Meet the Cadre

Lt Col Zachary Hegedish is the Commander of Air Force ROTC Detachment 450, the Professor of Air and Space Studies and the Department Head for Air and Space Studies in the College of Engineering at Montana State University (MSU).

Lt Col Hegedish was commissioned in 2007 upon graduation from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio with a degree in Political Science.  After commissioning, he attended Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Laughlin AFB, TX and has completed operational tours as a KC-135R/T Pilot at Fairchild AFB, WA and Chief of Flight Safety & KC-135R/T Instructor Pilot at Royal Air Force base Mildenhall, England.  Lt Col Hegedish also commanded Detachment 1, 730th Air Mobility Squadron, Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory. During his command, Lt Col Hegedish was responsible for the forward-deployed command and control, aerial port and aircraft maintenance on DoD aircraft executing JCS-directed contingency, humanitarian relief and joint/combined exercise missions on the Island of Diego Garcia. Most recently Lt Col Hegedish completed a Major Command staff assignment as the Branch Chief of Doctrine, Policy, and International Affairs, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, IL. 

LtCol Hegedish has accumulated over 1000 combat flight hours in the KC-135, with multiple combat deployments supporting United States efforts in Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, FREEDOM’S SENTINEL, INHERENT RESOLVE, JUNIPER MICRON, and SPARTAN SHIELD.

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Maj Trevor Burnham is the Operations Officer at Detachment 450.  He is an Assistant Professor of Military Air and is also responsible for leading, training, counseling and evaluating students and cadets in the Detachment.  

Maj Burnham was commissioned in 2007 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, AZ.  His notable tours include being a Missile Operator Evaluator and Instructor for Air Force Global Strike Command, an Initial Missile Qualification Instructor and Evaluator for Air Education and Training Command, and the final Air Force Inspector General for the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force – Afghanistan. Before his current assignment, Maj Burnham served as Chief, Air Force Crisis Action Team at the Pentagon where he led a team providing quality decision-making information to the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force regarding a crisis involving Air Force assets worldwide. Maj Burnham is a master nuclear missile operator with more than 240 alerts operating the Minuteman III ICBM Launch Control Center.

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Capt Skyler Means is the Recruiting Officer at Detachment 450.  She is an Assistant Professor of Military Air and Space Studies and is also responsible for the development, management, and execution of all unit recruiting efforts. 

Capt Means entered the Air Force in 2017 after receiving her commission through the ROTC program at the University of Idaho where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Capt Means started her Air Force career as an Acquisitions Officer at Hill AFB managing the sustainment of the T-38 Talon, one of our oldest and most challenging aircraft. While at Hill, she was an Executive Officer of a 1,000-member division and managed a $320M modernization effort for the F-16 Falcon to ensure the interoperability of two critical sensor programs on the USAF’s largest fighter fleet. Most recently, Capt Means served as the Next Generation Ejection Seat Program Manager at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In this position, she was responsible for leading a $1.4B ejection seat upgrade program through two critical milestones and provided a 66% safer seat for the F-15, F-16, F-22 and B-1 aircraft platforms. Capt Means completed her Master of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering at Colorado State University in 2023 and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

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Capt Samuel Hunt is the Education Officer at Detachment 450.  He is an Assistant Professor of Military Air and Space Studies and also oversees standardization and evaluation of the AFROTC curriculum within the detachment.

Captain Hunt entered the Air Force in June 2016 from the United States Air Force Academy. Since then, he has held various security forces positions, including Flight Commander, Logistics Officer, Operations Officer, and Director of Operations. He has been assigned to locations in North Dakota, Guam, Germany, and the Republic of Korea. Prior to his current position, Captain Hunt was the Director of Operations, 51st Security Forces Squadron, Osan AB, Republic of Korea.

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TSgt Theodore Amundsen is the Enlisted Instructor at Detachment 450. He is responsible for duties as an enlisted advisor to all Det 450 cadets. TSgt Amundsen instructs AS100 courses and also manages Det 450's Unit Fitness Program, and Records.  

TSgt Amundsen enlisted on Active Duty in 2014 as a Jet Engine Mechanic and has since served in diverse capacities supporting a range of missions and commands. Notably, he expertly maintained and troubleshooted the B-52H Stratofortress at Minot AFB, consecutively fulfilling roles on the base Honor Guard and as the 5th Aircraft Maintenance Squadrons Resource Advisor, pivotal in supporting the nuclear deterrence mission. In 2019, TSgt Amundsen transitioned into the manpower career field, assuming the role of manpower analyst. In this capacity, he significantly influenced Air Force and DoD manpower resourcing decisions through the timely delivery of determinants, data analytics, and consultant services for Air Force Material Command. His assignments have included roles at Minot AFB, ND, and Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. TSgt Amundsen holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Eastern Michigan University and has completed several military professional education courses.

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Technical Sergeant-Select Austin Woods is the NCOIC of  Administration at Detachment 450.  (T)Sgt Woods manages cadet records, Field Training preparation, medical/physicals, cadet pay, cadet uniforms, enlistments, categorization and commissioning.  

(T)Sgt Woods entered the Air Force in July, 2016. His background includes positions at the squadron, wing and joint level filling roles including Official Mail Technician, Command Support Staff, Command Executive Admin, and Protection and Response. (T)Sgt Woods completed his Associates in Applied Science degree from the Community College of the Air Force in 2020.  His assignments include J.B. Andrews AFB, MD and Scott AFB, IL.  Additionally, SSgt Woods deployed to Bahrain in 2020.

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Ms. Turney is a veteran of the US Air Force and a former student of Montana State University.  As the department's administrative coordinator, she is responsible for coordinating departmental actions with the university and headquarters AFROTC.

Ms. Melissa Turney enlisted in the United States Air Force after high school.  She trained with the 82^nd Medical Squadron at Sheppard AFB, TX.  After serving her country, she switched her focus to education.  Ms. Turney was the registrar and office manager at Lutheran High School in Elk Grove, CA before transitioning to San Juaquin Delta College in Stockton, CA where she assisted students with transferring from the 2-year college to 4-year university.  She has been the Program Coordinator with Det 450 at Montana State University since 2016. 

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