GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Most teenagers are still figuring out what they want to do for the rest of their lives, but Lt. Col. Liane Zivitski chose to enter the delayed enlistment program the day after her 17th birthday.
Two weeks after graduating high school Zivitski entered Basic Military Training, and eventually commissioned from enlisted to officer to ensure Airmen are afforded more opportunities than she was given.
As Zivitski continued her career, her motivation for serving changed from traveling and education to serving others. Now, she actively leads the 315th Training Squadron as their new commander, effective June 10.
“I have learned serving is not about me,” said Zivitski. “It’s about everyone else around me, and what I can do for them.”
Zivitski previously served at the Pentagon as the current operations branch chief where her daily duties were to monitor global airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations and report on any issues or areas of concern.
Using her experiences throughout her career, Zivitski said she wants to modernize how the 315th TRS trains students, so when they show up to their first duty station, they are confident with the foundational skill-sets they possess.
“The 315th TRS has more than 220 permanent party members, training more than 3,300 students annually for global ISR missions,” said Zivitski. “The unit is a beast, and my number one responsibility is to make sure the personnel assigned to this unit are provided the resources required to create and develop the world’s best intelligence professionals, teammates, and future leaders.”
Setting an example for the Airman she influences every day, Zivitski follows a leadership philosophy of prioritizing people, over-communicating, and striving for excellence.
“The intelligence field is a continuous learning job,” said Zivitski.
“The day we stop learning, we become obsolete. Never stop improving yourself. The more skills and experience you have, the more you can help others, the more you can prioritize ‘people always’ because you can’t do the mission without people. If you take care of people, they take care of the mission.”