JoAnne Bass

JoAnne Bass served in the U.S. Air Force for over 31 years. In August 2020, she was selected as the 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force and the first woman to become the highest senior enlisted leader in any military service, making her a unique trailblazer and role model to hundreds of thousands of men and women. She retired from that position in March 2024 and continues to champion national security and policies that impact veterans and their families using her influence and platform.

Bass has vast whole-of-society leadership experience from cutting-edge technology to our nation's most sensitive relationships. She has written and spoken extensively on leadership, national security, innovation, risk management, international affairs, workforce strategy, and the understanding of generational diversity.

She is the founder and president of The Bass Group LLC, developing the leaders our nation needs and fostering a leadership style that breaks barriers, challenges convention, and ignites innovation. She is also a Strategic Advisor to the President of Columbia Southern University, an Ambassador for Hiring Our Heroes, an Honorary Board Co-Chair for the Military Women’s Memorial, and Member of the Board of Directors for the Mighty Hero Homes, the Robert Irvine Foundation, and the Air & Space Forces Association. She is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow, Military, Veterans, and Society Program, at the Center for a New American Security.

Bass was raised as an Army dependent, living in several overseas and stateside locations, and calls Hawaii home. She graduated with honors from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and now shares her time between Texas and Washington, DC.