On Friday, April 12th, Appalachian School of Law hosted a full day speaking event featuring Brigadier General Sharon Shaffer (Ret.) of the U.S. Air Force.
Brigadier General Shaffer retired from the U.S. Air Force in June 2020 after an illustrious career spanning over 30 years. Throughout her service, she held various leadership roles at the major Command level, including positions such as Deputy Staff Judge Advocate at Headquarters US Air Forces in Europe and Staff Judge Advocate at Air Force Reserve Command, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, and Air Combat Command.
As a highly regarded litigator and expert in criminal law, General Shaffer’s career highlights include serving as a Circuit prosecutor, Circuit defense counsel, and military trial Judge. Notably, she was selected as the first Deputy Chief Defense Counsel for the Office of Military Commissions in 2003, where she represented one of the first four detainees charged in the Global War on Terrorism. Her dedication to defending the rule of law earned her prestigious awards such as the Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty by the ACLU and the Joe A. Callaway Award for Civic Courage.
Prior to her retirement, General Shaffer served as the Commander of the Air Force Legal Operations Agency at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. In this role, she oversaw a 900-member organization of legal professionals operating at 76 locations worldwide. Additionally, she currently serves on the Board of Directors of Falcons Landing in Sterling, Virginia, and works as a legal mentor/advisor for FBI cadets in training during their moot court exercises at ECS.
We were honored and thankful to have General Shaffer share her insights and experiences with us. She joined our awards banquet, and spoke individually with many of our students.
