Chief of Staff
A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Captain Kevin “Kepper” Pickard Jr. graduated in 1996 from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in English (with Merit). Following flight training, he was designated a naval aviator in April 1998. In 2006, he was one of only seven officers selected into the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Planning Program and subsequently earned a master’s degree in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2021, he completed Joint Professional Military Education II from the National Defense University’s Joint Forces Staff College, Joint Command and Warfighting School.