BRIGADIER GENERAL LISA AHAESY
Brig. Gen. Lisa Ahaesy is the Assistant Adjutant General, Massachusetts Air National Guard, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. She is the full-time lead advisor to The Adjutant General, Commander of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, and the Massachusetts Army National Guard Land Component Commander regarding command, control, operations, and management of assigned Massachusetts Air National Guard units and joint programs.
In her previous assignments, General Ahaesy served as Director of Staff, Massachusetts Air National Guard, and commander of the 104th Mission Support Group, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Mass., where she was responsible for all base facilities and all mission support within the 104th Fighter Wing, to include Civil Engineering, Logistics Readiness, Communications, Security Forces, Force Support and Environmental Management. Prior to her group command, she served as Security Forces Squadron Commander, 102d Intelligence Wing, Otis Air National Guard Base, Cape Cod, Mass.
As an Airman Basic, General Ahaesy enlisted in the Massachusetts National Guard in 1988 upon high school graduation. She served with the 102nd Fighter Wing public affairs team as an enlisted member for nine years, where she reached the rank of Staff Sergeant before earning a commission in 1997 from the Academy of Military Science, McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tenn. She served as Wing Public Affairs Officer for the 102nd Intelligence Wing before transferring to Joint Force Headquarters, where she was assigned as the Massachusetts Air National Guard's State Public Affairs Officer as a traditional Guardsman. General Ahaesy became the first Air National Guardsman selected to serve as Director of Public Affairs representing the nearly 9,000 Soldiers and Airmen of the Massachusetts Army and Air National Guard.
General Ahaesy has supported multiple contingency operations including two overseas deployments in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. While deployed to Africa, she served as the Director of Strategic Communications for the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, where she led a joint team of combat camera journalists and embedded media throughout 13 countries in East Africa in support of a combined joint task force. While deployed to Afghanistan, she served as part of Joint Special Operations Command as lead information operations officer and led combat camera teams on missions assigned to the specialized joint task force.
EDUCATION
1995 Bachelor of Arts, Communications/Journalism, Roger Williams University, Bristol, R.I.
1997 Academy of Military Science, McGhee Tyson ANGB, Tenn.
1999 Defense Information School, Fort Meade, MD
1999 Master of Arts, Administration of Justice, Anna Maria College, Paxton, Mass.
2006 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2010 Advanced Baccalaureate, Education/English, Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, Mass.
2011 Air Command & Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. (correspondence)
2012 Defense Support of Civil Authorities, Boston, Mass.
2016 Security Forces Officer Course, Camp Bullis, Texas
2018 Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. (correspondence)
2019 Leadership in Homeland Security, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, (Certificate)
2021 Joint Task Force Commander Training Course, Fort Carson, Colo.
2022 Dual Status Commander Training Course, Fort Carson, Colo.
2023 General and Flag Officer Homeland Security, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, (Certificate)
2024 Managing for Inclusion: Leveraging Diversity in the Workplace, Georgetown University, (Certificate)
ASSIGNMENTS
October 1988 – November 1997, Public Affairs Office, NCO, 102nd Fighter Wing, ANGB, Cape Cod, Mass.
November 1997 – August 2004, Wing Public Affairs Officer, 102nd Fighter Wing, ANGB, Cape Cod, Mass.
August 2004 - March 2013, State Public Affairs Officer, Joint Force Headquarters, MA ANG, Milford, Mass.
March 2013 – June 2015, Wing Executive Officer, 102d Intelligence Wing, Otis ANGB, Cape Cod, Mass.
June 2015 – November 2017, Security Forces Squadron Commander, 102nd Intelligence Wing, Otis ANGB, Cape Cod, Mass.
November 2017 - June 2018, Director of Joint Public Affairs, Joint Force Headquarters, MA ANG, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
June 2018 - June 2019, Mission Support Group Commander, 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes ANGB, Westfield, Mass.
June 2019 - November 2023, Director of Staff, Joint Force Headquarters, MA ANG, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
December 2023 - present, Assistant Adjutant General, Joint Force Headquarters, MA ANG, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 2009 – September 2009, Combined Joint task Force Horn of Africa, J9/Director of Public Affairs/ Strategic Communication, Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, Africa, as a major
2. August 2011 – April 2012, Joint Special Operations Task Force, J3/Information Operations Lead, Current Operations Planner, Bagram AB, Afghanistan, as a lieutenant colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Achievement Medal
National Defense Medal with device
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with device
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Nov. 20, 1997
First Lieutenant Nov. 20, 1999
Captain Feb. 08, 2002
Major May 06, 2006
Lieutenant Colonel Mar. 01, 2013
Colonel April 04, 2019
Brigadier General Dec. 1, 2023
(Current as of July 2024)
