Maj. Gen. Alfred K. Flowers is Commander, 2nd Air Force, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. He is responsible for the development, oversight and direction of all operational aspects of basic military training, initial skills training, and advanced technical training for the USAF enlisted force and support officers. Second Air Force provides training in more than 250 Air Force specialties through 2,500 courses graduating 225,000 Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and foreign students annually in diverse areas. These areas include aircraft maintenance, civil engineering, medical, computer, avionics, security forces, space and missile operations/maintenance, and multiple intelligence disciplines. The command includes training wings at Keesler AFB; Sheppard, Lackland and Goodfellow Air Force Bases, Texas; a training group at Vandenberg AFB, Calif.; and a network of 92 field training units around the world. Second Air Force also oversees all Airmen throughout the in-lieu-of/individual augmentee training pipeline at Army training sites across the country and provides a 24-hour/7-day operations center for pre- and post-deployment support.

General Flowers was commissioned following graduation from Officer Training School as a distinguished graduate of the December 1978 class. He first served as a budget officer at the squadron, major command and Air Staff levels. In 1990, he was assigned as Chief of the Budget Operations Division for Air Combat Command, where he would later serve as the Chief of Budget. The general has served on the Joint Staff as Defense Resource Manager, and in 1999 he was the Director of Budget Programs for the Department of the Air Force. He has also served as Director, Center for Force Structure, Requirements, Resources and Strategic Assessments at  Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command. Prior to his current assignment, he was Commander, Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

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Brigadier General Joseph S. Ward, Jr., is the Comptroller, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He is responsible for the financial planning and fiscal execution of the Air Force's research, development, test, acquisition and sustainment programs. He serves as principal financial adviser to the AFMC Commander and is responsible for identifying funding requirements, building the command's budgets, administering the Air Force Working Capital Fund and executing AFMC's annual budget program of $56 billion. He also oversees 3,000 professional financial managers providing vital services supporting the command's units worldwide, including 10 major bases.

General Ward is a native of Groton, Connecticut and a graduate of the University of Connecticut. He was commissioned through the Air Force ROTC program in 1983. He has previously served as the Chief Financial Officer for U.S. Pacific Command and as the principal financial advisor to the Combatant Commander and staff. He has also served in numerous other capacities within the Financial Management career field to include: Comptroller Squadron Commander, Air Staff Action Officer, and Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force. He was selected as the Air Mobility Command Comptroller of the Year, 1997 and runner-up Air Force wide. Additionally, his squadron was selected as the best Comptroller Squadron in both Air Mobility Command and the Air Force, 1997. His command assignments include: 437th Comptroller Squadron Commander, 48th Mission Support Group Deputy Commander, and 98th Mission Support Group Commander. He is also a distinguished graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University.

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Ann-Cecile M. McDermott, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Director, Financial Management and Comptroller, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. She is responsible for the multibillion dollar financial management of weapon systems acquisition and sustainment programs, including F/A-22, B-1, B-2, C-17, F-15, F-16, Global Hawk, and numerous other systems and subsystems. She has direct functional control and responsibility over 80 financial management people on her staff at Wright-Patterson AFB. She is also responsible for the career development, training, and equipping of more than 250 financial management personnel at both Wright-Patterson AFB and Brooks City-Base, Texas.

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BJ White-Olson, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Director for Budget Management and Execution, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget, Washington, D.C. Ms. White-Olson is responsible for the planning, programming and budget policies for the Air Force Working Capital Funds.  She is also responsible for the management and oversight of budget formulation and execution activities of $130 billion in Air Force appropriations. In addition, she supervises financial policy development for security assistance programs.

Ms. White-Olson began her career with the Air Force in 1973. She has served in a wide range of financial management positions at all organizational levels within the Air Force.  Prior to her current position, she was Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cost and Economics.

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John Raines is presently the Associate Director for Professional Development for ASMC.  In this capacity he works with the CDFM certification program and Enhanced Defense Financial Management Training as well as with ASMC chapters, chapter officers and writes for the Armed Forces Comptroller Journal. 

Prior to his retirement from federal service following a 34 year career, Mr. Raines was resource manager for the Army Continuing Education System, HQDA Appropriation Director for P8O, Chief of Financial Management Education and Training for the OSD Comptroller and President of the Defense Business Management University.  He holds a master’s degree from the College of William and Mary in Virginia and has done doctoral work at Virginia Tech.

He is a Vietnam-era veteran, has received the ASMC President’s award and editorial award, and the Humanitarian Service Award from the Department of the Army.

He is a proud grandfather, a motorcyclist, jogger (slow!!) and outdoors person.