By Troy Turner
and Senior Master Sgt. Richard P. Ebensberger
Air Force Public Affairs
MONTGOMERY – Maxwell Air Force Base, which plays a critical role in advanced training and education of American military aviation leadership, welcomed a new commander Wednesday to the 42nd Air Base Wing, Maxwell’s host unit.
Col. Shamekia N. Toliver assumed command from Col. Ryan E. Richardson in a ceremony attended by military personnel, civilian employees and community leaders, conducted in an air hanger with several military aircraft staged as a backdrop.
Maxwell is home to several key entities of the U.S. Air Force, including the prestigious Air University, 908th Airlift Wing, Air Force Materiel Command units, Defense Information Systems Agency and more than 40 other mission partners. The base also includes an element of the U.S. Space Force; and pilots and air crews from U.S. allies around the globe come here for strategic studies.
Additionally, an estimated 42,000 people are directly involved in the Maxwell community, either as active duty, Reserve, civilian or contract personnel; or as students and families of those serving at Maxwell and Gunter Annex. The base therefore provides a major economic impact on the Montgomery River Region and the state of Alabama as a whole.
Col. Shamekia Toliver
Toliver brings to Maxwell a wealth of experience and a distinguished record of service. She entered the Air Force in 1994 as an enlisted Airman, was subsequently selected for the Airman Scholarship Commissioning Program and gained her commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps.
She holds a Master of Science degree in civil engineering and is a board-certified and licensed professional engineer.
Col. Shamekia N. Toliver
Toliver has deployed multiple times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. She has held a variety of leadership positions, including her most recent role as commander of the 502nd Installation Support Group at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.
She also previously served as commander of the 322nd Training Squadron, at Joint Base San Antonio.
“I am deeply honored to take command of the 42nd Air Base Wing,” Toliver said during her inaugural address. “I look forward to working with each of you to continue our mission and to uphold the proud legacy of this wing.”
Her education includes:
2002 Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, University of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas.
2007 Master of Science, Civil Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C.
2008 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2011 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence.
2016 Master of Science, Airpower Strategy and Technology Integration, Blue Horizons Fellow, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2019 Senior Developmental Education, Air Force Fellow, Argonne National Laboratory, Ill.
2020 Joint Forces Staff College, National Defense University, Norfolk Va.
For Toliver’s complete military bio, go to: https://www.maxwell.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/3116130/shamekia-n-toliver/
Richardson commended
The event was presided over by Lt. Gen. Andrea Tullos, Air University commander and president, who commended Richardson for his exemplary service and leadership over the past two years.
Richardson will be moving on to a new assignment as the J1 Director for Human Capital, United States Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
Meanwhile, the history of the 42nd Air Base Wing dates back to World War II, when it served as a medium bomber unit conducting antisubmarine patrols off the American coastlines.
The 42nd Air Base Wing in 1994 was transferred to Maxwell Air Force Base from Loring Air Force Base, which closed that year.
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Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Lt. Col. William Russell, chief, 42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs, contributed to this report.
Photo credits: Top photo by Senior Master Sgt. Richard P. Ebensberger.
Bottom photo of Richardson and Toliver by Melanie Rodgers Cox, USAF.
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