RICHMOND, Va. –
Col. Catherine M. Jumper will succeed Brig. Gen. Toni M. Lord as the Virginia National Guard Air Component Commander, according to an announcement made Aug. 23, 2022, by Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia.
“Brig. Gen. Toni Lord has had an extraordinary career marked with tremendous achievements resulting in the Virginia Air National Guard meeting and exceeding every measure of effectiveness at National Guard Bureau and Air Force levels,” Williams said. “She has proven to be a visionary and exceptional organizational leader. She will be missed, but I know she will remain engaged as an alumnus and continue to help shape the future of the Virginia Air National Guard in the years to come.”
Lord took command of the Virginia Air National Guard in October 2019, and she retires with more than 39 years in both the active duty and National Guard, with experience as a commissioned officer and enlisted member in both the Army and Air components.
Jumper most recently served as the director of air operations on the Virginia National Guard Joint Staff.
“I am also confident in the capabilities and expertise Col. Cathy Jumper brings as our new Air Component Commander,” Williams said. “She has big shoes to fill, but I know she will rise to the challenge. She has my highest degree of confidence, and I know she will tackle tomorrow's challenge head on and continue Brig. Gen. Lord’s efforts to shape the organization and prepare for a bright future.”
Jumper earned her commission as a Distinguished Graduate of the University of Virginia’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 1995. She has served in all three components of the Air Force, including ten years on active duty in various units in Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Forces, and Air Education and Training Command. She led deployed teams supporting both Operations Southern and Northern Watch and launched the first Operation Noble Eagle sorties after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. She has commanded at both the squadron and group levels and served in various positions at the wing, major command and headquarters levels.
Her notable staff assignments include Secretary of the Air Force Congressional Liaison Officer and F-15/F-16 Weapons System Team Chief at Air Combat Command. Prior to her current assignment, Jumper served as Vice Commander of the 192nd Wing, a multi-mission composite wing comprising F-22 air dominance, distributed common ground system intelligence, cyber operations, civil engineering, security forces, and Chemical, Biological, Radiation and Nuclear Enhanced Response Force Package.
Jumper earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics at the University of Virginia in 1995, and a Master of Arts in Business Administration/Management at Troy University in 2000. She is a graduate of Squadron Officers School, Air Command and Staff College, Air War College and Air National Guard Commander’s Development Course.
Lord served six years active duty in the U.S. Air Force and entered the Virginia Army National Guard for three years as a flight operations specialist. In 1991, she transferred to the Virginia Air National Guard as a resource operations specialist, where she received her commission in 1998 at the Academy of Military Science and was appointed the personnel officer for the Virginia State Headquarters. She was the chief of workforce management for United States Joint Forces Command’s Joint Warfighting Center.
Her broad background includes years of civilian service as the director of facilities and operations for Richmond International Airport, executive director for the Forces Surveillance Support Center for an international counter-narcotics program, and deputy station manager for Wallops Command and Data Acquisition Station overseeing the operations and maintenance for on time delivery of satellite, command and environmental data to ensure global data access from space. She commanded the 192nd Support Squadron and the 192nd Mission Support Group at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, and she also served as the director of staff for the Virginia Air National Guard Headquarters.
Lord earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1991, an Associates in Electronic Systems at the Community College of the Air Force in 1992 and Associates in Resource Management at the Community College of the Air Force in 1994. She earned a Master of Business Administration in Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and is a graduate of Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College.