WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The summer of 2022 brought a number of leadership changes across the Air Force Materiel Command as the result of promotions, change of duty locations and leader retirements across the enterprise.
Changes and additions to the AFMC headquarters leadership team include:
-Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, Commander: Richardson has served in a number of materiel-related positons across the Air Force enterprise within Program Offices, the Air Force Research Laboratory, Headquarters Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Headquarters Air Force, U.S. Special Operations Command, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, at the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia.
-Lorna B. Estep, Executive Director: Estep, a member of the Senior Executive Service, comes to AFMC headquarters from the Air Force Mission and Installation Support Center where she served as Executive Director. Estep began her career as a Navy logistics management intern and has served in a number of logistics and leadership positions across the Navy and the Air Force.
-Brig. Gen. Scott Cain, Director, Air, Space and Cyberspace Operations: Prior to assuming his current position, Cain served as the Commander, 96th Test Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, where he led more than 9,800 military, civilian and contractor personnel in accomplishing the test wing's missions of developmental testing and evaluation of conventional munitions; command and control systems; aircraft avionics and guidance systems; and radar cross section measurement. He has served in a number of test-related positions across the enterprise and is a rated pilot with over 2,800 flying hours.
-Brig. Gen. Frank Verdugo, Comptroller: Verdugo comes to AFMC from the Pentagon where he served as the Director, Budget Operations and Personnel, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Budget. AFMC is the 18th assignment for Verdugo, who commissioned through the Air Force ROTC program at San Diego State University in 1995 and has served in a number of finance positions across the service throughout his career.
-Robert B. Fookes, Jr., Director, Engineering and Technical Management: Prior to his current assignment, Fookes, a member of the Senior Executive Service, served as the Director of Engineering and Technical Management for the F-35 Joint Program Office in Arlington, Virginia. Fookes has served more than 30 years as a federal civil servant, and his experience covers all phases of acquisition, from concept demonstration through sustainment, crossing a wide variety of technical disciplines.
-Col. Erik Quigley, Director of Staff: Quigley comes to AFMC headquarters from the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center where he served as the Director, Minuteman III Systems Directorate. He has served in a number of acquisition assignments in the logistics centers, program office, on the Air Staff, and at the Office of the Secretary of Defense levels.
Center leadership changes include:
-Lt. Gen. Stacey Hawkins, Commander, Air Force Sustainment Center: Hawkins returns to the AFMC family after serving the past year as the Director of Logistics, Engineering, and Force Protection at Headquarters Air Combat Command. Hawkins, an U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, has vast experience in the logistics and aircraft maintenance realms, having held positions at AFMC headquarters and at the Air Logistics Complex, and he’s led deployed combat maintenance teams throughout Southeast Asia as well as served on staff positions at the Pentagon, Air Mobility Command and the White House.
-Maj. Gen. John Newberry, Commander, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center: Newberry took command of the AFNWC following more than nine years of service at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, most recently serving as the Air Force Program Executive Officer for Bombers and Director, Bombers Directorate. Throughout his career he has served in a variety of acquisition fields including space test; flight test; systems engineering; program manager of several aircraft acquisition programs, to include foreign military sales programs; Deputy Program Executive Officer for Air Force Mobility; and KC-46 System Program Manager.
-Maj. Gen. John Allen, Commander, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center: Allen moves to the AFIMSC helm from the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, where he has served as commander since 2020. Throughout his career, he has served in a variety of squadron-level civil engineer assignments as well as assignments on wing, major command and Headquarters Air Force staff. In addition, he has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels and served at the Pentagon.
Wing/installation leadership changes include:
-Brig. Gen. Jeff Geraghty, Commander, 96th Test Wing, Eglin Air Force Base: Geraghty joins the 96TW from AEDC where he served as commander. In his new role, Geraghty will lead more than 9,800 military, civilian and contractor personnel at the test wing who are executing missions that include developmental testing and evaluation of conventional munitions, command and control systems, aircraft avionics and guidance systems and radar cross section measurement. Geraghty has served as an F-15E pilot, an F-15/F-16 test pilot, staff officer in numerous agencies, and as a program manager. He also served as a Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow at Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX).
-Brig. Gen. Jon A. Eberlan, Commander, Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, Robins Air Force Base: Eberlan comes to Warner Robins ALC from the Pentagon where he previously served as the Director, Budget Programs, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller. He has vast experience in the maintenance realm, having served as a Group Commander at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex, Hill AFB, in addition to other key wing, major command, Air Staff, and joint duty positions.
-Col. Jeffrey G. Holland, Commander, 75th Air Base Wing, Hill Air Force Base: Holland comes to Hill AFB from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, where he served as the 509th Maintenance Group Commander. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, he has served in every facet of the Air Force’s field-level aircraft maintenance enterprise in both in-garrison and expeditionary environments, including time at Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Headquarters U.S. Air Force and U.S. Transportation Command.
-Col. Randel Gordon, Commander, Arnold Engineering and Development Complex, Arnold Air Force Base: Gordon joins the AEDC team from the Air Force Test Center where he served as vice commander since 2020. A rated pilot, Gordon has flown more than 3,000 hours. He served the F-22 Combined Test Force as its commander and has additional flight test pilot experience in the F-15C/E, A-10A/C, F-16A/C, Bombardier BD-700 Global Express business jet, and 70 other military and civilian aircraft.
-Col. Chris Meeker, Commander, 88th Air Base Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB: Meeker joins the 88ABW from the 86th Civil Engineer Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where he served as commander. Meeker was commissioned through the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2000. A career civil engineer, he has served at five base-level assignments, Headquarters Air Force, the Air Force Personnel Center and Air Force Civil Engineer Center. His expeditionary experience includes four deployments to various locales across the globe.
-Col. Taona Enriquez, Commander, 66th Air Base Group, Hanscom Air Force Base: Enriquez took command of the 66ABG following time spent at the AFLCMC Contracting Directorate at Hanscom AFB where she served in both the deputy director and director roles. In her new role, Enriquez will lead the 66ABG as it supports the Air Force acquisition mission, providing base, regional and readiness support for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, three Program Executive Offices, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, a variety of other tenant organizations and a joint-service military housing community.