Our thirty-sixth recipient, Brigadier General Stephen J. Lightfoot, completed the AMP at Harvard Business School in June 2021.  Stephen currently serves as the Commanding General for Task Force 51/5 in Bahrain.  Previous operational assignments include Commanding Officer of Marine Aircraft Group 24, Kaneohe Bay, HI (2018-2020); Director CJ7 for Special Operations Joint Task Force – Afghanistan, Bagram and Kabul (2017-2018), Commanding Officer of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469, San Diego, CA (2011-2013); Pilot and White House Liaison Officer with Marine Helicopter Squadron One, call sign “Marine One”, Quantico, VA (2001-2005); and numerous global combat/operational deployments.  Previous staff assignments include Director of the Capabilities Development Directorate at Headquarters Marine Corps Combat Development & Integration (2022-2024);  Director of the Aviation Combat Element, Capabilities Development Directorate at Headquarters Marine Corps Combat Development & Integration, Quantico, VA (2021-2022); Senior Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of the Navy, the Pentagon (2020-2021); Branch Head of Aviation Manpower and Support, Headquarters Marine Corps, the Pentagon (2020); Aviation Colonels and Lieutenant Colonels Monitor with Officer Assignments Branch, Quantico, VA (2014-2017); and Executive Officer of The Basic School, Quantico, VA (2009-2010).  Stephen is a Weapons and Tactics Instructor and Command Pilot with every attainable flight instructor qualification and more than 3700 hours in various aircraft, including 900 hours in combat operations, with experience in the AH-1W, AH-1Z, UH-1N, UH-1Y, MV-22B, CH-46E, CH-53E, RQ-7B, RQ-21A, VH-3D, and VH-60N.  He attended Carnegie Mellon University on an NROTC Scholarship (1990-1994) and earned Master’s degrees from the Marine Corps Command and Staff College (2005-2006) and the Naval War College (2013-2014).

Stephen and his wife, Sasha, have three children.