This is part 1, of a two-part interview, where we discuss “How to Innovate” from the both the Air Force level and personal level with Retired Colonel Bill DeMarco.

Colonel DeMarco is a native of San Carlos, California and graduated from the Citadel in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Management and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. He is a command pilot with over 2,700 flying hours and his experiences include command at the squadron, group and regional levels. He has been involved in all aspects of air mobility including: as a tactical and strategic airlift pilot, qualified in airdrop and special operations, tanker pilot, airbase command and control officer, and Commander, and served as the 44th Air Command and Staff College Commandant.

He has served in Operations Desert Shield/Storm, Mogadishu, Rwanda, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern/Southern Watch, Nobel Eagle and most recently Enduring and Iraqi Freedom with four tours in theater. He holds three master of science degrees in Military Arts and Science from the American Military University; Military Operational Art and Science, from Air University; and Airpower Art and Science from the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB.

Colonel DeMarco currently sits as the Director of Air University Innovation and Leadership Institute, Chair and Dean of Education Leadership Department, and Professor of Leadership Studies Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), Maxwell AFB.

He is an adjunct professor at Auburn University in Leadership. He serves as a National Security Affairs Fellow at Stanford’s University Hoover Institution and is a Fellow at The Judge Business School, Cambridge University, England. He’s been a TEDx speaker, contributes as a leadership consultant for the National WW2 Museum in New Orleans, and is the founder and CEO of the Mastermind Century Group, LLC.