Lieutenant Colonel Dawn Deshefy, Calfornia Omicron, United States Air Force
Lieutenant Colonel Dawn Deshefy built her U.S. Air Force Reserve career from the ground up, beginning as an enlisted aircraft electrician and rising to senior leadership over nearly three decades of service.
Driven by a desire to serve, and the practical need to fund her education, Dawn was balancing full-time work and college courses at California State University, San Bernardino, when a recruiter encouraged her to join the Air Force Reserves. That decision proved life changing. As a Reservist, she was able to shape her career path, choosing both her location and role. She began maintaining C-141 aircraft before transitioning into education and training roles and, after earning her degree, commissioned as an officer in 1989. Over time, she advanced to roles including Squadron and Group Executive Officer and later led the Commander’s Action Group at March Air Reserve Base until retiring in 2017.
Her military career took her around the world. Activated in support of Desert Storm in 1991, Dawn traveled to Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and the remote atoll of Diego Garcia. She also spent years mentoring prospective cadets and their families as an Admissions Liaison Officer for the U.S. Air Force Academy. Through her military experience she learned that people are at the center of every mission. “People are everything—not just your peers or leaders, but the ones working for you,” Dawn says. “With the right support, the sky is the limit.”
Dawn’s path to Pi Phi was less traditional, but no less meaningful. It was through her work with the Air Force Academy that she met several Pi Phi alumnae and formed lasting friendships with women she was inspired by. “I highly admired these women—values-centered mothers who were pillars of their communities, engineers, human resources professionals and more,” Dawn says.
What she didn’t realize was that those same women were quietly working to welcome her into their sisterhood. “When they asked for my resume, I thought they were joking!” Dawn says. “The term ‘alumna initiate’ was new to me. I thought a person could only join a sorority in college.”
Having seen firsthand how Pi Phi women serve their communities, she knew it was a good fit. In 2015, she was initiated into the California Omicron Chapter as an alumna initiate. “In the military, you bond through shared experiences,” she says. “In Pi Phi, I’ve been blessed to bond with women from all walks of life. The energy, motivation and larger-than-life attitude of these sisters is a privilege to be around.”
Published May 1, 2026