Press Release No.-16- 2021
(10 May 2021) – An alumna of the Filipino Young Leaders Program, Charlynne “Char” McGinnis, was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the United States Air Force on 4 May 2021. Deputy Consul General Angelica Escalona, Lt. Col. Vince Bantillan, and Vice Consul Andrea Christina Caymo attended the promotion ceremony aboard the USS Missouri at the Pearl Harbor in Hawai’i.
Lt. Col. McGinnis is the Deputy Director, Commander’s Action Group for the Commander of the Pacific Air Forces at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawai’i. In this capacity, she advises the Commander on operations, readiness, force structure, warfighting and engagements around the region. She received her commission after receiving a Bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University. She deployed twice to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. She also received her Master’s degree in Business Administration while stationed in the Republic of Korea. She joined the US military to carry on her family’s legacy of service. Her grandfather was a veteran of World War II.
Lt. Col. McGinnis was Hawaii’s delegate to the FYLPRO immersion program in 2018. FYLPRO was established in 2012 in cooperation with the Ayala Foundation Inc. (AFI) to annually identify ten (10) outstanding young professionals in the Filipino communities across the United States and provide them with invaluable community, business, and government exposure in the Philippines with the hopes that they can lead positive change in their communities in the US. Application for the next round of FYLPRO will open in the next few months. For more information about FYLPRO, visit: https://fylpro.org/. (END)
