In this article, The AFIT Foundation is recognizing Dr. Tom Foltz, Retired Air Force Colonel, and President of Tom Foltz Consulting.

Dr. Foltz received his MS in Electrical Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology in 1988 and went on to complete his PhD in 1998 in Electrical Engineering. He joined the military due to the educational opportunity it provided. His dream led to an ROTC scholarship at the Georgia Institute of Technology, two AFIT degrees, and a master’s degree from the USAF Air Command and Staff College. Dr. Foltz served as the Deputy for Network Services at the Defense Information Systems Agency’s headquarters for his last assignment in the Air Force. After retiring in 2008, he was the Program Manager on two different Army test services contracts. Dr. Foltz now owns a consulting firm that specializes in helping clients win large federal services contracts. He uses his technical background to translate raw technical content into written proposals.

AFIT taught Dr. Foltz a lot about overcoming challenges. Many of the time management and prioritization skills he learned helped him throughout the rest of his career in the Air Force and industry. During his time at AFIT, he enjoyed socializing and study groups with his fellow students. They had many backyard barbeques at Jerry “Hoss” Conner’s quarters and even found time to study–often in a large group during school hours. He fondly remembers that the library staff would often chastise them for laughing and joking too loudly. They became more lenient after one of the students in their group started dating one of the librarians.

Dr. Foltz’s advice to those who are entering the military is to stay true to what motivates you, retain focus and avoid unnecessary distractions. He writes, “Remember that the only things in life you can control are your effort and your attitude. Appreciate that the level of responsibility you’ll be given as a junior member of the military will far exceed what your counterparts will experience in the civilian sector.” Finally, he says to be grateful every day for the opportunities life gives you. Thank you, Dr. Foltz!