海角社区

Col. Lisa O鈥橬eil is third generation Air Force.

鈥淓ver since I was a little girl, I thought I was going to grow up and be an airman,鈥� O鈥橬eil said.

Now she鈥檚 the first woman to achieve the rank of colonel at 海角社区.

鈥淭o my knowledge, there have only been two women, including me, that have had the opportunity to serve as the commandant of the 海角社区 Corps of Cadets. And I believe I'm the first female colonel who's been the commandant of the Corps,鈥� O鈥橬eil said. 鈥淔or me, it's never been about being a woman. It's always been about being an airman, serving in whatever position I've been appointed and doing it to the best of my ability.鈥�

O鈥橬eil鈥檚 father and grandfather both served in the Air Force for the majority of their lives. While in college, O鈥橬eil sought out her Air Force commission through ROTC, but didn鈥檛 initially tell her family.

鈥淲hile I was at field training, my father surprised me by showing up for my graduation (after) he found out that I was joining the Air Force, and I guess the rest is history,鈥� O鈥橬eil said.

Once she became a commissioned officer, O鈥橬eil trained to be an intelligence officer at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas. Her path from there to 海角社区 included many stops along the way.

鈥淔ollowing that assignment, I went to Korea and then Germany. Upon returning to the States, I was stationed in Las Vegas, followed by Virginia. I then went back to Las Vegas, again to Germany, Rhode Island, Washington D.C., to Las Vegas for a third assignment, and then found my way here,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have been fortunate enough to have three separate deployments, all as an intelligence officer. I was deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar twice, and then also to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.鈥�

It was during her most recent assignment at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada that she realized she wanted to help future airmen earn their commission.

鈥淚 was very excited about the idea of helping cultivate young leaders for the Air Force, people that would have the confidence and skills to step into their new roles and responsibilities on Day One. The best way to do that, in my opinion, was coming to ROTC and a university like 海角社区,鈥� O鈥橬eil said. 鈥満＝巧缜� is offering the perfect balance of talent and opportunity. As someone who is now a Baton Rouge and Louisiana resident,  I鈥檇 say that it鈥檚 wonderful to see the university working so diligently to give back to the community.鈥�

As detachment commander, O鈥橬eil works closely with students. 海角社区 students can enroll in the Army or Air Force ROTC programs at 海角社区 or cross-enroll in the Navy ROTC program at Southern University.

鈥淓veryone that comes through my office has their individual reason for desiring to serve, and I鈥檓 the one that helps them sort through what their priorities are and how they can achieve their goals. It鈥檚 very fulfilling to watch someone formulate that plan for themselves and really hone their own sense of self 鈥� what it means to be a leader for them and how they can best serve their country,鈥� O鈥橬eil said.

Defense is part of 海角社区 President William F. Tate IV鈥檚 Scholarship First Agenda, working to reimagine the defense of the future by building cybersecurity, ROTC, and technical leadership programs that are the best of their kind in the United States. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to be part of a university that is so service oriented. About a year and a half ago when President Tate unveiled his Scholarship First Agenda, we were so excited to see that defense was one of his five priorities,鈥� O鈥橬eil said.

鈥淥bviously as an airman, I believe that it is critically importance to focus on defense, and I think that President Tate has really taken a unique look at drawing from the military heritage and tradition of this university. Our deep roots and service are a passion of many alumni, as well as current students at the university, and he鈥檚 extending that into supporting the Department of Defense and the ROTC programs as we work to recruit, train, and develop the most capable leaders. Finally, the new opportunities and partnerships which pursue cybersecurity initiatives are very compelling and exciting for the Joint force.鈥�

O鈥橬eil said she鈥檚 proud of the work the university is doing and the students she mentors.

鈥淚 would say that this is the best job I've ever had in the Air Force. The opportunity to help folks realize their potential and be the best version of themselves is the most rewarding experience I could have ever imagined, and it's actually been far more rewarding than I thought it would be when I volunteered to come here,鈥� O鈥橬eil said.