Hey! Nice to meet you.

I'm a digital native, traveler, gamer, innovator, parent, Airman. All of these are important aspects of who I am and what I do. This blog echoes my interests, challenges, and most importantly: my lessons learned.

I have a wide range of leadership, technical, and management experience in my personal life, private industry, and the military. While I still proudly serve the U.S. Air Force, my strongest drive is to serve my country and its people, including the Airmen I work with. My guiding principles are important, though evolving. One of the most important ones (that still gets me in trouble) is simple:

I'd rather do the right thing the wrong way than do the wrong thing the right way.

SOCIAL MEDIA

LinkedIn: T. Kearny Vertner
Instagram: @tkvertner

EXPERIENCE

18+ Years as Active Duty Enlisted Airman
11 deployments to various locations across the Middle East, Europe, and Africa
Numerous deployed/in-garrison/staff leadership roles leading and developing teams of up to 500 Airmen, government civilians, and contractors
Experience in numerous technical roles, including aviation operations, communications equipment operation/troubleshooting, and personnel administration

EDUCATION

Master of Arts - International Relations, University of Oklahoma, 2021
Bachelors of Arts - Middle Eastern Studies, American Military University, 2009
Associate of Science - Communications Applications Technology, Community College of the Air Force, 2009
Associate of Arts - Arabic Studies, Defense Language Institute, 2007

CERTIFICATIONS

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace, University of South Florida, 2021
Master Resiliency Trainer, U.S. Air Force, 2016
Professional Manager's Certification, Community College of the Air Force, 2016
CompTIA Security+ (no longer active) 2013-2019
CompTIA Network+ (no longer active) 2013-2019

INTERESTS

Reading, gaming, fitness, traveling, cooking, driving, amateur radio, writing