1st woman to lead state Air National Guard assumes duties

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The first woman to lead the Minnesota Air National Guard has officially assumed her duties.

Command Chief Master Sgt. Lisa Erikson is the most senior enlisted member of the Minnesota Air Guard. She’s in charge of about 2,000 airmen located at two separate wings and the command headquarters.

Erikson has 32 years of service in the Air Force and has held six different duty positions. She began her career as a jet engine mechanic on the C-141 cargo aircraft. At one point she was in charge of the 148th Medical Group that deployed to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.