Colonel Sandra R. Nestor is Commander, 509th Medical Group, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. She leads 280 personnel and is responsible for ensuring the execution of an annual operations and maintenance budget of $13M supporting wartime readiness at the Air Force’s only B-2 Bomb Wing. Col Nestor oversees $27M in civilian network healthcare, $1.2M in services contracts, $2M homeland defense assets, and a $54M, three facility medical campus providing 68K annual visits to 11.5K enrolled beneficiaries. She is responsible for the health and fitness for duty of 4.8K active duty members including 1.6K personnel in the Personnel Reliability and Arming and Use of Force programs in support of strategic nuclear deterrence and surety. Additionally, Col Nestor provides medical support to the Missouri Air National Guard's 131st Bomb Wing; Air Force Reserve Command's 442d Fighter Wing; Air Combat Command's 20th Attack Squadron; and the Missouri Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 135th Aviation Unit.
Col Nestor graduated from Pacific Lutheran University at Tacoma, Washington in 1993 where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in
Nursing. She commissioned as a Reserve Officer Training Corps officer and spent the next 7.5 years in the Army Nurse Corps. She directly commissioned into the Air Force in 2005 and earned her Master of Science degree as a Critical Care/Trauma Clinical Nurse Specialist and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner from the University of Maryland, Baltimore in 2011. She was a previous Air Force Surgeon General Emergency Nursing Consultant and has commanded at the squadron level. Prior to her current position she served as the Chief, Officer Force Development Division and Director, Air Force Nurse Corps.
EDUCATION
1993 Bachelor of Science, Nursing, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash.
2008 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2011 Master of Science, Critical Care/Trauma Clinical Nurse Specialist/Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, University of Maryland, Baltimore
2012 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2018 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
1. December 2005-October 2006, Clinical Nurse, Aeromedical Staging Flight, 79th Medical Group, Andrews AFB, MD.
2. October 2006-July 2007, Clinical Nurse, Emergency Services, 79th Medical Group, Andrews AFB, Md.
3. Jul 2007-August 2008, Nurse Manager, Emergency Services, 79th Medical Group, Andrews AFB, Md. (May 2007-September 2007, Clinical Nurse, Emergency Services, Balad Air Base, Iraq)
4. August 2008-July 2009, Element Leader, Emergency Services, 779th Medical Group, Andrews AFB, Md.
5. July 2009-July 2011, Student, Air Force Institute of Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore
6. July 2011-July 2014, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Emergency Services, 633d Medical Group, Langley AFB, Va. (December 2012-June 2013, Tactical Critical Care Evacuation Team member, Afghanistan)
7. July 2014-December 2015, Flight Commander, Emergency Services, 633d Medical Group, Langley AFB, Va.
8. December 2015-June 2018, Nurse Utilization Officer, Nurse Career Management Branch, Headquarters Air Force Personnel Center, Randolph AFB, Tx
9. June 2018-June 2020, Commander, 35th Surgical Operations Squadron, Misawa AB, Japan
10. June 2020-June 2021, Headquarters of the Air Force Senior Nurse Executive Fellow, Defense Health Headquarters, Falls Church, Va.
11. June 2021-July 2022, Chief, Officer Force Development Division & Director, Air Force Nursing Services, Defense Health Headquarters, Falls Church, Va.
12. July 2022-Present, Commander, 509th Medical Group, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with six oak leaf clusters
Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
NATO Medal
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist
Certified Emergency Nurse
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Emergency Nurses Association
American Association of Critical Care Nurses
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 23, 1993
First Lieutenant May 23, 1995
Captain May 23, 1997
Major February 10, 2010
Lieutenant Colonel January 1, 2017
Colonel June 1, 2021