Gen. C.Q. Brown, Jr. is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. He is THE senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of 689,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. In this role, he also serves as member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the general and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the President. The general is a DG of the Texas Tech University (“Guns up”) ROTC program and the USAF Weapons School. Our conversation includes candid discussion on how to BEGIN to fix the race and (and likely gender) discrepancies in the USAF. The Chief also shares his thoughts on risk-averse leaders, the necessity for transparency when developing trust and how being selfish MAY be a good thing. It is an honor to be able to spend an hour with a man I consider a mentor and someone I hope to make proud.