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Retired Lt. Col. John "Ike" Fesler, a retired Tennessee Air National Guard officer, is now the association's chief of staff.
Fesler oversees the association's staff at the National Guard Memorial, the NGAUS headquarters in Washington, D.C. He will also play an integral role in planning and executing the 146th NGAUS General Conference & Exhibition in Detroit.
Fesler served in the military for 27 years, including 20 in the Tennessee Air Guard. He held numerous roles in the Guard, including director of staff in the White House Military Office and traveling/senior executive officer to the director of the Air Guard.
He began his military career in the Navy, serving seven years as a cryptologic technician and intelligence center supervisor.
During his time in the Air Guard, Fesler served as a Senate liaison officer for the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, as well as a White House social aide, the first Air Guard officer to hold that title. He also served as an officer training school instructor, commissioning more than 165 second lieutenants into the Air Guard.
Fesler is a familiar face to the association. He was first elected to the NGAUS board of directors in 2014 as the company-grade Air representative and later served as the Area III Air representative from 2018 to 2023.
He was appointed to the NGAUS Awards Committee in 2018, becoming the chairman of the committee in 2019. He was also a member of the NGAUS General Conference Committee.
Fesler received his master’s degree in public service administration from Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee.
He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
