of the Air Forces space and missile systems. The general oversees a global network of satellite command and control, communications, missile warning and launch facilities, and ensures the combat readiness of Americas intercontinental ballistic missile force. He leads more than 39,700 space professionals who provide combat forces and capabilities to North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Strategic Command. Prior to assuming his current position, General Lord was the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff for Headquarters U.S. Air Force.

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Major General Stephen R. Lorenz

Major General Stephen R. Lorenz is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for planning and directing Air Force budget formulations annually that total more than $107 billion. He leads a staff of civilian and military financial managers that develop, integrate and defend Air Force resource requests to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Office of Management and Budget, and Congress. He manages and executes funding that supports military operations and Air Force priorities at the direction of the Secretary of Defense and Congress. General Lorenz is a command pilot with 3,300 hours in eight aircraft. He has commanded an air refueling squadron, a geographically separated operations group, an air refueling and an air mobility wing.

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Dr. Anna-Maria McGowan

Anna-Maria McGowan is Program Manager of the Morphing Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Langley Research Center. As Program Manager, she directs, advocates, and plans the $12 million dollar NASA program that includes over 65 researchers from 20 branches at NASA Langley, numerous research grants with universities, contracts, and collaborations with other government agencies. McGowan also serves as one of NASA’s key leaders on smart and biomimetic technologies for aerospace vehicles. She began her career as a co-operative engineering student while attending Purdue University, where she received her B.S. degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. She received her M.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering from Old Dominion University.

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Chief Master Sergeant Malcolm McVicar

Chief Master Sergeant Malcolm McVicar is Director, Air Force Enlisted Heritage Research Institute, College for Enlisted Professional Military Education, Maxwell Air Force Base-Gunter Annex, Alabama. He captures, preserves, and archives all aspects of Air Force enlisted heritage and history. He manages the Air Force Enlisted Heritage Hall museum educating over 25,000 visitors annually on Air Force Enlisted history. Chief McVicar is responsible for providing curriculum and academic support to 31,000 in-resident students of the Air Force Senior NCO Academy, 14 NCO Academies, 72 Airman Leadership Schools, and 1 Air National Guard NCO Academy and 3 Air National Guard Leadership Schools. Chief McVicar entered active duty in April 1982 and has served in assignments at base-level, classified special duty, and major command.

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General T. Michael Moseley

General T. Michael Moseley is the 20th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. As Chief, he serves as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipage of more than 700,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the general and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the President. Prior to his current position, the general served as the Vice Chief of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. General Moseley has also commanded the 9th Air Force and U.S. Central Command Air Forces while serving as Combined Forces Air Component Commander for Operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. His staff assignments have consisted of a mix of operational, joint and personnel duties. The general is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and has been decorated by the presidents of the French Republic and the United Arab Emirates.

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Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray represents the highest enlisted level of leadership, and as such, provides direction for the enlisted corps and represents their interests, as appropriate, to the American public, and to those in all levels of government. He serves as the personal adviser to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and progress of the enlisted force. Chief Murray is the 14th chief master sergeant appointed to the highest noncommissioned officer position. Before assuming his current position, he served as Command Chief Master Sergeant, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.

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Dr. Michael E. O'Hanlon

Michael E. O'Hanlon is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, where he specializes in U.S. defense strategy, the use of military force, homeland security and American foreign policy. He is a visiting lecturer at Princeton University, and a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Council on Foreign Relations. O’Hanlon’s latest book is Defense Strategy for the Post-Saddam Era. He also recently completed The Future of Arms Control, co-authored with Michael Levi, as well as a related book, Neither Star Wars nor Sanctuary: Constraining the Military Uses of Space. He has written at least a dozen op-eds in each of the following newspapers: The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Times. O’Hanlon has appeared on the major television networks more than 150 times since September 11, 2001 and has contributed to CNN, MSNBC and BBC. From 1989-1994, he was an analyst at the Congressional Budget Office. O’Hanlon also worked previously at the Institute for Defense Analyses. His Ph.D. from Princeton is in public and international affairs; his bachelor's and master's degrees, also from Princeton, are in the physical sciences.

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Mr. Thomas J. Robillard

Thomas J. Robillard, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the director of the Air-to-Ground Munitions Systems Wing. Mr. Robillard’s programs in the Air-to-Ground Munitions Systems Wing include the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW), Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD), WCMD-ER, Joint Stand-off Weapon System (JSOW), Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), and JASSM-ER (Extended Range). These programs provide the means for warfighters to engage high-value targets from long distance, while keeping air crews out of harm’s way. Mr. Robillard was formerly the director, Air-to-Air Missile Systems Wing, Air Armament Center, at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. He entered federal service in 1973 and has held a variety of positions in program control and program management.

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Mr. Michael Scheuer

New York Times and Washington Post best-seller Imperial Hubris was originally published anonymously, as required by the Central Intelligence Agency. Its author is Michael Scheuer, the former head of the CIA’s Bin Laden Unit, who resigned in November 2004 after nearly two decades of experience in national security issues related to Afghanistan, South Asia, and the Middle East. As “Anonymous,” he is also the author of Through Our Enemies’ Eyes: Osama bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the Future of America. Scheuer's writings also have appeared in the Atlantic, Washington Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, and Washington Post. Scheuer has been featured on such national television news programs as Meet the Press, Nightline, 60 Minutes, and the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, as well as on international television news programs in Britain, Australia, France, Spain, Japan, Italy and Germany. He has been interviewed for several broadcast media and documentaries—including Frontline, the History Channel, the BBC, the Discovery Channel, and PBS—and has been the focus of print media worldwide.

