Georgia Municipal Association Annual Convention

General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III became Dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service on August 15, 2016, after retiring from the U.S. Air Force. Welsh, who was born in San Antonio, earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Master of Science degree in computer resource management from Webster University, and graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College, the Air War College and the National War College. He was a fellow of Seminar XXI at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a fellow of the National Security Studies Program of Syracuse University and Johns Hopkins University, a fellow of Ukrainian Security Studies at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, a fellow of the Pinnacle Course of the National Defense University and a graduate of the General Manager Program at the Harvard Business School. During his long military career, he received numerous awards and decorations, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster and Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster.

Welsh became the 20th Chief of Staff of the Air Force in August 2012, serving as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of 664,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he and other service chiefs functioned as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and President. His most recent post was Commander of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Commander of NATO’s Air Command at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. He also served as Associate Director of Military Affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency and as Commandant of the United States Air Force Academy.