Lieutenant General (Ret.) Jay B. Silveria is the Executive Director of Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government & Public Service in Washington, DC. Appointed to the position by Bush School Dean Mark Welsh III in September 2020, Silveria brought with him a wealth of experience and a vision to provide a stellar educational experience to graduate students seeking careers in government and public service.

Prior to joining the Bush School, General Silveria served as Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There he directed a four-year regimen of military training and academic, athletic, and character development programs that led students to a bachelor of science degree and a commission as a second lieutenant.

General Silveria served as the Deputy Commander, Combined Air Force Air Component, U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia. In that role, he was responsible for the command and control of air operations in a twenty-nation area of responsibility covering Central and Southwest Asia. Key military operations Resolute Support in Afghanistan and Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria took place under his command.

He previously served as Commander, U.S. Air Force Warfare Center, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and Vice Commander, 14th Air Force of Air Force Space Command at Vandenberg AFB, California, as well as Director, Security Assistance in the Office of Security Cooperation-Baghdad, Iraq. A Command pilot with more than 3,900 flight hours in the F-15 and F-35, General Silveria has flown combat sorties over the Balkans and Iraq. General Silveria commanded a Fighter Wing, an Air Operation Center, and a Fighter Squadron. He was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal and a Bronze Star, along with multiple Air Medals, during his career.

EDUCATION
General Silveria grew up in an Air Force family and is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with a bachelor of science degree. He also earned a Master of Social Science degree from Syracuse, New York. He attended the National War College at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, DC. He was a Senior Executive Fellow at Harvard University and attended the Harvard Seminar for New Presidents at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.