Lieutenant General Michelle D. Johnson, prior to her selection to be the nineteenth Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy was the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations and Intelligence, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Casteau, Belgium. She is the first female Superintendent in Air Force Academy history. A distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1981, General Johnson completed graduate studies as a Rhodes Scholar before earning her pilot wings in 1984. She has served in various assignments in air mobility, airlift and tanker flying operations and training, academic instruction and personnel. She has commanded the 9th Air Refueling Squadron, the 97th Operations Group and the 22nd Air Refueling Wing. The general commanded a deployed air refueling squadron in Operation Southern Watch and an air refueling wing in support of operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. She has served as the Air Force aide to the President, an Assistant Professor of Political Science, and Associate Air Officer Commanding at the U.S. Air Force Academy. She was also the Director of Personnel for Air Mobility Command and Director of Air Force Public Affairs. General Johnson served as the Deputy Director for Information and Cyberspace Policy on the Joint Staff and as the Director, Strategy, Policy, Programs and Logistics, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. General Johnson is a command pilot with more than 3,600 flying hours in C-141, T-41, KC-10, C-17, C-5 and KC-135 aircraft.
Jane Stringfellow was born and raised in Waterloo, IN, graduated from Ball State Teachers College in Muncie, IN, and accepted a teaching position with the Arlington County Virginia Public Schools. Earning an MA at George Washington University, she became a reading specialist and taught for 32 years. Jane met Charlie Stringfellow while teaching and they were married in 1983 — in 2007 they moved to Santa Fe, NM. As part of Alpha Delta Kappa, an International Honorary Sorority for Women Educators, Jane excelled and was named the Chairman of the International Executive Board. Jane has led this large women’s organization in their international altruistic outreach activities. Jane is a ruling elder at First Presbyterian Church, chairs the Preschool Advisory Committee and is Co-Moderator of Presbytery’s Commission on Ministry. She is on the Santa Fe Opera Guild Board of Directors and Vice President of her P.E.O. chapter.
Edie S. Roodman was born and raised in St. Louis and attended Arizona State, receiving a BA in Political Science though in the process there were no less than five major changes. While at ASU, Edie’s maternal instincts surfaced early when she worked as a nanny for the Romero family. Edie taught secondary social studies while pursuing masters degrees in education and counseling. She began a doctorate in women’s studies prior to moving to Houston where husband Eli Reshef began medical school. While Eli was studying, Edie launched her volunteer involvement and worked for Houston Community College as Women’s Reentry Program Director. Just before Eli’s residency, Erielle was born. Birmingham brought new challenges—Edie served as Jewish Family Agency’s Director of Senior Services and expanded the family with baby Evan. After four years, on to Louisville for Eli’s fellowship and baby three, Eitan, plus another professional opportunity as the Jewish Federation’s Assistant Director. Next stop OKC where Eli assumed a position at OU Medical Center and Edie fell into her dream job as Executive Director of the OKC Jewish Federation. As Executive of the Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City for almost twenty-three years, her job gives her an opportunity everyday to put into practice the values she cherishes. She meet and work with community members who she hold in the highest regard and with whom she shares her passions for Israel with government leaders, community members, and friends by frequent visits there designed to cement the ties between Israel and Oklahoma. She has had the privilege of smoothing ruffled feathers, drying many tears, mentoring reluctant leaders and celebrating successes with 11 devoted Federation presidents, over 350 dynamic board members, two dozen Foundation trustees, hundreds and hundreds of eager volunteers and over 25 creative employees.
Moraima Oyola is a mother who helps other mothers of children who are school dropouts or have criminal records to get their sons and daughters lives back on track. Mrs. Oyola, through a program she calls “Overcome”, has been able to take one hundred young people out of the drug points in the public residencies and transform their lives forever. Through her foundation, “Forjando Un Nuevo Comienzo”, she places these young people in different private companies and pays them five hours of work a day. However, before they start working they must complete a twenty hours workshop through which they are given the tools they need to leave their past behind and create their new beginning. Once they complete that workshop they are ready to start at their new workplace. It is important to mention that these companies have already made more than fifteen of those one hundred a full time employee of their company. It is worth noting that these participants receive four hours workshops weekly to help them develop self-confidence, self- discipline, responsibility, and all of those values that maybe were not reinforced correctly as a child and led them to do all the things they did. Nevertheless, the participants are not the only ones that receive these workshops, Mrs. Oyola, also gives the mothers and family members of the participants workshops to build a good relationship between them and good communication. Recently a recognition ceremony was held for the participants where they received, for the first time in their lives, a Christmas bonus, and accolades for their hard work and accomplishments. In addition, Moraima Oyola is the founder and leader of the international movement “Pero hoy NO es el día…” (But today is not the day…). Mrs. Oyola was able to unite the seventy-eight municipalities of Puerto Rico for a simultaneous march by mothers who have had their sons killed and mothers who have been victims of domestic violence. Torch in hand, throughout Puerto Rico on a special day at 5:00 p.m., they carried a message against violence. On that day, the Governor of Puerto Rico, union leaders, seventy-eight mayors, teachers, religious leaders, entrepreneurs, students, and residents marched together with her. Mrs. Oyola was even able to include prisons release convicts in issuing messages of “no more violence in the country”. This march was not only in land; Mrs. Oyola secured helicopters in the air and a boat parade using anti-violence signage on their routes around the island. She represents the voices of thousands of marginalized people who cannot fend for themselves. Her sensitivity and clarity of action has impacted youth, children and battered women. Mrs. Oyola’s projects have helped provide comfort to the people whom she serves. She is an enterprising woman, transforms, and motivates others to dream and to be productive people in society.
Lynn Clark Callister was born in Washington DC, the fifth of six children. Her mother Virginia was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was an infant and passed away when Lynn was seven years old. This tender time in her early childhood profoundly influenced the direction of Lynn’s life and her determination to become a mother and a nurse. She received an undergraduate degree summa cum laude in nursing, then married and gave birth to five children. Six additional children were added to her blended family 25 years ago. She received a master’s and doctorate (PhD) in nursing and served as a nurse educator for 25 years following her early years as a clinician. But her greatest love is her own family, which she considers her greatest and most fulfilling achievement. She is married to Reed Richards Callister. As a young mother, Lynn Callister was on the Kansas Commission on the Status of Women. After her children were grown, she was the Healer’s Art distinguished professor of nursing for 25 years focusing on maternal/newborn health and nursing ethics. During this time she had the privilege of conducting cross-cultural studies of childbearing women, collecting their birth stories around the world. This important work has given voice to mothers globally and have been presented and published widely in professional literature. She was a Fulbright Scholar in St Petersburg Russia teaching maternal/newborn health in nursing graduate programs, as well as a visiting scholar in Amman, Jordan where she taught global health. She has been recognized by the National League of Nursing (NLN) as an outstanding educator and by the Association of Women’s Health, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN) she is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and served as co-chair of the AAN expert panel on global health. She is currently on the March of Dimes Nurses Advisory Council and the March of Dimes Bioethics Committee and a global health columnist/editorial board member of MCN: The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing and on the editorial board of the Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing. She advocates for the health of women and children globally, sharing her expertise wherever and whenever possible. She recently returned from providing service for 18 months in Kyiv Ukraine with her husband, which included giving presentations to physicians and nurses on the health of women and children. The Singer Foundation Ukraine Maternal Newborn Education Initiative underwrote this initiative. She was a consultant for the American Mothers Association 2011 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women resolution on violence against pregnant women and will be participating in the American Mothers Association in 2014.
