Maj. Gen. Michael T. Venerdi is The Adjutant General, Kansas National Guard and serves as Director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Advisor. As Adjutant General, he is the senior military advisor to the governor and commander of the Kansas National Guard, responsible for overseeing training and readiness of 7,000 Soldiers, Airmen and Civilians. General Venerdi serves as the state’s official channel of communication with the National Guard Bureau to the Departments of the Army and Air Force.
General Venerdi is a 1991 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He served over 10 years on active duty as a supply officer and KC-135R/T instructor and evaluator pilot. He joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 2001 then transitioned to the Kansas Air National Guard in 2002 where he later became an intelligence officer. He has held command, staff, and supervisory positions including wing, group, and squadron commander; Chief, Operations Support Division; and Command Center Director, North American Aerospace Defense Command. He has deployed multiple times to Southern and Central Command in support of myriad operations. Prior to his current position, he served as Director of the Joint Staff, Kansas National Guard.
EDUCATION
1991 Bachelor of Science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1995 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2003 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2012 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2012 ANG Commanders’ Development Course, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2014 Joint and Combined Warfighting School - Joint Professional Military Education Phase II, Norfolk Naval Station, Va.
2018 Joint Task Force Commanders Course - Peterson AFB, Colo.
2021 Dual Status Commanders Course - Peterson AFB, Colo.
2022 Senior Leader Orientation Course (SLOC) – Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2022 General and Flag Officer Homeland Security Executive Seminar, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2024 CAPSTONE General and Flag Officer Course, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
2024 National Security Management Course, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1991 - August 1992, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese AFB, Texas
2. August 1992 - November 1995, Chief of Management and Systems Flight, Chief of Hazardous Materials Pharmacy, Assistant Chief of Management and Systems Flight, 22nd Supply Squadron, March AFB, Calif.
3. November 1995 - November 1998, KC-135R Aircraft Commander, Standardization/Evaluation Liaison Officer, Squadron Scheduler, 351st Air Refueling Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
4. November 1998 - August 2001, Chief, Standardization/Evaluation, KC-135R/T Receiver Instructor/Evaluator Pilot, Chief of Training, Special Operations Instructor Pilot, 384th Air Refueling Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
5. August 2001 - September 2002, KC-135R Instructor Pilot, 184th Air Refueling Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
6. September 2002 - October 2006, Chief, Standardization/Evaluation, 184th Operations Group, McConnell AFB, Kan.
7. October 2006 - November 2008, Commander, 184th Operations Support Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
8. November 2008 - June 2011, Commander, 184th Intelligence Support Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
9. June 2011 - September 2013, Commander, 161st Intelligence Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
10. September 2013 - November 2013, Commander, 184th Mission Support Group, McConnell AFB, Kan.
11. November 2013 - September 2015, Commander, 184th Regional Support Group, McConnell AFB, Kan.
12. September 2015 - October 2016, Commander, 184th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group, McConnell AFB, Kan.
13. October 2016 - September 2018, Chief, Operations Support Division and Command Center Director, HQ NORAD, Peterson AFB, Colo.
14. September 2018 - April 2020, Commander, 184th Wing, McConnell AFB, Kan.
15. April 2020 - June 2020, Interim Director, Joint Staff, Joint Force Headquarters-Kansas, Forbes Field ANGB, Kan.
16. June 2020 - July 2023, Chief of Staff, Topeka, Kan.
17. April 2023 - Present, The Adjutant General, The Adjutant General's Department, Topeka, Kan.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 2016 - September 2018, Chief, Operations Support Division and Command Center Director, HQ NORAD, Peterson AFB, Colo. as a Colonel
2. June 2020–March 2023, Director, Joint Staff, Joint Force Headquarters-Kansas, Forbes Field ANG Base, Kan., as a brigadier general
3. April 2023- Present, The Adjutant General, Joint Force Headquarters-Kansas, Forbes Field ANGB, Kan., as a major general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 4,000
Aircraft flown: KC-135 R/T, T-37, T-38, T-1
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 29, 1991
First Lieutenant May 29, 1993
Captain May 29, 1995
Major Dec. 1, 2001
Lieutenant Colonel June 3, 2007
Colonel Jan. 8, 2014
Brigadier General Feb. 24, 2021
Major General July 31, 2024
(Current as of November 2024)