Colonel Rich McClain retired from the United States Air Force in 2011 after 33 years of service to his nation.
Most recently, Colonel McClain served as Commander, 515 Air Mobility Operations Wing, Hickam AFB, Hawaii. As Commander, Colonel McClain was responsible for Air Mobility Command’s air operations in the Pacific. Conducting daily operations at 27 different locations, within 9 foreign countries, Colonel McClain was not only responsible for supporting 33,000+ missions per year, but for the care and well-being of 2,000 personnel under his command.
Colonel McClain received his commission in the United States Air Force via ROTC in 1984. A command navigator with over 2,800 flying hours in the KC-135. In addition to his Wing Command, Colonel McClain also commanded the 6th Operational Support Squadron at MacDill AFB, Florida, and served as Vice Wing Commander of the 615th Contingency Response Wing at Travis AFB, California.
Early in his career, he served as an operations and staff officer for Headquarters Air Mobility Command, the Air Staff, and United States Transportation Command as their senior Liaison Officer to United States Force Korea, Combined Forces Command, and United Nations Command, Republic of Korea.
Currently, Colonel McClain is a Federal Practitioner for Deloitte Consulting LLP.
EDUCATION:
1984 Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Fayetteville State University, NC.
1992 Master of Science degree in Logistics Management, Georgia College, GA.
1999 Master of Science, Military Operational Art and Science, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL.
2003 Master of Science, Strategic Studies, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:
Board of Directors – Tampa Bay Defense Alliance, 2012 – Present
Executive Director – Tampa Bay Defense Alliance, 2012 – 2014
Co-Chair – Tampa-Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation, Defense and Security Task Force, 2013 – 2014
Board Member – Tampa-Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation, Defense and Security Task Force, 2012 – 2013