Michelle "Sonic" Ruehl

Michelle Ruehl is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, combat pilot, educator, and nonprofit founder whose career spans military aviation, education, and government service. An Air Force Academy graduate, Ruehl's military career included flight training, C-130 qualification, teaching, and combat missions, accumulating more than 2,000 flight hours, including 807 combat hours in Afghanistan. She provided real-time airborne targeting data to Special Operations forces and flew four different aircraft. Ruehl received seven Air Medals, two Aerial Achievement Medals, and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal for her service.

During combat deployments, Ruehl volunteered to teach English to local school girls and Afghan men studying business. After her final deployment, she returned to the Air Force Academy to teach rhetoric and composition in the Department of English and Fine Arts, offering courses in writing and public speaking. She also served as theater director, equestrian team mentor, and flight instructor in the Academy's Powered Flight Program. Ruehl holds an M.A. in Teaching Writing and Rhetoric from the University of Colorado and a Ph.D. from George Mason University. Her international teaching experience includes working with civic leaders in Ghana, teaching music to children in Tanzania, and teaching English to Tibetan refugees in Nepal.

Ruehl's expertise in military communications led her to serve as a speechwriter for a three-star general, developing strategic messages for 7,000 personnel. At the request of the Secretary of the Air Force, she designed and taught a communication course to Air Force headquarters staff at the Pentagon. Ruehl later served as a White House Fellow, working as a speechwriter for the Secretary of Transportation and the Vice President of the United States. She has contributed to homeland defense at NORAD and United States Northern Command and served as a Pentagon director of communications and lead author for the National Military Strategy.

Outside of government and military roles, Ruehl advocates for veterans and youth. She founded Parwana LEADership Legacy, a nonprofit organization providing leadership camps to veterans and their families to enhance empathy, communication, and teamwork. Ruehl draws on her M.A. in Psychology and certification as an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning to teach children, veterans, and trauma survivors about healing and leadership. She is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and a Tillman Scholar. Ruehl addresses topics such as leadership, resilience, military aviation, and the impact of education.