Air Force superintendent addresses NACDA with keynote address
6/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Gen Johnson address highlights 
June 14, 2016
Lieutenant General Michelle D. Johnson, superintendent at the U.S. Air Force Academy, gave the keynote address at The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Annual Convention Monday, June 13, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas.
General Johnson directs a four-year regimen of military training, academics, athletic and character development programs leading to a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
"It is truly an honor to have Lieutenant General Michelle Johnson accept our invitation to serve as the keynote speaker at our Convention," said NACDA President Tim Selgo, director of athletics at Grand Valley State University. "Through her education and life experiences, she will be able to convey a renewed sense of leadership in our members and assist them in navigating the ever-changing landscape of our industry."
During her tenure, General Johnson served as an airlift and tanker pilot, was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the Air Force Academy, and held a variety of senior military executive jobs. She served as the Deputy Director for Information and Cyberspace Policy on the Joint Staff where she led a team developing Cyber policy and a new military Cyber Command. Serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations and Intelligence for the military headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), she supported crisis and operations planning and execution for multiple NATO missions including those in Afghanistan, Kosovo, in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of the Horn of Africa, and in the skies over Libya. She also had the privilege of serving as the Director of Public Affairs for the Air Force and as Air Force aide to both President George H.W. Bush and President Bill Clinton.
"We are extremely fortunate to have General Johnson as the keynote speaker to open NACDA's 51st Annual Convention," said NACDA Executive Director, Bob Vecchione. "The leadership objectives between the military and intercollegiate athletics are largely congruent, and General Johnson's wealth of experience, coupled with her education as a Rhodes Scholar, will allow her to provide a unique leadership perspective to our membership."
A distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1981, General Johnson completed graduate studies as a Rhodes Scholar before earning her pilot wings in 1984. She has served in various assignments in air mobility, airlift and tanker flying operations and training, academic instruction and personnel. General Johnson has been the commander of the 9th Air Refueling Squadron where she led over 200 people, the commander of the 97th Operations Group leading over 1,000 people, and a wing commander responsible for more than 3,600 people, both civilian and military.
In addition, General Johnson was inducted into the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American Hall of Fame -- an honor given to distinguished student-athletes who perform well both in the classroom and in their respective sport. She played basketball all four years while attending the Air Force Academy as a student, and is the second all-time leading scorer in program history.
