JULY/AUGUST AIRFORCEMAG.COMNATIONAL DIRECTOR,
CENTRAL AREA
e Nominating Committee submits
one name for National Director, Cen-
tral Area, for a three-year term.
James W.
Simons, Minot,
N.D., an AFA
member and
Community Part-
ner since 1995.
Simons has over
24 years of eld
experience from
the chapter to the
regional level, serving as the David C.
Jones Chapter President and Treasurer,
North Dakota State President, and the
North Central Region President. He
was a charter member of the AFA Field
Council and also served on the Nation-
al Membership Committee. Simons
has received the AF Medal of Merit,
Exceptional Service Medal, Chairman’s
Citation in 2009, National Member of
the Year Award in 2014, and the Mary
Anne ompson Award in 2009. He is
currently the David C. Jones Chapter
Vice President for Leadership Develop-
ment. Simons earned a bachelor’s de-
gree in criminal justice from Michigan
State University, a master’s in systems
management from the University of
Southern California, and a master’s in
administration of justice from Wichita
State University. A retired US Army Mili-
tary Police O cer, Simons is currently a
nancial adviser for a nancial services
company. JJames Navarro, Colchester, Vt., an
AFA Life Member since 1988 when
he joined the Arnold Air Society.
Navarro has served as the CyberPatriot
Vice President for the Green Moun-
tain Chapter and the State of Vermont
for the past six years and previously
worked as their
Community
Partner lead. He
was awarded an
AFA Medal of
Merit in 2017 for
his work with
CyberPatriot
and the Chap-
ter’s successful
partnership with Champlain Col-
lege. Navarro was selected as an AFA
Emerging Leader in 2018, participated
as a member of the Wounded Airman
Program Committee, and participated
in Strategic Planning and Field Council
meetings. He earned a bachelor’s
degree in mathematics at Syracuse
University and has a master’s in public
administration from Troy University.
Navarro spent over seven years in the
Air Force as a targeteer, three years in
the Air Force Reserve, almost 20 years
in the national security industry, and
was awarded the National Intelligence
Certificate of Distinction. Navarro cur-
rently splits his time between Vermont
and Virginia where he is the chief oper-
ating officer of a national security and
defense consulting business.Molly Mae Potter, Austin, Texas,
joined AFA in 2006. Potter is a grad-
uate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University where she was an active
member of the Silver Wings Chal-
lenger Chapter. She served on Active
Duty in USAF from 2007-2013 as a test
engineer. In October 2016, she was
crowned Ms.
Veteran Amer-
ica 2016 and
supported its
mission to raise
awareness about
and advocate
to end home-
lessness among
women veterans.
Potter serves as the Austin Chapter
AFA President and was selected as one
of the 2016-2017 AFA Emerging Lead-
ers. She is currently on the Board of
Trustees and has served as a national
administrative consultant for 10-plus
years as a member of the Arnold Air
Society and Silver Wings. Locally, sheCristina Lussier, Alexandria, Va.,
joined AFA in 1995, becoming a Life
Member in 2012. Lussier has been
involved in AFA since she was an
AFROTC cadet over 24 years ago. She
has held numerous EXCOM positions
at the chapter level and has received a
myriad of AFA
awards and hon-
ors, to include
being selected
as an inaugu-
ral member of
AFA’s Emerging
Leader Program
in 2014 and
serving on AFA’s
National Strategic Planning Commit-
tee. After earning her bachelor’s degree
in Political Science from Pepperdine
University and a commission in USAF,
she went on to earn a master’s degree
in leadership from the University of
San Diego; a master’s in defense deci-
sion making & planning from the Naval
Postgraduate School, and an executive
master’s of business administration
from Pepperdine University’s Grazia-
dio Business School. She currently
serves as the D.W. Steele Chapter Pres-
ident in Northern Virginia, is a retired
veteran, and most recently a member
of USAF civil service.
ment of software development, sys-
tem/software test, software IV&V, and
information technology services. He
is a former Civil Air Patrol cadet and
veteran of both the US Coast Guard
and the US Air Force. As an Air Force
NCO, Burke served as a power pro-
duction specialist in CE, was selected
for “Operation Bootstrap” and O cer
Training School, then served as an Air
Force commissioned o cer in ICBM
Missile Operations. He is presently a
vice president of business develop-
ment for a woman-owned, small dis-
advantaged business. Burke has over
40 years of progressive experience
in the military and private industry,
including both senior operations
and executive business development
positions for aerospace and defense
companies.
has served the city of Austin as a com-
missioner for veteran’s a airs, active in
promoting veteran entrepreneurship
and start-ups. In 2017 she was named
a National Military Inuencer in
Entrepreneurship. Potter was recently
appointed to the board of directors for
the Vetted Foundation, which places
proven transitioning military leaders
into corporate leadership roles. She
earned a master’s degree in engineer-
ing from the University of Florida and a
master’s in business from the Univer-
sity of Texas. Currently living in Austin,
Texas, she leads business operations
for client engineering at a multination-
al technology company.