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A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Mr. Ashford is married to the former D. Olivia Smith and they have two grown children and seven grandchildren [all boys]. He attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL) [now University of Louisiana – Lafayette, Ragin Cajun’s] and received a BS degree in Agriculture Education, and later a Masters of Human Relation from The University of Oklahoma. After receiving his BS Degree from USL he enlisted in the United States Air Force and served in Vietnam as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) B-52 Navigator while stationed at Dyess AFB. In later assignments he was responsible for the integration, tech order development, and aircrew certification for the Digital Bomb/Nav System for the B-52D, that was to become the inertial navigation system on the entire B-52 fleet. Follow-on assignments included Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) B-1B Avionics Test Manager, and later the B-1B Test Manager for both the Initial and Follow-on Operational Test and Evaluation. Selected to return to HQ SAC in a role that would consolidate all test and evaluation into one organization, and would be the reporting official for the 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), Edwards AFB, CA; 49th TES, Barksdale AFB, LA; and the 513th TES, Bellevue, NE. During the retirement of SAC he was instrumental in placing the entire SAC T&E Division into functional alignment within the newly created Air Combat Command. His last official duty was as the US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) Program Manager for a Life Safety Upgrade to the underground areas of Command Headquarters. Mr. Ashford was on active duty for 23 years retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1993.
After retirement, Mr. Ashford worked with MFS Network Technologies, and was the Program Manager for the world’s first fully automated toll road in Southern California’s, SR-91. During his involvement with this project the transponder was developed, and tested with Texas Instruments that would later be used throughout California Toll Roads, and all along the East Coast as EZ Pass.
After leaving MFS, Mr Ashford was an independent insurance agent with New York Life for three years until his wife was diagnosed with a cancer of unknown origin, and treated for Breast Cancer. Olivia is doing very well today.
During the last 10 years Mr. Ashford has worked with Software Engineering Services (SES) in a marketing and business development role. He has been part of the state government development, and the acceptance as a Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a)/Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB). His involvement with DoD agencies was instrumental in aiding SES in securing numerous DoD contracts. Today, he is the Director of Business Development and Marketing with a primary focus on Federal DoD business. | 