Colonel Shirley A. Mercier is the Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Commander, 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing (AMOW), Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii where she assists in leading the wing to provide forward-deployed command and control, aerial port, and aircraft maintenance support to Department of Defense organic and contracted commercial aircraft executing airlift and air refueling missions throughout the Indo-Pacific theater. The wing is comprised of 1,600 U.S. military, civilian, and local national personnel operating from over 20 locations including two groups, six squadrons, three detachments, and six separate operating locations.
Colonel Mercier was commissioned in December 1996 through the Air Force ROTC program at Northern Arizona University. She later earned her master’s degree from Cameron University, Lawton, Oklahoma. She began her career in aircraft maintenance as a flight commander at Altus, Air Force Base, Oklahoma, overseeing maintenance on C-17 aircraft. She then served at Nellis Air Force Base in several roles including logistics planner for USAF Weapons School, Executive Officer for the 57th Operations Group, and finally as Maintenance Operations Officer for the 57th Maintenance Operations Squadron. Following her assignment at Nellis, Colonel Mercier joined the Air Force Reserve and was assigned to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) where she served in myriad positions across the group, including directing three production squadrons. After serving in the 309th AMARG, she became the first commander of the 924th Maintenance Squadron, then served as the deputy commander of the active duty 355th Maintenance Group, and also in several leadership roles at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex. Prior to her current position, the Colonel was the IMA to the Ogden Air Logistics Complex Vice Commander, Hill AFB, UT.
EDUCATION
1996 Bachelor of Science degree in Education, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
2003 Master of Science degree in Behavioral Science, Cameron University, Lawton, OK
2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL, Correspondence
2004 Junior Officer Leadership Seminar, AFRC, Robins AFB, GA
2009 Fitness Professional Certificate, Pima Community College, Tucson, AZ
2011 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL, Correspondence
2015 Executive Ed Certificate in Lean Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul, Univ of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
2016 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL, Correspondence
2019 Black Belt Course, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
2022 Civilian Leader Course, Bolger Center, Potomac, MD
2023 Advanced Logistics and Technology Course, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
2023 Leading Effectively Through Change, Bolger Center, Potomac, MD
2024 Lifecyle Executive Leadership Program, Institute for Defense and Business, Chapel Hill, NC
ASSIGNMENTS or CAREER CHRONOLOGY
- August 1997-September 1999, Sortie Generation Flight Commander, 58th Airlift Squadron, Altus AFB, OK
2. September 1999-November 2000, Logistics Planner, 57th Operations Support Squadron, USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, NV
3. November 2000-November 2001, Executive Officer, 57th Operations Group, Nellis AFB, NV
4. November 2001-March 2003, Maintenance Operations Officer, 57th Maintenance Operations Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV
5. March 2003-March 2005, Deputy Chief, Aircraft Division, Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center, Davis Monthan AFB, AZ
6. March 2005-March 2006, Deputy Chief, Commodities Division, Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, Davis Monthan AFB, AZ
7. March 2006-September 2009, Deputy Chief, Storage and Disposal Division, Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, Davis Monthan AFB, AZ
8. September 2009-September 2010, IMA to the Director, 576th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Squadron, Davis Monthan AFB, AZ
9. September 2010-August 2011, Director, 576th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Squadron, Davis Monthan AFB, AZ
10. August 2011-March 2012, Director, 578th Storage and Disposal Squadron, Davis Monthan AFB, AZ
11. March 2012-July 2012, Chief of Staff, 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, Davis Monthan AFB, AZ
12. July 2012-June 2014, Commander, 924th Maintenance Squadron, Davis Monthan AFB, AZ
13. June 2014-November 2014, Special Assistant to the Commander, 924th Fighter Group, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ
14. November 2014-March 2015, IMA to the Deputy Group Commander, Missile Maintenance Group, Hill AFB, UT
15. November 2014-February 2015 [Special Duty Assignment], Deputy Commander, 355th Maintenance Group, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ
16. March 2015-August 2017, IMA to the Deputy Group Commander, 309th Aircraft Maintenance Group, Hill AFB, UT
17. September 2017-July 2019, IMA to the Commander, 309th Aircraft Maintenance Group, Hill AFB, UT
18. August 2019-January 2022, IMA to the Vice Commander, Ogden Air Logistics Complex, Hill AFB, UT
19. February 2022-Present, IMA to the Commander, 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with two hourglass devices
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Toastmasters International
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION [MILITARY ONLY]
Second Lieutenant, December 13, 1996
First Lieutenant, January 12, 1999
Captain, January 12, 2001
Major, March 31, 2005
Lieutenant Colonel, September 16, 2011
Colonel, September 1, 2017
(Current as of October 2024)