Colonel (Ret.)
United States Air Force
Hermosa Beach, California, United States
Rick Poplin is a retired USAF Colonel and F-16 fighter pilot, promoted to life and death leadership responsibilities on the world stage. He has known fear, heart break and victory at the highest levels. Rick deployed to the Iraqi Combat theatre nine times as a F-16 Viper Pilot and Mission Commander, and commanded the only F-16 Squadron to operate from Al Asad Air Base, the 125th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Anbar Province, Iraq.
After twenty years as a combat pilot, Rick was assigned to the Pentagon, serving as the Integration Branch Chief, National Guard Bureau Plans & Programs Directorate. Following his Pentagon assignment, Rick returned to flying the F-16 to command of the 138th Operations Group. In 2018, after 30 years of service, flying in and training future aviators in the most elite fighting forces on the planet, Rick retired from the F-16 and the United States Air Force.
A life-long learner, Rick holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from Oklahoma State University and a Master Degree in National Resource Strategy from The Dwight D. Eisenhower School, National Defense University, Washington DC, where he was a Distinguished Graduate.
Successfully Retaining the New Generation Employee: Developing 21st Century Leaders from Day 1
Monday, October 21, 2024
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