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Lieutenant General Richard M. Scofield

Lieutenant General Richard M. Scofield, USAF (Ret.) was the commander of Aeronautical Systems Center and Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, prior to his retirement in June 1996. He served as a pilot for the first 12 years of his 35-year Air Force career, and then in numerous acquisition management positions, including program director for both the F-117 stealth fighter and B-2 advanced technology bomber. He was the Air Force’s Gray Eagle his last three years on active duty. Following his Air Force career, he has been both a vice president in acquisition management positions with GenCorp Aerojet and a consultant to the Air Force and the aerospace industry. He has led, or participated in, independent review teams that have examined the C-17, F/A-22, OV-22, Space Based Infrared System, and Global Positioning System programs. He has also served as a Senior Advisor to the Air Force Research Laboratory regarding Directed Energy and Manufacturing Technology programs. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Coherent Technologies Inc. of Louisville, Colorado.

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Mr. Len Sistek, Jr.

Len Sistek, Jr. is the Democratic Staff Director of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations for the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. As the senior staff member on the subcommittee, he leads staff to assure compliance with Federal law in all areas related to veterans’ matters. Areas of oversight include: benefits and compensation, healthcare, management and reporting systems, information systems, veterans’ and disabled veterans’ civil rights, procurement, performance-based management and measurement systems, government land use, veterans’ small business interests, complaint and grievance systems, and Federal employment practice. He directs investigations and plans congressional hearings into issues of concern to Congress. He works with investigators from the General Accounting Office and with Inspectors General from four principal executive agencies. In his oversight role, Mr. Sistek serves as counsel to Members of Congress and drafts legislation to resolve problems or enhance systemic performance. Prior to his current position, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Personnel, Reserve Affairs. Mr. Sistek had a 20-year career in the United States Air Force and was a command pilot with over 2,800 flying hours.

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Lieutenant General (Dr.) George Peach Taylor Jr.

Lieutenant General (Dr.) George Peach Taylor Jr. is the Surgeon General of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C. General Taylor serves as functional manager of the U.S. Air Force Medical Service. In this capacity, he advises the Secretary of the Air Force and Air Force Chief of Staff, as well as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs on matters pertaining to the medical aspects of the air expeditionary force and the health of Air Force people. General Taylor has authority to commit resources worldwide for the Air Force Medical Service, to make decisions affecting the delivery of medical services, and to develop plans, programs and procedures to support worldwide medical service missions. He exercises direction, guidance and technical management of more than 42,400 people assigned to 78 medical facilities worldwide. Prior to assuming his current position, General Taylor was the Assistant Surgeon General for Expeditionary Operations, Science and Technology, Office of the Surgeon General. As a Chief Flight Surgeon, General Taylor has more than 1,600 hours flight hours in a variety of aircraft.

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Ambassador Edward S. Walker, Jr.

Ambassador Edward S. Walker, Jr. is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Middle East Institute. Before assuming his current position in 2001, Walker worked with Colin Powell for five months in the Bush Administration as Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, a position he had previously held under Madeleine Albright during the second Clinton Administration. During that time he helped initiate and negotiate US policy toward Iraq, including a complete revision to our sanctions policy. He also engaged in recalibrating US policies toward Iran and the Middle East Peace Process. Walker’s diplomatic career includes positions as US ambassador to Israel (1997-1999), the Arab Republic of Egypt (1994-1997), and the United Arab Emirates (1989-1992), as well as Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations (1992-1993). Walker appears regularly on US and Arab television news broadcasts, is frequently quoted in domestic and international publications, testifies routinely before Congress, and works with the Administration on efforts to improve our public diplomacy in the Middle East and to deal with issues in the region.

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Dr. Herman S. Wolk

Herman S. Wolk is the Senior Historian of the Air Force. After receiving his BA and MA degrees from the American International College, Springfield, Massachusetts, he studied at the Far Eastern and Russian Institute, University of Washington, 1958-59. He was a historian at Headquarters, Strategic Air Command, 1959-66. Since then, he has served in the Air Force Historical Studies Office, Washington, DC. Wolk is the author of numerous works, including Planning and Organizing the Postwar Air Force, The Struggle for Air Force Independence, and Essays on the United States Air Force and National Security. He is currently writing Reflections on Air Force Independence, which will be published by the Air Force History and Museums Program.

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Lieutenant General Michael Wooley

Lieutenant General Michael Wooley is Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), Hurlburt Field, Florida. AFSOC is a major command of the U. S. Air Force and the Air Force component of U.S. Special Operations Command. The command provides Air Force Special Operations Forces and Combat Search and Rescue for worldwide deployment and assignment to unified combatant commanders and consists of approximately 20,000 active duty, Reserve, Air National Guard and civilian professionals. Prior to assuming his current position, General Wooley was Commander, 3rd Air Force, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. The general is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours.

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AFA is a non-profit, independent, professional military and aerospace education association. Our mission is to promote a dominant United States Air Force and a strong national defense, and to honor Airmen and our Air Force Heritage. To accomplish this, we: EDUCATE the public on the critical need for unmatched aerospace power and a technically superior workforce to ensure U.S. national security. ADVOCATE for aerospace power and STEM education. SUPPORT the total Air Force family, and promote aerospace education.