Board of Directors

Many of STARRS’ Board of Directors members, at one point, took an oath to support and defend the US Constitution against its enemies, both foreign and domestic.  For STARRS, both in concept and in practice, that oath has no expiration date.

STARRS Chairman of the Board

Maj General Bentley Rayburn, USAF (Ret.) is a 1975 graduate of the US Air Force Academy and was cadet wing commander his senior year. He was a command pilot with over 3,000 hours in aircraft that include the F-4, F-16, and AT-38. General Rayburn commanded at multiple levels and led combat missions over southern Iraq, enforcing U.N. sanctions on the Saddam Hussein regime, and was the senior battle staff director during Operation Allied Force, directing joint operations over Serbia and Kosovo. His distinguished career culminated as the Commander of the Air Force Doctrine Center at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. USAF Bio

STARRS Vice Chairman of the Board

Brig. General Mick Zais, PhD, US Army (Ret.) is currently a senior fellow at America First Policy Institute. Most recently he served as the Deputy and Acting US Secretary of Education. Previously, he was elected South Carolina’s 17th State Superintendent of Education. He served as Commissioner of Higher Education in South Carolina for six years, and for 10 years as president of Newberry College in that state. He retired as an infantry brigadier general after 31 years in the US Army, including service in Vietnam, Korea, Panama, and Kuwait. He is a paratrooper and Ranger and is a 1969 graduate of West Point.

BOARD MEMBERS

STARRS Chairman Emeritus Lt General Rod Bishop, USAF (Ret.), USAFA 1974,  is the founder of STARRS and served on active duty for 34 years as an aircraft commander, instructor pilot, and flight examiner. He commanded airmen at every operational level, including two squadrons, an operations group, an airlift wing, and a numbered air force. General Bishop’s last assignment was as Commander, 3rd Air Force, United States Air Forces in Europe at Ramstein Airbase in Germany, where he oversaw all American air and space activities in 93 countries in Europe and Africa. Read Full Bio

Maj. General Joe Arbuckle, USA (Ret.) graduated from college in 1968, and entered the Army in 1969 as a private. Following training as a combat engineer, he was later commissioned upon graduating from Engineer Officer Candidate School in 1970. Having volunteered for duty as an Infantry Officer, he served a year in Vietnam on Advisory Team 22, embedded with the South Vietnamese Army. He has commanded at every rank from Lieutenant to Major General, specializing in the missile field. During later years, he served in various capacities as an Army strategist and became an industrial base expert, playing a major role in the DoD “Revolution in Military Logistics” campaign. He was inducted into the Army OCS, Engineer, Ordnance and AMC Halls of Fame.  General Arbuckle retired after 32 years of commissioned and enlisted service. Read Full Bio

Brig. General Christopher J. Petty, USA (Ret.) is a 1987 graduate of the United States Military Academy (West Point) and has degrees from Colorado State University and US Army War College. He was a UH-60 instructor pilot with over 2,500 flight hours between the UH-60 and UH-1. General Petty commanded troops in combat at various levels, and his Army career culminated with assignments commanding the NATO Headquarters in Bosnia, and as Deputy Director of Operations, Special Actions, at United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). He is founder of BattleDigest (Battledigest.com). Read Full Bio

Colonel John Brockman, USAF (Ret.) is a 1974 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. During his 27-year active-duty career, John flew over 4,000 hours as an aircraft commander, instructor pilot, and commander of a C-5 squadron, and served in Operations Desert Shield/Storm. He has a Master of Science degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in National Security Studies from the Naval War College. John founded and ran two start-up companies – one developing cutting edge technology, and the other a landscaping business with his daughter.

Colonel Sam Thiessen, USA (Ret.) is a 1973 graduate of the United States Military Academy (West Point) and is STARRS’ Vice President of Public Outreach. He is also the Vice President of the MacArthur Society of West Point Graduates. He is actively involved in the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) and served as Seventh Region President from 2014 to 2020. He is currently CEO at Ag Bio-Power, LC, and is a part-time analyst with the Northrup Grumman Corporation.

Major Ron Olds, USAF (Ret.) is a 1969 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and one of STARRS’ founders. After graduation, Ron flew F-4s in the Pacific theater and combat missions over North and South Vietnam. He then served 15 years as an Air Force Academy Liaison Officer and retired from the Air Force Reserves in 1992 after 23 years of service. After over 37 years in a variety of engineering and management jobs, Ron retired in 2012 as Vice President of Sales and Zone Director for North & South America for Michelin Aircraft Tire Company located in Greenville, SC.

CMSAF Rodney J. McKinley was the 15th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force–the highest noncommissioned officer position in USAF representing the highest enlisted level of leadership, and as such, provided direction for the enlisted corps and represents their interests, as appropriate, to the American public, and to those in all levels of government. He served as the personal adviser to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and progress of the enlisted force. Chief McKinley grew up in Mount Orab, Ohio. He originally entered the Air Force in 1974, took a break in service in 1977, and re-entered the Air Force in 1982. His background includes various duties in medical and aircraft maintenance, and as a first sergeant and command chief master sergeant at wing, numbered air force and major command levels. His assignments include bases in North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, Alaska and Hawaii. The chief also served overseas in the Philippines, Italy and Germany, and deployed to Southwest Asia in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Before assuming his last position, he served as Command Chief Master Sergeant, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. He served in the position of Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from June 30, 2006 to June 30, 2009. USAF BIO | Interview

CMSgt Kenneth Battle, USAF (Ret.) served more than 33 years on active duty and in the Air Force Reserves. Chief Battle’s distinguished military career culminated as the Maintenance Operations Superintendent for the 315th Airlift Wing’s Maintenance Group. He founded the nonprofit Communities for Liberty, and is currently the Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Economic Continuity Alliance, which provides supportive services to African American start-ups and seeks to strengthen existing black-owned businesses in the tri-county area surrounding Charleston, SC.

Michael T. Rose, JD/MBA is a 1969 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and serves as STARRS’ Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Mike has a Juris Doctor degree from the New York University School of Law, where he was an Editor of the Law Review, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.  He has the highest professional rating of “AV” and is on the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers from Martindale-Hubbell. Mike was an associate attorney at a major law firm and has founded and been President of various entrepreneurial companies. Mike was the winner and plaintiff of a landmark US Supreme Court decision about the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). He served four terms as a Republican State Senator in South Carolina, and has lectured at various universities, colleges, professional organizations, and television programs, including on CBS “60 Minutes.”

Martha Ostrom, PhD, is President and CEO of Foundation & Fundraising Consultants, LLC and serves on the STARRS Development Committee. She has a bachelor’s in Psychology, a master’s in Justice Studies, and a PhD in Public Administration from Arizona State University (ASU) where she and her husband continued serving students, staff, and faculty by leading and coordinating fundraising efforts for the ASU Foundation for over 30 years. Martha was married to the late Professor Lonnie Ostrom who is a veteran of the United States Air Force.