Virginia AFA Leaders Hold Executive Committee Meeting, Hear From Assistant SECAF

The Virginia State Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) held its first quarterly Executive Committee meeting of 2026 on March 7.

The event was hosted by the AFA General Charles A. Gabriel Chapter—which represents AFA members along the Aerospace Corridor in Northern Virginia—at the AFA national headquarters in Arlington. Representatives from all the Virginia-based AFA chapters attended the meeting.

Remarking on the Executive Committee meeting, Mike Maxwell, the Virginia State AFA president, said, “This may have been our best EXCOM in several years!” He also celebrated the wide attendance and the breadth of programming for the representatives.

The attendees at the Executive Committee meeting had a full agenda and heard from AFA leaders including Lt. Gen. Burt Field, USAF (Ret.), president and CEO, and Kathleen Ferguson, chair of the board. AFA national secretary Paul Hendricks spoke about fiscal year 2027 advocacy priorities and how chapters can join in this advocacy. Chris Canada, AFA vice chair of the board for field operations, provided an update on the state of AFA field chapters while AFA national director Janelle Stafford updated the attendees on AFA’s mission membership model. Christy Sitter, AFA vice president for sales, discussed the new “Ones to Watch” program, and Robert “Surf” Beletic, chief strategy officer of the Air Force Cycling Team, led a discussion on potential AFA Virginia support for the annual Memorial-to-Memorial Ride. Also attending was the Central East region president, Linda McMahon.

The highlight of the weekend was the Saturday evening dinner at the Army-Navy Country Club, where Richard Anderson, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, served as the keynote speaker. Attendees enjoyed hearing his unique perspectives on contemporary issues facing the Air Force and Space Force.

Other AFA leaders in attendance included Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF (Ret.), dean of the Mitchell Institute, and former AFA president and CEO Lt. Gen. Bruce “Orville” Wright, USAF (Ret.).

“This was an incredible weekend and significantly advanced our objective of collaboration across Virginia,” Maxwell said. “The Gabriel Chapter has set a new standard for these events and provided a superb model for the future.”