Detachment 850 Cadre
Training, Mentoring, Leading.
Commander, Professor of Aerospace Studies
Lt Col Blas
Lt Col Blas is a career intelligence officer and scholar-practitioner who began his service as an enlisted Security Police specialist before commissioning from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2004. A seasoned combat veteran with six operational deployments, he has delivered critical intelligence across global operations, including combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and serving as Deputy Director of Intelligence for a Special Operations Task Force in the Levant region. Most recently, he deployed as the J22/Director of the Joint Intelligence Support Cell and Deputy J2 for the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U), directing 36 analysts supporting critical national security initiatives. His leadership roles also include serving as Intelligence Advisor to the 3-star Commander of NATO Air-South in Turkey, Operations Officer for a joint special operations targeting unit at Fort Bragg, Deputy Director of Analysis for Air Mobility Command, and Chief of Wing Intelligence for the 375th Air Mobility Wing.
Lt Col Blas holds a Master's Degree in Middle East Strategic Studies from the Naval
Postgraduate School where he also studied Arabic at the Defense Language Institute.
Furthermore, he is a Distinguished Graduate of the Air Command and Staff College and
earned his PhD in International Relations from the University of Utah. As a strategist
and academic, he leveraged his expertise as the Director of Operations for the Joint
All Domain Strategist (JADS) program where he led curriculum and faculty development.
He further directed NATO Joint Warfare Centre workshops on Joint All Domain Operations
in Stavanger and presented his research on China's actions in the South China Sea
to the Philippine Air Force’s senior leader symposium. In his final role at Air University
(AU), he served as Director of Academic Plans and Integration, where he steered the
academic enterprise, led JPME accreditation, and directed the curriculum lifecycle
for 25 major programs to ensure institutional excellence.
Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies
Capt Queen
Captain Elizabeth M. Queen currently serves as the Operations Officer and Operations Flight Commander for Air Force ROTC Detachment 850 at the University of Utah. In this role, she is an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies responsible for instructing and mentoring third-year cadets enrolled in the AS300 curriculum, focusing on leadership, management, and preparation for active-duty service.
Captain Queen earned her commission through the United States Air Force Academy in 2019, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. As a Civil Engineer Officer, she has held a variety of leadership and technical positions, including Project Manager, Requirements and Operations Section Chief, Readiness and Emergency Management Flight Commander, and Engineering Deputy Flight Commander. Her assignments have supported both Space Systems Command and Air Force Special Operations Command units.
Captain Queen has deployed to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, in support of Operations INHERENT RESOLVE and SPARTAN SHIELD, contributing to contingency engineering and base sustainment operations across the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies
Capt Lindley
Captain Jordan S. Lindley serves as the Education Officer and Recruiting Flight Commander for Air Force ROTC Detachment 850 at the University of Utah. He instructs first-year cadets in the AS100 curriculum as an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies.
Previously, Captain Lindley served as the Officer in Charge and unlimited warrant
Contracting Officer for the Human Systems Division, Air Force Life Cycle Management
Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In this role, he advised and assisted
the Division Chief on military and contracting matters affecting 14 military and civilian
personnel and their families. He supported five major programs and personally managed
a $1.85 billion portfolio, leading the team through next-generation upgrades for fighter
jet ejection seats and aircrew helmets.
For the two years prior, Captain Lindley served as flight Commander for the EGC Flight,
771st Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, at Wright-Patterson AFB where he led 17 members
and executed acquisition strategies valued at over $750 million. Before this assignment,
he graduated with academic honors from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey,
California, receiving recognition for his Outstanding Thesis in the Department of
Defense Management and reception of a $700K grant for the future development of an
acquisition ideation lab at NPS.
A native of Hunlock Creek, Pennsylvania, Captain Lindley entered the Air Force in October 2018. He graduated magna cum laude from Wilkes University with a Bachelor of Business Administration, concentrating in Management, Marketing, and Economics. His first assignment was at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, where he served as the Officer in Charge of the services and commodities flight and later as the Officer in Charge of the base infrastructure flight, 20th Contracting Squadron.
Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies
TSgt Dickinson
Technical Sergeant Wesley Dickinson serves as the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of AFROTC Detachment 850 and an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He is the primary point of contact for the cadet life-cycle process, overseeing the creation and maintenance of records for ROTC cadets at the University of Utah and six additional colleges in the Greater Salt Lake area.
TSgt Dickinson enlisted in the United States Air Force through the Delayed Entry Program and began Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base in January 2012. His assignments have taken him to Gulfport, Mississippi; Fort Walton Beach, Florida; and San Antonio, Texas. Over the course of his career, he has deployed 29 times, accumulating more than 700 days in deployed environments.
With a background in Civil Engineering and a uniquely diverse career path, TSgt Dickinson is dedicated to mentoring and shaping the next generation of Air Force officers at Detachment 850, instilling in them the values of character, leadership, and respect.
NCOIC Administrative Management
TSgt Cook
Technical Sergeant Calvin R. Cook serves as the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of Administrative Management at AFROTC Detachment 850, located at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. In this role, he oversees administrative operations for cadets at the University of Utah as well as those from six affiliated “cross-town” colleges in the Salt Lake area.
TSgt Cook enlisted in the United States Air Force in July 2014 under the Administration career field. Throughout his career, he has held key roles, including managing military post offices overseas and providing critical support to squadron leadership as part of the Commander’s Support Staff. His assignments have taken him to Korea, Japan, and Florida, and he has also completed a 180-day deployment to Kuwait.
NCOIC Administrative Management
SSgt Dennis
Staff Sargeant Juwan Dennis serves as the Administrative Specialist at AFROTC Detachment 850, located at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
SSgt Dennis enlisted in the United States Air Force in August 2016 under the Administration career field. Throughout his career, he has held key roles, including managing military post offices overseas, Wing Commander Exec, & Commander’s Support Staff.
Detachment Administrator
Ms. Natalie Richards-Gebbia