Leading by teaching: Edwards SNCO pursues doctorate degree

  • Published
  • By Melissa Perdomo
  • 412th Test Wing
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  

Chief Master Sgt. Jermaine King grew up in an inner city where there were not many options available to him. After graduating high school, he didn’t take his college opportunities serious. He joined the Air Force to escape the environment he grew up in. The Air Force provided him with a paycheck and for him, that was enough. He was in the military 13 years before he decided to get his Community College of the Air Force degree.

In 2018 he served as a Career Assistance Advisor for Joint Base San Antonio. In that role, he provided development and career advice to over 190,000 personnel in 266 organizations. Finding himself providing more guidance on education and helping others find their passion, he wanted to ensure he was providing well informed advice, so he decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Organizational Development and Leadership in January 2020. He completed the program in October of 2020.

“Through my studies and experience in the Air Force, I learned that leadership is a journey, not something that can be mastered,” said King, who now serves as the Senior Enlisted Advisor for the 412th Mission Support Group at Edwards.

He later transitioned to teaching becoming Adjunct Professor of MBA, leadership, human resources, project management, and emergency management at five universities. It was while he was teaching that he decided to pursue his doctorate degree.

“As I was already teaching at universities, I decided to pursue a doctorate. I found myself not so much interested in the responses to questions that people provided to questions, but more in how their background, nationality, family, and values contributed to their responses,” King explained. “I knew that if I could understand this, I could help an organization's climate, culture, and communication. So, I choose my doctorate in adult learning and leadership, specializing in organizational leadership. I wanted to build my credibility with the officers who entrusted me with providing feedback and advice. As a chief and senior non-commissioned officer, my credibility meant a lot to me in helping Airmen and other SNCOs.

Although his doctorate degree took 20 classes and three years to complete, along with a 411-page dissertation, resiliency and perseverance pushed him to complete his journey. There were long nights doing homework until 2 a.m. while still reporting to work the following day with his squadron and group. There were many social events he could not attend because of homework and studies, but he told himself not to quit.

“My family and the Airmen were my inspiration. I came from the inner city, where you did not have many options in life. When I graduated from high school, I wasted my college opportunities. I did not take any of it seriously. I joined the Air Force to escape the environment I grew up in, and a second opportunity was given to me with Tuition Assistance and Air Force Credentialing Opportunities On-Line,” he said.

“Some days, I wrote until 2 a.m. while reporting to work the next day to take care of my squadron and group. So, working long days and long nights with a 500-large security forces squadron was challenging. Then, having the honor of being the group chief with over 2,000 personnel presented some additional challenges. Some days, I would not complete my duties until 5 p.m. and have to go to the computer for homework. Some days, I could not hang out with my fellow chiefs because I had homework. However, I told myself not to quit. I wanted to show my kids and Airmen that nothing in life is handed to you. That you have to handle hard better. That everything that you want in life is on the other side of hard.”

After years of dedication and passion King has a doctorate degree in education. King’s pursuit of taking care of his Airmen through higher education has presented with unique opportunities. He was selected in 2023 as a President Bush Institute Leadership Scholar and attended a dinner with the President and First Lady for his work with local, state, and federal leaders to help design initiatives to help military veterans. He has spoken about mental health in the workplace and was also selected to be the Military Education Committee Chairman for Operation College Promise which helps veterans and families reduce college debt.

“My goal is to use my degree and experience to help others, and I have no doubt I will end up exactly where I’m supposed to be with my career. That is good enough for me,” King said.