MANUEL J. HERRERA
Bossier City,LA
Summary
Strategic Program Director with 30 years in planning, operations, and process optimization for national defense. Directs complex, multi-million-dollar portfolios while fostering high-performance cultures. Leads large-scale, cross-functional teams and navigates federal and international partnerships. Aims to leverage leadership expertise and international business acumen to drive innovation and operational success in a senior management role.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
5
5
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Command Functional Leader (Executive Program Director, Strategic Leader/Planner)
Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC)
Bossier, LA
06.2024 - 01.2027
- Strategic Leadership & Execution: Directs operations for 200+ personnel across 8 regional sites, driving strategic policy development and enforcing compliance to ensure 100% operational readiness for critical infrastructure.
- Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE): Orchestrated technical explosive capabilities and safety logistics in partnership with senior Air Staff, Major Commands, federal agencies, and local authorities, improved response coordination and mitigated high-stakes operational risks.
- Developed specialized recovery procedures and executed protocols for national Task Force, enabling rapid response to nuclear emergency incidents.
Senior Enlisted Leader (Director of Operations, Senior HR Manager)
Air Combat, Pacific Commands & Air Force Civil Engineer Center
04.2012 - 06.2024
- Global Portfolio & Asset Management: Directed a global equipment and explosives portfolio valued at over $370M, implementing a reconstitution strategy that recaptured $72M in assets and enabled the reutilization of an additional $57M in equipment through enhanced asset visibility across 78 global units.
- Operations Management: Directed 24/7 hazardous materials disposal and recovery operations for multiple 25-person specialized teams, supporting fast paced aviation environment for 147+ aircraft across multiple global installations. Safeguarded 25,000 staff and $22B in infrastructure.
- Secured $7.9M budget increase for critical safety equipment, managed $20M in training requirements, averted $29M asset loss through global fix for catastrophic equipment flaw, achieved $600K annual savings by optimizing training pipeline across three locations.
- Strategic Sourcing & Technology Modernization: Led a $39M research and development (R&D) initiative for advanced laser and reconnaissance technology. Modernized a $9.5M remote firing system and a $17M armored vehicle weapons system, deploying cutting-edge technology to enhance operational safety and reliability.
- Engineered national explosive detection standard for $14.6M Department of Defense program, strategically sourced $21M in advanced equipment to align with Presidential Policy Directives on counter-terrorism and national security.
- Leas cross functional team and liaised with US Forces Korea and led multi-national strategic planning efforts for 810 personnel.
Senior Manager, Quality Assurance & Compliance
Office of the Inspector General
Bossier City (Barksdale AFB), Louisiana
04.2014 - 08.2016
- Enterprise-Level Compliance & Risk Management: Directed comprehensive compliance audits for a $14B enterprise program, encompassing 35,000 personnel across 9 operating units. Developed and implemented a risk-based inspection process, managing 23 major deficiency resolutions to 95% completion.
- High-Value Asset Security & Quality Assurance: Led multiple inspection teams to validate the security, safety, and reliability of $1.5B in critical national security assets, achieving a 100% certification rate in line with top national defense priorities.
- Asset & Program Accountability: Led a corporate-level collaboration that identified critical deficiencies and adjusted guidance, improving the accountability of $500M in assets across 54 global flight operations. Validated and certified $36M in counter-terrorism assets.
- Process Improvement & Strategic Development: Authored three critical updates to the corporate professional development and training program, directly impacting the readiness of 114 personnel. Led the vision and user advocacy for a $17M robotics program to enhance operational safety.
Education
Master of Business Administration -
University of Arizona
Chandler, AZ 01.2025 - 04.2026
Professional Education - Chief Master Sergeant Leadership Course
Air University
Montgomery, AL 09.2025 - 11.2025
Professional Certificate - Executive Program Machine Learning in Business
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA 05.2023 - 06.2023
Bachelor of Arts - Organizational Management
Ashford University
Clinton, IA 01.2014 - 07.2017
Skills
- Strategic planning
- Operations management
- Project management
- Team leadership
- Risk assessment
- Budgeting
- Machine learning
- Team building
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Visionary thinking
- Human resources management
- Complex Problem-solving
- Six Sigma Green Belt (lean) certified
- MIT Executive Program-Machine Learning in Business certified (AI ML)
Timeline
Professional Education - Chief Master Sergeant Leadership Course
Air University
09.2025 - 11.2025
Master of Business Administration -
University of Arizona
01.2025 - 04.2026
Command Functional Leader (Executive Program Director, Strategic Leader/Planner)
Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC)
06.2024 - 01.2027
Professional Certificate - Executive Program Machine Learning in Business
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
05.2023 - 06.2023
Senior Manager, Quality Assurance & Compliance
Office of the Inspector General
04.2014 - 08.2016
Bachelor of Arts - Organizational Management
Ashford University
01.2014 - 07.2017
Senior Enlisted Leader (Director of Operations, Senior HR Manager)
Air Combat, Pacific Commands & Air Force Civil Engineer Center
04.2012 - 06.2024