Chief Master Sergeant Tessa M. Fontaine is the Command Chief of the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The 88th Air Base Wing is the largest air base wing in the Air Force with more than 5,000 officers and enlisted Airmen, Air Force civilians and contractor employees. The wing provides support and services to the largest, most diverse, and most organizationally complex base in the Air Force which hosts a major acquisition center, research and development laboratories, a major command headquarters, an airlift wing, and the world’s largest military air museum. The base is home to more than 30,000 military, government civilian, and contractor employees and associate units.
Fontaine was raised in Holyoke, Mass until she entered the Air Force in 1998. Her Security Forces background includes various bases, deployments, and duties including Standardizations and Evaluations, Antiterrorism/Force Protection, and Investigations. Additionally, she was assigned to the National Reconnaissance Office, in Chantilly, Virginia where she drove multiple joint espionage investigations securing spy convictions. From there, she served as a Military Training Instructor and in various leadership positions within Basic Military Training before returning to Security Forces. Prior to her current assignment she was the Senior Enlisted Leader for the Special Warfare Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA), Texas.
EDUCATION
1998 Security Police Apprentice Course, Lackland Air Force Base, Tx.
2001 Airman Leadership School, Aviano Air Base, Italy
2003 Military Police Investigations School, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
2006 Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice, Community College of the Air Force
2009 Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, Keesler AFB, Miss.
2010 Advanced Espionage Course, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Va.
2011 Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice Administration, University of Phoenix
2012 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education (I), National Defense University, Washington D.C.
2012 DoD Windows Forensic Examiner/Media Collector, Defense Counterintelligence Training Academy, Md.
2013 Professional Managers Certification, Community College of the Air Force
2013 Military Training Instructor School, Lackland AFB, Tx.
2015 Associate of Applied Science, Education and Training Management, Community College of the Air Force
2016 Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Maxwell AFB-Gunter Annex, Ala.
2020 Chief Leadership Course, Maxwell AFB-Gunter Annex, Ala.
2021 Senior Enlisted Legal Orientation, by distance learning
2022 Command Chief Master Sergeant Training Course, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2024 Leading Strategically, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, Colo.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. March 1998 - May 1998, Trainee, Basic Military Training, Lackland AFB, Tx.
2. May 1998 - July 1998, Student, Security Police Academy, Lackland AFB, Tx.
3. August 1998 - December 1999, Security Forces Apprentice, 320th Missile Squadron, FE Warren AFB, Wyo. (TASS Operator, Ali Al Salem Air Base (AB), Kuwait)
4. January 2000 - January 2003, Security Forces Evaluator, 31st Security Forces Squadron, Aviano AB, Italy
5. January 2003 - December 2005, Patrolman/Security Forces Investigator, 1st Security Forces Squadron, Langley AFB, Va. (Base Defense Operations Center Controller, Kirkuk AB, Iraq)
6. January 2006 - December 2009, Special Investigations/AT, National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Chantilly, Va.
7. January 2010 - September 2013, Superintendent, Counterintelligence and Cyber Inquiries, NRO, Chantilly, Va.
8. October 2013 - October 2014, Military Training Instructor, 320th Training Squadron, JBSA, Tx.
9. November 2014 - December 2015, Instructor Supervisor/Training Superintendent, 323rd Training Squadron, JBSA, Tx.
10. January 2016 - May 2017, Squadron Superintendent, 737th Training Support Squadron, JBSA, Tx.
11. May 2017 - October 2018, Security Forces Manager, 341st Security Support Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Mont.
12. November 2018 - September 2019, Security Forces Manager, 8th Security Forces Squadron, Kunsan AB, South Korea
13. September 2019 - May 2020, Security Forces Manager, 377th Security Forces Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
14. June 2020 – June 2022, Senior Enlisted Leader, 377th Mission Support Group, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
15. July 2022 – June 2024, Special Warfare Training Wing, Command Chief, JBSA, Tx.
16. June 2024 – Present, Command Chief, 88th Air Base Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, Oh.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
AF Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal
AF Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Outstanding Airman of the Year ribbon with Service Star
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2002 Distinguished Graduate, Airman Leadership School
2006 Noncommissioned Office of the Year, National Reconnaissance Office
2009 Director’s Circle Award, National Reconnaissance Office
2012 Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, Air Force Space Command
2012 U.S. Attorney General Achievement Award
2012 Bronze Medal, National Reconnaissance Office
2013 Commandant’s Award, Military Training Instructor School
2013 Air Force Outstanding Airman of the Year
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Airman Basic Mar. 4, 1998
Airman Sept. 4, 1998
Airman First Class July 4, 1999
Senior Airman Sept. 4, 2000
Staff Sergeant June 1, 2002
Technical Sergeant Apr. 1, 2007
Master Sergeant Feb. 1, 2012
Senior Master Sergeant Jan. 1, 2016
Chief Master Sergeant Oct. 1, 2018
(Current as of June 2024)