Melissa Dombrock

Melissa L. Dombrock is a career military officer, leader, scholar, pilot, foreign affairs specialist and leadership coach. As a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, her 18 years of military service spans the duty locations of Colorado, Oklahoma, California, Washington State, France, Germany and Morocco, and includes more than 2800 hours of global operational experience and 930 hours of combat experience flying the C-17, C-21, C-37, T-1 and T-6 mobility aircraft, with multiple deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and Deep Freeze. Melissa also has unique staff experience at senior levels; she’s served directly for two consecutive Commanders of United States Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, as well as Commanded the 76^th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Additionally, Melissa is a Leadership Coach and is passionate about authentic leadership, fostering relationships and inspiring others to seek and maximize their potential.

Melissa earned a double B.S. in Foreign Area Studies and Humanities from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a M.A. in International Relations from the Naval Postgraduate School. She also earned an Executive Master in Leadership and Project Management from the Université Internationale de Rabat, Morocco while as an Olmsted Scholar. As of June 2023, Melissa is a graduated Senior Fellow of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

Melissa is en-route to a staff position at U.S. Africa Command Headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany with her family. Melissa is married to Ryan Dombrock, a 10-year U.S. Air Force Special Forces Veteran, and they have two children, Kellen (4.5 years) and Chloé (1.5 years). (Current as of June 2023)