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Mentorship propels AFTC vice commander’s career

by Giancarlo Casem
Edwards AFB, Calif.

Have fun, try something new, and give back
and mentor are three parts that make up Col. An-
gela Suplisson’s life mantra.
“I try to have fun in everything I do —
whether at work or at home. A little bit of fun
and camaraderie at work makes the team more
productive,” she said. “Trying something new
means to be open to new opportunities that may
be offered to you or new ideas that you hadn’t
considered before.”
Suplisson currently serves as the vice com-
mander of the Air Force Test Center, headquar-
tered at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Of the
three tenets of her mantra, she said giving back
and mentoring is the most important.
“I am grateful that I have had so many mentors
in my career who took their time to give me ad-
vice and point me in the right direction,” Suplis-
son said. “I want to pay that back by mentoring
others and helping them to achieve their goals.”
Being in an academic environment at the U.S.
Air Force Academy allowed her to do just that.
Prior to serving as the AFTC’s vice commander,
she served at the USAFA in Colorado. While
at the academy, she served as the head of the
Department of Aeronautics, the USAFA UAS
Center director and as an assistant professor.
“Teaching cadets at the U.S. Air Force Acad-
emy — seeing them grow from freshmen to
seniors as they learn to be leaders of character
and become second lieutenants, and seeing them
excel as they go on to new adventures once they
graduate,” she said. “The absolute best reward
I’ve received as an educator is hearing back from
my students once they are officers. I love hear-
ing about the amazing things they have accom-
plished in their personal and professional lives,
and I enjoy living vicariously through them.
I take great pride in knowing that we’ve pre- Courtesy photograph
pared these men and women to be officers in the
world’s greatest Air Force who have the skills to Col. Angela Suplisson, Air Force Test Center vice commander, and Bill Gray, Air Force Test Pilot School chief test pilot, pose for a photo in front of a
TPS F-16. Suplisson graduated from the TPS in 1995 and is set to retire later this year.
make a positive difference in our world.”
Suplisson’s career spans multiple assign-
ments. She has been involved flight testing the this experience to make me a better officer and we tested and improved the design of the F-35 the Air Force until 1976. Women had previously
F-15, F-15E, F-16 and even the F-117. She said leader.” ejection seat, several bunker busters and hyper- served with the Women of the Air Force, and the
it would be difficult to simply pick one or two Suplisson was a Distinguished Graduate in the sonic weapons.” Women’s Army Corps as aviators before that.
most memorable assignments, however she does French Basic Course at the Defense Language She said the Mach 6 runs down the track were Suplisson said she felt lucky to not have to face
admit one of the most memorable ones include Institute in Monterey, Calif., in 2001. She earned especially fun because they involved almost all many challenges as a woman in the Air Force.
her time at the University of Lyon III, in France, a Master’s degree in International Policy and of 120-person squadron to execute the mission “I owe that completely to all of the amazing
under the Olmsted Scholarship program, due to Strategy following her time in France in 2003. planning, setup, execution, tear down and data and strong women who paved the way before
a life-changing event. Another personal memorable experience was analysis. me, as well as the men who supported them,”
“The Olmsted Scholarship changed my life working on ejection seat testing, hypersonic “It was teamwork at its finest,” she said. she said. “These women and men blazed the trail
and opened my eyes in many ways, mostly be- weapons testing with the 846th Test Squadron at Suplisson also had a small role in the devel- and removed obstacles so that I didn’t have to.”
cause I was outside my comfort zone living in Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., and automatic opment of Auto-GCAS for the F-16. That small “When I was a lieutenant I didn’t have any
France and studying political science at a French ground collision avoidance systems. role would eventually lead her to research and female role models in the Air Force whom I
university and this allowed me to grow,” Suplis- “One of the jobs I’m most proud of is being develop an Auto-GCAS algorithm for larger knew personally. I was inspired by Test Pilot
son said. “The Olmsted experience changed my the squadron commander of the Holloman High aircraft; transports, tankers and bombers, for School grads and astronauts Eileen Collins and
life because it was in France that I met my won- Speed Test Track in New Mexico. I was part her Ph.D. The eventual goal of the research is to Susan Helms, and I wanted to be like them,” she
derful husband, Fabrice. The Olmsted Scholar- of a team of exceptionally skilled professionals prevent controlled flight into terrain accidents in
ship opened my eyes because living in a foreign who performed ejection seat testing as well as all heavy military aircraft, she said. said. “I also had many fantastic male mentors
country and attending a foreign university al- subsonic, supersonic and hypersonic weapons Throughout her career she has seen big chang- and role models who supported me and helped
lowed me to put myself in someone else’s shoes testing,” Suplisson said. “The skilled craftsmen es in how more women are in leadership posi- me achieve my goals. As I progressed in the Air
and appreciate others’ viewpoints. I tried to use and engineers are the best at what they do, and tions. Women were not integrated equally with See MENTOR, Page 3

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