A celebrated figure among Air Force public affairs professionals, Sherry Medders has dedicated more than 50 years of service to DoD. With 42 years in Public Affairs and 27 at the Pentagon, she has become PA’s institutional memory. She has not only steered the career field through every major transition over the last quarter century but has served as a guiding force in the careers of hundreds of PA professionals.

In the “engine room” that powers the enterprise, she leads her team as the Chief of SAF/PA’s Requirements and Development Division. They manage career field development, manpower, and deployments; advance information advantage; and shape doctrine. Her reputation as the “go-to” expert is well-earned, built on her ability to plan, communicate, and navigate large-scale change.

Raised in Anaheim, Calif., her elementary school principal predicted she would have a career in public service. Graduating at the top of her high school class, she bypassed college to begin her civil service career just 10 weeks after graduation.

But her early career gave little hint of her future in public affairs. Her first jobs were at the U.S. Navy base at Port Hueneme, Calif., and the USAF regional hospital at Incirlik.

She then moved to San Antonio’s USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, where a project used chimpanzees in flight simulators to study radiation’s effects on pilots. She later reflected on the irony of choosing a PA career, recalling her terror when left alone at that job, convinced Mike Wallace from “60 Minutes” would show up and she would have no idea how to respond.

It turned out that observing unpredictable subjects in a high-stakes environment was excellent preparation for her next role: youth activities director at Iraklion AS on Crete, returning to her high school summer job roots working for local parks and recreation.

In 1983 she found her niche in the PA office at Columbus AFB, Miss. Though it meant taking a downgrade to broaden her experience, it was a trade that paid off for her and for the Air Force. She hit the PA ground running and never looked back.

After establishing her bona fides — including a degree summa cum laude in journalism/PR and a master’s in public administration, along with lots of good PA work — she was selected for the newly civilianized Chief of PA position there at a time when civilian PA chiefs were rare.

A graduate of both the DoD Executive Leadership Development Program and the Defense Leadership and Management Program, she has been recognized twice at Air Force level, once as the Air Force Public Affairs Civilian of the Year and once for championing leadership and development for Air Force civilian women.

And it would not surprise her elementary principal to learn she was also presented the Congressional Award for Exemplary Service to the Public at a ceremony on Capitol Hill.

Leaving Columbus after 16 years, Sherry became one of the first PA civilians to attend Air Command and Staff College in residence, graduating in the first class awarded a Military Operational Art and Science master’s degree and earning the international security studies award.

Since arriving at the Pentagon in 1999, she has managed the career field’s movement through every large transition or organizational change across the Air Force, earning her reputation as “SAF/PA’s sherpa” and the “go-to” expert on planning, executing, communicating, and successfully navigating change.

After the 9/11 attacks, only a few people in SAF/PA had a Top Secret clearance; Sherry was one of them. She readily shifted gears and joined the Air Force Crisis Action Team that worked tirelessly for months to manage the Air Force response.

During the subsequent Global War on Terror, facing an unprecedented surge in deployment requirements, she and her team worked to identify PA civilian volunteers to deploy, providing relief to our warfighters and ensuring the delivery of critical capabilities.

From responding to how to reorganize in the wake of a 28% force structure reduction in 2006, to helping stand up new organizations like Air Force Global Strike Command and the U.S. Space Force, to adapting to new priorities and new deployment models, what Air Force PA is today carries her imprint in significant ways.

Sherry’s leadership is defined by trust and a calm, confident demeanor. A former team member recalled how she embodied General Patton’s philosophy of not telling people how to do things but instead telling them what to do, which empowered them to “surprise you with their ingenuity.” This confidence enabled her people to grow and excel. Known to command respect through her own actions, “she is also quick with a pun.”

Her mentorship is evident in the unsolicited comments colleagues have posted on social media over the years. Here are a few:

“You epitomize public service.”

“I've been blessed, as have so many others, to have her advocating for our small community on an individual-Airman level.”

“A brave and kind leader who generously creates meaningful moments for others.”

“A damn gem of a human.”

You can read Sherry's official Air Force biography here.