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General Larry Spencer, US Air Force (Ret)

President, Armed Forces Benefit Association

General Spencer serves as president for the Armed Forces Benefit Association (AFBA) and 5Star Life Insurance Company.  AFBA provides survivor benefits and other benefits to those who serve this great nation, including members of the uniformed services, first responders, government employees, and their families.  5Star Life is the primary underwriter of the AFBA member policies and is a growing provider of group and worksite insurance products.

Retiring as a Four-Star General, Spencer spent over 40 years in the Air Force.  His last assignment was as the Vice Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, DC.  In this capacity, Spencer was the second highest-ranking military member in the Air Force.  He presided over the Air Staff and assisted the Chief of Staff of the Air Force with organizing, training, and equipping 690,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas.

Spencer began his career in the enlisted ranks and received his BS in Industrial Engineering Technology from Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale.  Spencer was commissioned through Officer Training School in 1980 as a Distinguished Graduate.  He has commanded a squadron, group and wing, and was Vice Commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center.  He was also the first Air Force officer to serve as the Assistant Chief of Staff in the White House Military Office.  He served as the Chief Financial Officer and Director of Mission Support at two major commands and held positions within the Air Staff, Secretariat, and the Joint Staff.  Prior to his assignment as Vice Chief of Staff, the General was Director, Force Structure, Resources and Assessment, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, reporting directly to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

General Spencer participated in contingency Operations Desert Shield/Storm, Desert Thunder, Desert Fox, Allied Force, and Iraqi Freedom.  Spencer earned two Master’s degrees; one in Business Management from Webster College and a second in Industrial Resource Strategy from the National Defense University.  He also completed post-graduate courses at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree from SIU.

General Spencer has two named awards:  The Air Force General Larry Spencer Innovation Award and the Air Force General Larry Spencer Special Acts and Services Award.  He is also a Distinguished Senior Fellow of Fels Institute of Government, University of Pennsylvania.  General Spencer is the author of the 2016 book “The Green Eyeshades of War,” a historical review of financial management during war.

General Spencer served as the Air Force Association’s top executive; where he set records for revenue generation, membership growth and technology symposium revenue, sponsorships, exhibit sales, and attendance.  Currently, he sits on the boards of Whirlpool Corporation, The Triumph Group, and Haynes International.  Larry and his wife, Ora, reside in Lorton, Virginia.

Parent Members

D.L.J.
Honorable Deborah Lee James (Chair)
Former Secretary, US Air Force
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Craig Albright
Craig Albright
Senior Finance Executive Xerox Corp (Former), Board Member & Executive Advisor
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A.A
Alex Alonso, Ph.D.
Chief Knowledge Officer Society for Human Resource Management
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J.A.
Joseph Anderson
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Tag Holdings, LLC
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D.B.
David Beitel
Chief Technology Officer, Zillow Group
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S.D
Sally Donnelly
Founding Partner, Pallas Advisors
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C.E.
Cheryl Eliano
District 10 National Vice President, American Federation Of Government Employees
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C.G.
Christopher S. Gopal, Ph.D.
Executive, Consultant, Author & Educator, Global Supply Chain & Operations
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L.H.
Linnie M. Haynesworth
Co-Chair, Defense Business Board, Former Vice President, Northrop Grumman; & Independent Board Director
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E.H.
Erin Hill, J.D.
Deputy Chief Auditor, BNY Mellon
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S.LN.
Suzanne Leopoldi-Nichols
Former Chief Global Business Solutions Officer, WPP’s Global Procurement
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J.M.
Jennifer McClure
Founder & CEO, Unbridled Talent, LLC
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O.M.
Oscar Munoz
Retired Chairman, President & CEO United Airlines
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D.W.
David Van Slyke, Ph.D.
Dean, The Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs Syracuse University
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J.V.
General Joseph L. Votel, US Army (Ret)
Former Commander, US Central Command and US Special Operations Command
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D.W.
Honorable David M. Walker
Former Comptroller General of the United States
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J.W
General Johnnie Wilson, US Army (Ret)
Former Commanding General, US Army Materiel Command
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Robert Wolf
Robert Wolf
Founder, 32 Advisors
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S.Y
Safroadu "Saf" Yeboah-Amankwah
Senior VP & Chief Strategy Officer, Intel Corporation
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Subcommittee Members

A.B.
Anand Bahl, Chief Information Officer, Micron Technology, Inc.
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G.B
Greg Bowman, J.D., Chief Innovation Officer & Vice President of Corporate Development, Siemens Government Technologies, Inc.
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M.D.
Matthew Daniel, Principal of Talent Strategy, Guild Education
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M.K.
Marachel Knight, Senior Technology & Operations Executive AT&T (Former) and Board Director, Marvell Technology, Inc.
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Sarah Mineiro
Sarah Mineiro, Founder and CEO of Tanagra Enterprises
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E.R.
The Honorable Eric Rosenbach, Co-Director, Belfer Center for Science and Internal Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
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B.S.
Brig Gen Bernard Skoch, US Air Force (Ret), Chair of the Board, Air and Space Forces Association
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S.S.
Stan Soloway, President & CEO, Celero Strategies, LLC
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P.,Z.
Patricia J. Zarodkiewicz, President, PatZ Consulting, LLC
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