HUNTINGDON COLLEGE
NEWS RELEASE
March 21, 2017
For more information, contact:
Su Ofe
(334) 833-4515; news@hawks.huntingdon.edu
Huntingdon hosts Hap Arnold Lecture Series
Montgomery, Ala.—The Huntingdon College Leadership Initiative, part of the College’s Office of Student Life, will host the Air War College’s Hap Arnold Lecture Series, “Leading and Serving in Changing Times,” Wednesday, March 22, at 6:00 p.m. in Smith Music Building’s Delchamps Recital Hall on the Huntingdon campus. The event is free and open to the public.
Named for the pioneering five-star General of the Air Force, the Hap Arnold Lecture Program is an annual outreach effort of the United States Air Force’s Air War College with the goal of fostering direct dialogue and exchange between senior military officers and the public on matters related to national security. The program employs a panel of senior officers, selected for their military experience, academic accomplishments and expertise in the area of national security. The objectives of this event are to foster dialogue and to deepen understanding between senior military leaders and the Montgomery community. During this event, four Air War College students will share their personal and professional stories with the audience as well as their views on a wide range of military and policy topics and then answer questions in an open forum.
The presenters are:
- Chief Master Sergeant Derek T. Crowder serves as the Group Superintendent, 375th Mission Support Group, Scott AFB, Illinois, where he advises the commander on operational and readiness initiatives impacting the group’s 1,500 personnel assigned to five squadrons. The group is responsible for providing security, food operations, recreational services, personnel support, logistics readiness, and facility infrastructure sustainment to more than 39,000 personnel. A native of Illinois, he entered the Air Force in 1994 and has served at bases in New Mexico, Alaska, Alabama, Afghanistan and the Republic of Korea.
- Chief Master Sergeant Shanece Johnson serves as the superintendent, 31st Medical Group, 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano AB, Italy, where she is the principal adviser to the commander on matters concerning authorizations, effective utilization and assignment, force structure, training and welfare of the medical enlisted force. She also provides leadership in organizing, equipping, and training five squadrons comprised of 458 active duty, DoD and contractor personnel, delivering medical care to approximately 9,000 beneficiaries across 31 geographically separate units. Johnson holds the title of interim 31st Fighter Wing Command Chief, ensuring that the Wing and its associated units remain mission ready to support the Expeditionary Air Force, U.S. and NATO objectives worldwide. Her previous assignments include bases in Illinois, South Dakota, Texas, and Louisiana. Chief Johnson assumed her current position in December 2014.
- Lieutenant Colonel Robert P. Vicars IV serves as the commander of the 25th Flying Training Squadron, Vance AFB, Oklahoma, where he conducts phase III of Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training in the T-38 Talon, graduating approximately 100 students each year. A command pilot with more than 1,900 hours in the F-16 and T-38, he has flown the F-16 in South Korea, as a Forward Air Controller-Airborne in Alaska, as well as in support of Operation Noble Eagle in Guam. He has also served in the Joint Operations Center, Combined Forces Command, Kabul, Afghanistan. He has joint service on staff at U.S. Pacific Command, as well as joint education at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Vicars will moderate the panel.
- Chief Master Sergeant Kimberly S. Vinson serves as the First Sergeant, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio Randolph, Texas, where she advises and assists on matters concerning the discipline, health, morale, welfare, and mentorship of more than 1,500 military and civilian personnel and their families. She counsels 19 directorates and special staff members. She entered the Air Force in 1996 and has served at bases in Maryland, South Korea, Germany, Nevada, Italy, New Mexico, Ohio, and South Dakota.
Huntingdon College, grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition of the United Methodist Church, is committed to nurturing growth in faith, wisdom, and service and to graduating individuals prepared to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Founded in 1854, Huntingdon is a coeducational liberal arts college recognized among “The Fastest Growing Colleges in America” by The Chronicle of Higher Education; among the top 10 regional colleges and top 10 best regional values by U.S. News and World Report; among the top tier of regional colleges by the Princeton Review; among “Colleges that Contribute to the Public Good,” by Washington Monthly; and on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The Huntingdon campus, a Tree Campus USA, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Suellen (Su) Ofe
Associate Vice President
for Marketing and Communications
Huntingdon College
1500 E. Fairview Ave., Montgomery, AL 36106
(334) 833-4515; Cell (334) 324-6591
