Major General H.D. "Jake" Polumbo (ret) is a founding partner and senior consultant for Two Blue Aces, LLC, a leadership firm that specializes in strategic reviews, business plan development, leadership training and mentoring. His primary focus is in the defense and aerospace sectors, with an emphasis on leadership and business networking.
In 2015, after 34 years of service, Jake retired from the Air Force as the commander of the Ninth Air Force in South Carolina, comprising eight active-duty wings in the southeastern United States with more than 450 aircraft and over 29,000 active-duty and civilian personnel.
He entered active duty as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1981 and commanded at the squadron, group, and three times at the wing level. He served in strategic planning positions in Europe as the director of strategy and plans at U.S. Africa Command and in the Pentagon as the assistant deputy director for Global Operations on the Joint Staff. General Polumbo also served as a task force commander in Afghanistan in 2012. He attended the Federal Executive Institute and was a Senior Fellow at Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.
A decorated command pilot, Jake logged over three thousand flying hours in all models of the F-16 and holds the distinction as the first and only U.S. Air Force general officer to fly the U-2S in combat, completing twenty-one missions in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Jake is a Past Chair on the Board of the Central Florida Development Council and serves as an advisor to the President of Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland, Florida. He is active in the local General Aviation community, is a Certified Flight Instructor - Instrument (CFII) in single and multi-engine land aircraft as well as an instructor pilot in single engine seaplanes. Jake is co-author of Leadership from 30,000 Feet with his brother Rob Polumbo, Richard Haddad, Tom Jones, and Rev Jones. Most recently co-authored Leadership at 100 Feet with Rob, Larry Martin and Chad Franks.
Jake and his wife Sandra, a Florida native, have been married for forty-two years. Their oldest son, Chad, is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force with his wife, Julie, and they have two sons, Nolan, and Garrett. Jake and Sandra's youngest son, Erik, lives in Virginia with his wife, Alexine, where they run four very successful businesses together.
H.D. "Jake" Polumbo
Founding Partner and Senior Consultant
Major General USAF (ret.)
jake's leadership seminars
current work
Leadership Positions:
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Board Member, Central Florida Development Council
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Board Member, Congressman Scott Franklin’s District 18 U.S. Service Academy Nomination Committee
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Advisor to the President, Florida Polytechnic University
Projects:
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Proposing an innovative Finance First mechanism for renewable energy projects to US Department of Defense for military installations
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Assisting with concept development of an Advanced 5th Generation Training Range across the state of Florida on behalf of the Florida Defense Support Task Force and the Florida Department of Commerce
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Coordinating efforts on behalf of the Yuba County Water Agency with the USAF and local business entities for the development of a northern California carbon-free power grid
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Working with local elected officials and the University of California System for the startup of an Applied Research Center near Beale Air Force Base in northern California
Education
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Master of Science in Aeronautical Science Technology, Embry-Riddle University, FL (1992)
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Bachelor of Science in Engineering Sciences, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO (1981)
usaf leadership
ASSIGNMENTS
Retired as a Major General (2015)
Commander Ninth Air Force, Shaw AFB, S.C.; Commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force, and Deputy Commander-Air, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan; Chief of Staff, U.S. Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany; Director of Strategy, Plans and Programs (J5), Headquarters U.S. Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany; Director of Plans and Programs, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.; Commander, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia; Commander, 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale AFB, Calif.; Assistant Deputy Director for Global Operations, Operations Directorate, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; Commander, 80th Flying Training Wing, Sheppard AFB, Texas; Commander, 52nd Operations Group, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany; Chief, Foreign Liaison Division, Office of the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.; Commander, 51st Operations Support Squadron, Osan Air Base, South Korea; Operations Officer, 36th Fighter Squadron, Osan Air Base, South Korea; Policy Staff Officer, Allied Air Forces Northwestern Europe, NATO, Royal Air Force High Wycombe, England; etc.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,000
Aircraft flown: F-16A/B/C/D, TU-2S/U-2S, MC-12W, RQ-4A, KC-10 and T-38A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star Medal
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal