Brandon Michaelis
Brandon Michaelis is a US Navy Lieutenant Commander currently serving as the Fleet Readiness Center Northwest Depot Military Lead at NAS Whidbey Island Washington. In this position he oversees the overall production effort of 45 civilian Artisans in the overhaul and repair of Navy EA-18G, F/A-18F, and P-3 aircraft. Brandon enlisted in the US Navy in 1995 as an Aviation Electronics Technician. In 2001 he was selected for the Seaman-to-Admiral 21 Commissioning Program leading to his graduation from the University of San Diego with a Bachelors of Business Administration in 2005. Upon graduation he was selected to become a Naval Aviator and flew the T-34 Turbo Mentor, T-45 Goshawk, and his ultimate platform, the F/A-18E Super Hornet. In 2010 his F/A-18E suffered catastrophic damage and he was forced to eject from his aircraft leading to his newfound career as an Aviation Maintenance Duty Officer. As a professional maintenance officer he has deployed to Afghanistan in support of Electronic Attack and later led one of the most successful aircraft transitions when VAQ-209 Star Warriors transitioned from the EA-6B to the EA-18G aircraft. His awards include Navy and Marine Corp Commendation Medal (2) Navy and Marine Corp Achievement Medal (5) and many other personal awards. He is currently an M.B.A. student at Washington State University.