BRIGADIER GENERAL MICHAEL T. VENERDI
Brig. Gen. Michael T. Venerdi is the Chief of Staff – Air and also serves as the full-time, Director of Joint Staff, Kansas National Guard, Joint Force Headquarters, Topeka, Kansas. He serves as the primary advisor and assistant to The Adjutant General, State of Kansas. In this role, he is responsible for programs, plans and policies directing and coordinating the efforts of 7,000 Army, Air and civilian members of the Kansas National Guard.
General Venerdi is a 1991 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He served over ten years on active duty as a supply officer and KC-135R/T instructor and evaluator pilot. He joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 2001 then transitioned into the Kansas ANG and later became an intelligence officer. He has held command, staff and supervisory positions including wing, group and squadron commander; Chief, Operations Support Division; and Command Center Director, North American Aerospace Defense Command. He has deployed multiple times to Southern and Central Command in support of myriad operations. Prior to his current position, he served as Commander, 184th Wing, McConnell AFB, Kansas.
EDUCATION:
1991 Bachelor of Science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1995 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2003 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2012 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2012 ANG Commanders’ Development Course, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2014 Joint and Combined Warfighting School - Joint Professional Military Education Phase II, Norfolk Naval Station, Va.
2018 Joint Task Force Commanders Course - Peterson AFB, Colo.
2021 Dual Status Commanders Course - Peterson AFB, Colo.
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. August 1991 - August 1992, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese AFB, Texas
2. August 1992 - November 1995, Chief of Management and Systems Flight, Chief of Hazardous Materials Pharmacy, Assistant Chief of Management and Systems Flight, 22nd Supply Squadron, March AFB, Calif.
3. November 1995 - November 1998, KC-135R Aircraft Commander, Standardization/Evaluation Liaison Officer, Squadron Scheduler, 351st Air Refueling Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
4. November 1998 - August 2001, Chief, Standardization/Evaluation, KC-135R/T Receiver Instructor/Evaluator Pilot, Chief of Training, Special Operations Instructor Pilot, 384th Air Refueling Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
5. August 2001 - September 2002, KC-135R Instructor Pilot, 184th Air Refueling Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
6. September 2002 - October 2006, Chief, Standardization/Evaluation, 184th Operations Group, McConnell AFB, Kan.
7. October 2006 - November 2008, Commander, 184th Operations Support Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
8. November 2008 - June 2011, Commander, 184th Intelligence Support Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
9. June 2011 - September 2013, Commander, 161st Intelligence Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
10. September 2013 - November 2013, Commander, 184th Mission Support Group, McConnell AFB, Kan.
11. November 2013 - September 2015, Commander, 184th Regional Support Group, McConnell AFB, Kan.
12. September 2015 - October 2016, Commander, 184th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group, McConnell AFB, Kan.
13. October 2016 - September 2018, Chief, Operations Support Division and Command Center Director, HQ NORAD, Peterson AFB, Colo.
14. September 2018 - April 2020, Commander, 184th Wing, McConnell AFB, Kan.
15. April 2020 - June 2020, Interim Director, Joint Staff, Joint Force Headquarters-Kansas, Forbes Field ANGB, Kan.
16. June 2020 - Present, Chief of Staff, Topeka, Kan.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS:
1. October 2016 - September 2018, Chief, Operations Support Division and Command Center Director, HQ NORAD, Peterson AFB, Colo. as a Colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION:
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: more than 4,000
Aircraft flown: KC-135 R/T, T-37, T-38, T-1
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
Second Lieutenant May 29, 1991
First Lieutenant May 29, 1993
Captain May 29, 1995
Major Dec. 1, 2001
Lieutenant Colonel June 3, 2007
Colonel Jan. 8, 2014
Brigadier General Feb. 24, 2021
(Current as of July 2021)