Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today congratulated Major General Michelle Johnson on her selection for promotion to Lieutenant General and to become the next Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy.
Bennet hailed the selection of Major General Johnson, who will become the Academy’s first female Superintendent, saying, “This is a groundbreaking appointment. General Johnson has been a trailblazer and the very model of a superb officer. From her selection as the first female commander of the Academy’s Cadet Wing when she was a student, to her selection as a Rhodes Scholar, to her service as Military Assistant to the President and her thousands of hours of flight time, General Johnson has been a tremendous officer. Her career will become even more distinguished when she takes the reins of our United States Air Force Academy.”
“Since her own graduation from the Air Force Academy in 1981, General Johnson has served around the world with distinction,” Bennet continued. “We are pleased to welcome her home to Colorado.”
A command pilot with more than 3600 flight hours, Major General Johnson has served around the globe. From 1989 through 1992, she taught Political Science at the Air Force Academy, before departing to serve at the White House as a military assistant to the President. Currently, she is posted to Belgium where she served as NATO’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Intelligence.