Col Cheatham is the Director of Manpower, Personnel & Services, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. He is responsible for policies, programs and objectives involving the readiness, assignment, education and training, separation, retirement, career progression, classification, manpower, services support and quality of life for more than 93,000 active duty military and civilians covering 5 NAFs, the USAF Warfare Center, 35 Wings, and more than 300 operating locations, as well as 66,000 total force Reserve and Guard partners.
Col Cheatham earned his commission in 1996 from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He has held several command and staff positions at wing, Major Command, Air Staff and Joint Staff level. He has commanded squadrons in garrison and in a deployed environment. Col Cheatham’s deployments include Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM, where he served in combat convoy operations with the 732nd Expeditionary Mission Support Group, the Combat Airmen.
EDUCATION
1996 Bachelor of Science, USAF Academy, Colo.
2000 Master of Arts, Human Resource Management, Webster University, St Louis, Mo.
2000 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2003 Air Force Intern Program, (now Strategic Policy Intern), Pentagon, Washington D.C.
2006 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2011 Air War College, by correspondence
2015 Master of Science, National Security Strategy, National War College, Washington D.C.
2016 Strategic Mindset Seminar, Stimson Associates, Inc. Washington D.C.
2018 Air Force Enterprise Leadership, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1996 - June 1997, Chief, Customer Support, McClellan AFB, Calif.
2. June 1997 - November 1998, Squadron Section Commander, McClellan AFB, Calif.
3. November 1998 - February 2000, Chief, Military Equal Opportunity, McConnell AFB, Kan.
4. February 2000 - February 2001, Squadron Section Commander, McConnell AFB, Kan.
5. February 2001 - June 2002, Chief, Personnel Issues Division, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
6. June 2002 - June 2003, Strategic Policy Intern, Joint Staff (JS/J7)/Air Staff (AF/A1D), Pentagon, Washington D.C.
7. June 2003 - June 2005, Military Personnel Flight Commander, Andrews AFB, Md. (deployed December 2004 - April 2005, as Chief, Personnel Contingency Operations, 732nd EMSG, Balad, Iraq)
8. June 2005 - June 2006, Chief, Personnel Plans and Programs, AF Academy, Colo.
9. June 2006 - June 2008, Commander, 7th Cadet Squadron, AF Academy, Colo.
10. June 2008 - July 2009, Executive Officer to the Superintendent, AF Academy, Colo.
11. July 2009 - July 2010, Chief, Rotational Requirements Branch, HQ AFPC, Texas
12. July 2010 - June 2011, Deputy Chief, Operations Division, HQ AFPC, Texas
13. June 2011 - June 2012, Commander, 379th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron, Al Udeid AB, Qatar
14. June 2012 - August 2013, Joint Personnel Readiness Planner, Directorate of Manpower & Personnel, Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
15. August 2013 - August 2014, Executive Officer to the Director, Manpower and Personnel, Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
16. August 2014 - June 2015, Student, National Air War College, National Defense University, Ft McNair, Washington D.C.
17. June 2015 - June 2016, Chief, Development and Retention Division, Deputy Chief of Staff, Manpower, Personnel, and Services, HQ USAF, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
18. June 2016 - May 2017, Executive Officer to the A1, Deputy Chief of Staff, Manpower, Personnel, and Services, HQ USAF, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
19. May 2017 - Jul 2019, Vice Commander, 501st Combat Support Wing, RAF Alconbury, UK
20. July 2019 - Present, Director, Manpower, Personnel & Services Directorate, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2012 - August 2013, Joint Readiness Planner, Directorate of Manpower & Personnel, Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington D.C., as a Lieutenant Colonel
2. August 2013 - July 2014, Executive Assistant to the Director, Manpower and Personnel, Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington D.C., as a Lieutenant Colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 29, 1996
First Lieutenant May 29, 1998
Captain May 29, 2000
Major May 1, 2006
Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 1, 2010
Colonel March 1, 2017
(Current as of July 2020)