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Ambassadors

Lieutenant Colonel Janet Vander Ley, USAF, Retired

Janet retired from the Air Force in 2005 after serving 20 years in the intelligence field. She had assignments at Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Air Combat Command, and Joint Task Force-5, but most of her service was in Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).  While in AFSOC, she was fortunate to have a wide range of experiences throughout Europe, Southwest Asia, and the Pacific. She served as a squadron intelligence officer, special operations group senior intelligence officer, deployed Joint Special Operations Task Force J2, and in multiple positions at the Command level. After retiring from the military, Janet joined the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington D.C. as an executive assistant before transitioning to a job in the photography industry, where she turned her hobby and passion into her next career.

Janet graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, and later earned a master’s degree from Troy State University. She is married to her favorite special operator, Gregg. They have a son, Austin, and daughter, Kelsey.