CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD —

Vice Admiral Robin Braun, USN (Ret.)

Vice Admiral Robin Braun served 37 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring in 2016. In her final assignment, she served as the 13th Chief of Navy Reserve, leading more than 60,000 men and women in support of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Joint Force.

The daughter of a career Naval Aviator, VADM Braun was born in Pensacola, FL during her father’s tour as a Navy flight instructor. She entered the Navy in 1979 through Aviation Officer Candidate School and was commissioned in 1980. Braun earned her wings at a time when only five civilian women were selected for Navy flight training each year.

Braun’s operational tours include VQ-3 at Barbers Point, HI; VR-61 at Whidbey Island, WA; VR-51 at Glenview, IL, and VR-48 at Naval Air Facility Washington DC. During these tours, she served as an aircraft commander, mission commander, and instructor pilot, amassing more than 5,800 hours in Navy aircraft. Her command tours included Commanding Officer of VR-48; the Navy Air Logistics Office (NALO) in New Orleans, LA; Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 5’s Tactical Support Center in Brunswick, ME; and Carrier Strike Group TEN’s Reserve Staff.

Her shore assignments include Instructor Pilot in Advanced Flight Training (VT-31), Aviation Detailer at Navy Personnel Command, Intern on the Joint Staff J-33, and Duty Officer in the Pentagon’s Navy Operations Center.

Braun’s Flag assignments include Deputy Director of Operations, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany; Director, Total Force Management for the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare (OPNAV N2/N6); and Deputy Commander, Navy Recruiting Command.

In 2022, Braun was appointed by the Secretary of Defense to serve as Vice Chair of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS), a federal advisory committee chartered to provide recommendations on policies relating to the recruitment, retention, employment, integration, well-being, and treatment of women in the U.S. Armed Forces. Additionally, she serves as a Director and Treasurer of the Northern Arizona University Foundation.

Braun is a graduate of Northern Arizona University and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Washington. She was employed by FEDEX Express as a B-727 and A-300 pilot until her retirement in 2019, and served on the Board of Directors for Identiv, Inc., a global leader in physical security and RFID and NFC technology.