Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt) Lisa A. Drefke serves as Superintendent for the United States Air Force (USAF) Heritage of America Band, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. The band is composed of 61 personnel and 5 flights including operations, publicity, resources, readiness, and administrative support. Additionally, the band maintains 9 performance teams that execute more than 350 missions each year in support of strategic Air Force messaging initiatives, Presidential support, civic outreach, international partnership building, recruiting and troop support across a 15-state region and at deployed locations around the world.
Sergeant Drefke, a native of Lakewood, Colorado, entered the Air Force in 2000 and has performed on trombone, vocals, and euphonium for military and civilian audiences worldwide. She deployed with the very first Air Force band to serve aboard the USNS Comfort in support of Southern Command’s 4-month operation, CONTINUING PROMISE, advancing US interests and strengthening international partnerships with 25,000 people throughout 7 South and Central American countries. She’s performed at the Wonju Marching Tattoo in South Korea, Germany’s NATO Fest, 4 Presidential visits and has performed with world-renowned musicians Joe Alessi, Ellis Marsalis, Jiggs Whigham, Randy Brecker, Eric Marienthal, Frank Mantooth, Lee Greenwood, Eddie Daniels and the Boston Brass. Furthermore, Sergeant Drefke has served as Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of 3 music performance teams, overseeing mission execution, delivering world-class music, and advancing strategic Air Force messaging for Public Affairs.
In addition to her musical duties, Sergeant Drefke has held a variety of administrative roles. As the Section Chief of Operations, Sergeant Drefke oversaw mission planning for 8 music performance teams and synchronized engagements with Pacific Air Forces objectives. She orchestrated two distinct performances for the President and Vice President of the United States and directed 740 missions in 10 countries, garnering support for United States forces with 22.4 million people in the Indo-Pacific region. Faced with a Department of Defense Stop Movement order and cancellation of the entire live performance schedule in response to the coronavirus threat, as Section Chief of Publicity, she quickly merged musical and collateral duty team efforts and within one week had published the career field’s first telework music video, sparking innovation across Air Force and sister service military bands. In addition, Sergeant Drefke led her teams in collaboration with military organizations, community leaders, and international recording artists Andy Grammer and Train to produce videos that emphasized resilience in a time of uncertainty. As the Resources Section Chief, she managed $1.2 million and implemented the commander’s vision for resource allocation, providing sound financial oversight for 5 cost centers.
Furthermore, she deployed as the United States Air Forces Central Band Superintendent for 6 months, overcoming pandemic restrictions and reviving the band’s mission following a 9-month shutdown. Sergeant Drefke developed engagement strategy, aligning missions with the Combined Forces Air Component Commander’s priorities and managed all operations and unit programs for 3 rotations of deployed bands at Al Udeid AB, Qatar, bolstering diplomatic ties with 15.2 million people across 7 Southwest Asia nations.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Arts, Music Performance, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO
2004 Airman Leadership School, Offutt Air Force Base, NE
2009 Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, TX
2013 Associate of Applied Science, Music, Community College of the Air Force
2014 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education I
2015 Senior Non-commissioned Officer Academy, Maxwell-Gunter AFB, AL
2017 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education II
2019 Professional Manager’s Certification
2020 Resilience Training Assistant Certification, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA
2020 Certified Continuous Process Improvement Course, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA
2021 Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Representative Certification, Al Udeid AB, Qatar
2023 Flight Command Leadership Course, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2000 - August 2005, USAF Heartland of America Band, Offutt AFB, Omaha, NE
2. August 2005 - August 2007, Allied Forces Band, Allied Joint Force Command, Naples, Italy
3. August 2007 - November 2016, USAF Band of the West, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, TX
4. November 2016 - November 2019, USAF Band of the Pacific, Yokota AB, Tokyo, Japan
5. November 2019 - present, USAF Heritage of America Band, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with 3 oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air and Space Achievement Medal
Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award with 4 oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Organizational Excellence Award with 1 oak leaf cluster
Air Force Good Conduct Medal with 6 oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Air and Space Overseas Ribbon Short Tour
Air and Space Overseas Ribbon Long Tour
Air and Space Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Pistol)
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2009 Distinguished Graduate, Non-Commissioned Officer Academy
2009 Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, USAF Band of the West
2009 Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, 37th Training Wing Staff Agency
2011 SSgt Frost Outstanding Communication Award, 502d Air Base Wing
2018 Public Affairs Communication Excellence Award, USAF Band of the Pacific
2019 Public Affairs Communication Excellence Award, USAF Band of the Pacific
2020 Team Excellence of the Year, USAF Heritage of America Band
2020 Team Excellence of the Year, HQ ACC Public Affairs
2020 Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, USAF Heritage of America Band
2020 Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, HQ ACC Public Affairs
2021 Commendation Award, Royal Air Force, United Kingdom
2021 Senior Non-commissioned Officer of the First & Second Quarters, AFCENT Public Affairs
2021 Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, USAF Heritage of America Band
2021 Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, HQ ACC Public Affairs
2022 Air and Space Forces Association Gill Robb Wilson Award, 9th AF (AFCENT) Public Affairs
2022 Team Excellence of the Year, USAF Heritage of America Band
2022 Team Excellence of the Year, HQ ACC Public Affairs
2022 Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, USAF Heritage of America Band
2022 Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, HQ ACC Public Affairs
EFFECTIVE DATE OF PROMOTION
Airman First Class June 7, 2000
Senior Airman October 7, 2002
Staff Sergeant January 1, 2005
Technical Sergeant July 1, 2008
Master Sergeant June 1, 2012
Senior Master Sergeant 1 April, 2023
(Current as of June 2023)