Detachment 860 Cadre

Lieutenant Colonel Mark W. Hodges is the Commander of Air Force ROTC Detachment 860 at Utah State University. As the Department Head and Professor of Aerospace Studies he is responsible to the University president and Department of the Air Force for recruiting, training, and educating over 120 cadets and officer candidates on their path toward commissioning into the United States Air Force and Space Force. Prior to this assignment, he served as an acquisition Program Manager of weapon secure storage systems where he oversaw a $141-million Acquisition Category III portfolio for all lifecycle activities related to system design, development, testing, and fielding to support advanced nuclear weapons.

Lt Col Hodges entered the Air Force in 2005 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Utah State University. He holds a BS in Welding Engineering, an MBA, and a MA&S in Military Operations. He is a member of the Acquisition Corps, and his career includes multiple assignments in the nuclear enterprise, including: operational experience as a Minuteman III ICBM launch officer and senior crew evaluator, ICBM guidance systems engineer and technical evaluator, nuclear materiel program manager, chief engineer for nuclear weapons safety and certification, and fellow at the School of Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies. He has also held various developmental and operational test engineer positions, to include test designer, test safety engineer, and test director of ground and flight weapon systems.

Captain Derek Wahl is the Operations Officer for Detachment 860 and leads classroom instruction for the AS 300 level classes. From Ohio, Capt Wahl graduated with a BS in Aerospace Studies from Bowling Green State University and a MS in Human Development and Behavior from Western Illinois University. Capt Wahl received his commission through the US Air Force Officer Training School in 2016 and is a career Logistics Readiness Officer (LRO). His duty assignments include unit-level operations and leadership responsibilities at: Malmstrom AFB, Montana; Morón Air Base, Spain; and Hill AFB, Utah. Throughout these assignments he has led in numerous Flight Commander positions and special duties, including having served as the Installation Deployment Officer, Wing Inspection Team Lead, installation logistics lead for presidential movements, and deployed LRO to the Middle East in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE. Prior to his current assignment, Capt Wahl was the Flight Commander of Materiel Management where he led 45 military and civilian members, directed warehouse operations for 375 base accounts with $1.2B in assets, in support of five commands, three wings, and 51 tenant units.

Capt Krystal “Nova” Henry is the Recruiting Officer for Detachment 860 and leads classroom instruction for the AS 100 level classes. She received her commission in the Air Force through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Washington in 2015, and holds both a BS in Chemistry and an MBA from West Texas A&M University. Capt Henry is a Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) pilot with both instructor and flight examiner qualifications. She has served in a variety of operational aviation assignments in units spanning Air Combat Command (ACC) and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), supporting Operations INHERENT RESOLVE, FREEDOM’S SENTINEL, and ENDURING SENTINEL. In her prior assignment, Capt Henry was an Executive Officer for the HQ AFSOC Operations Center as well as an MQ-9 Instructor Pilot, commanding MQ-9 missions in direct combat support of the nation's elite Special Operations Forces and instructing aircrew executing high-priority missions requiring persistent, armed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and close air support (CAS).

Capt Matthew Jordan is the Education Officer for Detachment 860 and responsible for academic instruction for the AS 200 level classes. He received his commission in the Air Force through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Utah State University in 2014 and holds a BA in International Studies and a Master of Business Administration. Capt Jordan is an Intelligence Officer with assignments conducting airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) within the Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) enterprise and supporting the strategic deterrence mission of U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). In his prior assignment, Capt Jordan was the Warning Branch Chief in the USSTRATCOM Intelligence Directorate, where he led regional and warning analysts in maintaining enduring strategic warning problem sets, establishing analytic criteria, and reporting threats.

TSgt Mahalia Hoffman is the NCOIC of Knowledge Operations Management at AFROTC Det 860, Utah State University, responsible for all administrative processes and documentation for roughly 110 cadets who are seeking to become officers in the Department of the Air Force. She oversees cadet life-cycle personnel actions, ensuring the accuracy of all records and documentation.

TSgt Stephanie Butler arrived at Detachment 860 in May 2023 and is responsible for advising on cadet academics, professional development, military training and discipline, and the handling of office tasks like commissioning documentation. In her previous assignment, TSgt Butler was a Flight Sergeant at the 96th Security Forces Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. She provided integrated defense and law enforcement support for the Air Force’s largest installation encompassing a 724 square miles range. She guided immediate response to all alarms and incidents by controlling patrols to resolve incidents and contingency security operations. Finally, she implemented flight training plans, and mentored 48 personnel to ensure the mission readiness of the 96th Test Wing and it’s tenet units.