80th FTW awarded command chief position Published Dec. 7, 2009 80th Flying Training Wing SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- During an Air Force-wide review of all command chief master sergeant positions for fiscal year 2010, the 80th Flying Training Wing's current wing superintendent position was upgraded to the traditional top enlisted position for a wing. This new authorization aligns the 80th FTW with all other Air Force wings and provides a common senior enlisted representative -- command chief -- to the enlisted personnel and the wing commander. "This is a great step in ensuring the enlisted men and women of the wing have the appropriate leadership and representation," said Chief Master Sgt. Norm Thierolf, 80th FTW superintendent. The command chief master sergeant selection process is managed by the Chiefs' Group of the Air Force Senior Leader Management Office. Each year, a command chief selection board is convened. Senior raters nominate any chief within their organization who meets certain time-in-grade and time-in-service requirements for consideration by this board. The board screens the nominated chiefs' records and selects them for the command chief listing based on future Air Force requirements. Selected chiefs remain on this list for one year or until they are selected for a command chief position. Commanders can use this listing, or current command chiefs who are nearing the end of their assignment, to fill their command chief positions. The 80th FTW didn't have a chief position until December 2005, when Chief Thierolf became the first superintendent of the wing. The process to get an E-9 position at the wing began under the watch of now Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Kendall, commander of the wing from January 2005 to August 2007. "This whole process really started with then-Colonel Kendall, who identified the need for a senior enlisted leader in the 80th FTW, and the conversion to a command chief was fully supported by Brig. Gen. (David) Petersen while he was the wing commander," Chief Thierolf said. Once approval was granted to upgrade the position, Chief Thierolf said Col. Kevin Schneider, the wing's current commander, was able to review the list of chiefs who were eligible to fill a command chief position. Following the interview process, the colonel selected Chief Master Sgt. Phillip Jelks-Browning, the current superintendent for the 82nd Medical Group. Colonel Schneider said his predecessors and Chief Thierolf handled the most daunting part of the task -- justification and approval of the new position. He added that the 80th FTW is a fully engaged wing and the upgrade from superintendent to command chief will provide the appropriate level of enlisted leadership to accomplish the wing's mission. The colonel said Chief Thierolf's role as superintendent laid the foundation for the new command chief. "Although Chief Thierolf has had the title of 'superintendent,' the reality is that he has been handling all the duties and responsibilities of a command chief since he arrived in 2005," Colonel Schneider said. "Chief Thierolf's day-to-day efforts to educate, guide and support the 80 FTW's enlisted force have been nothing short of superior." Chief Browning will assume his new duties in March 2010 when Chief Thierolf retires following 30 years of service.