AFAS Staff

Maj Gen (ret.) Ed Thomas serves as the Chief Executive Officer for AFAS.  Reporting to the AFAS Board of Trustees,  he is responsible for driving the organization’s success in its mission to help Airmen, Guardians, and their families when they need it most.

General Thomas has extensive military and leadership experience and served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 33 years. He was most recently the commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, where he led more than 3,000 Airmen and Guardians in more than 1,200 locations across the globe.  In that capacity, he also directed the Department of the Air Force’s $250-million annual marketing mission and represented the department before Congress.

General Thomas has also led at four different levels of command and directed communication efforts for both the Department of the Air Force and the Joint Staff.  He was commissioned through Texas A&M’s Corps of Cadets in 1990 and he and his wife, Dinah, have four children, including two sons serving in the Air Force.

Kristina “Kris” McBride serves as the Chief Operating Officer for AFAS. In this role she oversees the annual budget, leads the planning and development of AFAS’ operational objectives and initiatives as well as develops strategies and oversees the execution of plans to attain short- and long term financial and mission-critical operational goals.

A 26-year veteran of the United States Air Force, Kris served at multiple organizations within the personnel career field, as a professional military education commandant, and culminated her career as a Command Chief Master Sergeant.  She earned her B.S in Management from American Military University, a Master of Strategic Studies from Air University’s, Air War College and has studied executive leadership at such distinguished programs as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Center For Creative Leadership and the Department of Defense’s National Defense University.

Michelle Gentry is Director of Development Operations for AFAS. She has an undergraduate degree from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, a graduate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Certificate in Fund Raising Management from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. With 25 years of nonprofit fundraising experience, Michelle has a proven record of creating and building comprehensive fundraising systems and programs for nonprofits.

Michelle has dedicated her career to raising funding that will make a real and lasting difference for people and families in need. She brings this commitment to Air Force Aid Society, where she will manage the internal fundraising operations and collaborate closely with the entire Development team, the broader AFAS staff, and outside vendors to ensure best-in- class operations that facilitate increased philanthropic revenue.