Alex Pelbath
Located in: South Carolina
Position: Director
Alex is a retired C-17 Special Operations pilot with 22 years of service, attaining the rank of Colonel. Over his 22-year career he commanded multiple highly dynamic organizations and amassed over 4,000 hours flying multiple aircraft, including over 1000 hours in combat. He served in the highest levels of the military and completed multiple deployments supporting nearly all major military operations since 2001. In August of 2021 Alex was the Air Mission Commander for the final evacuation of military and civilian personnel in Kabul, Afghanistan. Responsible for all aircraft supporting the final mission, he piloted the last aircraft off the ground, ending the United States’ 20-year mission in Afghanistan. Amongst his many military decorations, he is a recipient of the Cheslea A, “Sully” Sullenberger Award for Courage and the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross.
In addition to front line leadership expertise, Alex has extensive experience in budget programming and risk management. While serving in the Pentagon he helped shape two consecutive $800B+ budgets, finishing his time as the Air Force lead programmer. Following his two years in the budget office, he was then selected to serve as a Special Assistant to the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this high-profile role, he assisted the Chairman in formulating strategic policies to advise the President of the United States and Secretary of Defense, while traveling the world supporting State Department diplomatic efforts.
Alex earned his BS degree from the US Air Force Academy where he was a four-year Division I wrestler, and later earned an MBA with an emphasis in Strategic Leadership. He currently resides in Charleston, SC as a spiritual and character development coach and serves on the Charleston area board for Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has been happily married for over 20 years and is blessed with a son and a daughter.