Melissa Lahue is the Supervisory Archivist, Research Division Chief, at the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA), Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and serves as one of a select few Senior Archivists for the entire Department of the Air Force. In this position, Ms. Lahue is responsible for the personnel and management of the AFHRA Research Division, ensuring the fulfillment of thousands of requests annually through the AFHRA Inquiries Research Program. Additionally, she acts as the the Privacy/Civil Liberties Officer, ensuring that historical research work complies with legal and regulatory requirements to meet customer needs, for both official and unofficial requests. Furthermore, Ms. Lahue develops and maintains effective working relationships within the Department of the Air Force, specifically, the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Chief of Staff’s Office, the Department of the Air Force’s History and Museum Program, Major Command/Field Command History Offices, and other federal agencies, including the Department of Veteran’s Affairs and the POW/MIA Accounting Office. She formerly served in the AFHRA Organization History Division, as an expert archivist and historian for the DAF Lineage, Honors, and Heraldry Program, writing unit lineage and honors statements, processing official unit emblems, and completing organizational actions.
EDUCATION
- 2012 Bachelor of Arts, English Literature, University of Maryland, University College, Adelphi, MD
- 2016 Master of Science, Library Science, Clarion University, Clarion, PA
PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION
- 2021 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL, Distance Learning Program
- 2024 Department of Energy Historical Records Restricted Data Reviewer Course
- 2025 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL Distance Learning Program
ASSIGNMENTS
- Mar 2015 – Mar 2017, Senior Automation Technician/Supervisor, Southern Prairie Library System, Altus, OK
- Jun 2017 – Jul 2019, Library Director, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, TX
- Jul 2019 – Aug 2020, Archivist, Organization History Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
- Aug 2020 – Aug 2023, Historian, Organization History Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
- Sep 2023– Present, Supervisory Archivist, Research Division Chief, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
- 1995 Honorable Discharge, Army National Guard
- 2016 Outstanding Archival Achievement, Southern Prairie Library System
- 2017 Joint Base San Antonio Libraries Large Team of the Year Award
- 2018 Civilian Supervisor, Category III of the 2nd Quarter, 802d Force Support Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio
- 2018 Civilian Supervisor, Category III of the 3rd Quarter, 802d Force Support Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio
- 2019 Superior Flight, 502 Air Base Wing/ 802d Force Support Development Flight, Joint Base San Antonio
- 2019 Outstanding Unit Effectiveness Inspection, 502d Air Base Wing/802d Force Support Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio
- 2019 Small Team of the Quarter Award, 802d Force Support Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio
- Clarion University Presidential Merit Scholarship; Keesler Spouses Keynote Scholarship
- Ms. Lahue earned summa cum laude distinction from both the University of Maryland, University College, MD and Clarion University, PA and maintained a 4.0 GPA in Air Command and Staff College and Air War College
(Current as of 25 Mar 2025)