Former Falcon Dawn Dunlop Receives Prestigious Honor
7/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
July 26, 2007
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Former Air Force volleyball standout Lt. Col. Dawn Dunlop was one of 15 individuals selected to the prestigious White House Fellows program, the White House announced. Dunlop, a member of the Class of 1988, was one of three Academy graduates selected to the program for 2007-08.
Prior to her appointment with the White House Fellows program, Dunlop served as the commander of the 586th Flight Test Squadron, which conducted advanced avionics and weapons tests for the Department of Defense. During her career, she has accumulated over 3000 flight hours in 33 aircraft, including the F/A-22 Raptor during its inaugural flight over the Academy grounds in 2004.
One of the first women selected for a combat aircraft assignment, Dunlop was the top graduate at Test Pilot School and has also served as Deputy Chief for Air Operations in Kosovo and Chief of Counter Air Defense Systems at the Pentagon.
A three-year letterwinner at the Academy, Dunlop remains one of three Academic All-Americans in the history of the volleyball program. She is also the program's only recipient of the NCAA and Guggenheim scholarships. She remains ranked among the program's top-10 all-time lists in solo blocks (183-fifth), total blocks (448-sixth) and hitting percentage (.300-seventh).
A distinguished graduate of the Academy, Dunlop also holds a M.S. in engineering mechanics (Columbia University) and a M.A. in military operation art and science (Air University).
The White House Fellows program was founded by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and offers its selected participants first-hand experience within the highest levels of the U.S. government. As stated in the official White House release, selection to the program is highly competitive and based on professional achievement, leadership, and commitment to public service.
This year's class includes individuals from the medical, law, finance, media, engineering, education and state government fields, as well as all three branches of the military. Former White House Fellows include former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns.
