Trained as an F-16 “Fighting Falcon” and MQ-1B “Predator” pilot, Lt. Col. Sheryl Ott continues as the Commander of the 49th Operational Support Squadron. Lt. Col. Ott says, “The Olmsted Scholar Program taught me how to operate, be comfortable, and thrive when variables are unknown.”
Lt. Col. Ott graduated with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1996, where she has been part of MIT’s ROTC Det 365. During her service, she was based in Korea, Germany, and Iraq as a F-16 pilot. From 2004 to 2006, she served as the flight lead for the 52nd Fighter Wing out of Germany.
As an Olmsted Scholar, she was enrolled in an MBA program at the Mediterranean School of Business in Tunis, Tunisia. According to Lt. Col. Ott, “The Olmsted Foundation gave me the opportunity to gain a perspective on everything that is happening right now in the world with Islam and how we tend to cast a blanket view over the situation. During my time in Tunisia, I witnessed incredible diversity within families and experienced the Tunisian’s pride in their support of women.”
After spending three years in Tunisia, she was assigned as an Air Branch Officer under four-star Gen James Mattis at CENTCOM. During these three years, she assisted GEN Mattis with putting together policy recommendations, developing plans and analyzing global situations with a focus on the Middle East during the Arab Spring.