2015, General Ralph E. "Ed" Eberhart, USAF (Ret.)

A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, Ed Eberhart's active duty military career spanned 36 years with his last assignment as Commander, U.S. Northern Command and Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. He is also a command pilot with more than 5,000 flight hours.

General Eberhart has been praised for bringing together the five military branches of service, to include the National Guard and Reserve forces to ensure the security of our nation in the aftermath of the tragic September 11, 2001 attacks.

General Eberhart serves on the boards of several privately and publicly held companies, including TERMA, Jacobs Engineering, Rockwell Collins, Triumph Group, and VSE, and nonprofit organizations such as Segs4Vets. He has previously served on the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) Association of Graduates Board of Directors and is currently a Trustee for the Falcon Foundation and is a director on the board of the USAFA Endowment.

General Eberhart is the recipient of: the National Football Foundation’s Tom Lombardo Leadership Award (2001); the General Thomas D. White United States Air Force Space Trophy (2001); the General Bernard A. Schriever Award (2007); the Jim Otis “Hustle” Award (2008), the Kent Leadership Award (2008); the Air Force Order of the Sword, Air Force Space Command (2008); and, the United States Air Force Academy Distinguished Graduate Award (2011).

Ed Eberhart, and his wife Karen, reside in Northern Virginia.