Dirk Smith
Located In: Florida
Position: Managing Director
Dirk is a passionate Leader, Coach and Mentor aimed to develop leadership skills and potential. He is the founder of Delta Sierra Leadership, LLC, a leadership development enterprise. He also serves as U. S. Air Force Adjunct Professor sharing strategic planning, leadership development, and team-building insights and perspectives with today’s USAF leaders through active and authentic dialogue.
Major General (retired) Dirk Smith served 32 years as an Air Force fighter pilot and General Officer. He was commissioned in 1988 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He earned three master’s degrees focused aviation, military operational art and strategy. He has commanded at the squadron, group, air and space operations center, wing and task force levels. His duty history includes multiple combat air forces operational flying assignments including serving as a U.S. Air Force Weapons School Instructor. General Smith is a command pilot with more than 2,800 hours in the F-15C and F-22A. He has participated in operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, New Dawn, Enduring Freedom, and Inherent Resolve. He has served in multiple staff and combat command assignments including Deputy Director of Operations, U.S. Pacific Command and Director of Air and Cyberspace Operations, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces. In Dirk’s final combat deployment he served as the Commander Air Expeditionary Task Force-Levant, Deputy Commander for Operations and Intelligence, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, U.S. Central Command where he managed coalition combat force operations in Iraq and Syria. He retired as the Vice Director for Joint Force Development (J7) on the Joint Staff, where he provided oversight and direction on joint training, joint force development, concept development, operational analysis and lessons learned activities to achieve the National Military Strategy.
Dirk is an experienced Executive Leader and Team Builder with a demonstrated history of achieving desired outcomes in complex and ill-defined operational problem sets. As a facilitator he finds synergy and harnesses innovation in diverse groups creating a collaborative and inclusive culture while developing agile leaders and maximizing mission effectiveness. Dirk balanced serving as a passionate husband and caregiver for his late wife (Mary) during her 23-year battle with brain cancer while serving a long and successful military career. He has two adult children and lives in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.