Colonel Shannon L. Sherwin currently serves as Commandant of The Judge Advocate General’s School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. She leads a team of military and civilian professionals providing legal education and training for approximately 20,000 legal professionals, commanders, and other leaders throughout the Air and Space Forces and the Department of Defense.
Col Sherwin received a direct commission as an Air Force judge advocate in November 1997 and entered active duty in January 1998. She has served as a headquarters director; an installation, deployed, and Numbered Air Force staff judge advocate; an installation and Major Command deputy staff judge advocate; legal advisor to the Combat Operations Division at the Combined Air and Space Operations Center and legal advisor to the 603rd Air and Space Operations Center. She is admitted to practice law before the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the Supreme Court of the State of Colorado. Prior to her current position, Col Sherwin was the Staff Judge Advocate for Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Texas.
EDUCATION
1994
Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication, cum laude, Creighton University, Omaha NE
1997
Juris Doctor, University of Denver College of Law, Denver CO
1999
Squadron Officer School (Correspondence)
2002
Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
2005
Air Command and Staff College (Correspondence)
2008
Masters of Law, Military law w/International Law Specialty, TJAGLCS, Charlottesville VA
2012
Air War College (Correspondence, Outstanding Graduate)
2017
Masters in Strategic Studies, Grand Strategy, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
ASSIGNMENTS
1.
April 1998 – June 2001, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate (Chief of Civil Law, Labor Law, Contracts and Military Justice), 355th Fighter Wing, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ
2.
June 2001 – June 2004, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate (Chief of Civil Law, Labor Law, Claims, and Branch Chief Military Justice), 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson AFB, AK
3.
June 2004 – August 2005, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate (Chief of Military Law), 460th Space Wing, Buckley AFB, CO (January 2005 – May 2005, Staff Judge Advocate, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan)
4.
September 2005 – August 2007, Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, 460th Space Wing, Buckley AFB, CO (September 2006 – January 2007, Judge Advocate, Combat Operations Division, Combined Air and Space Operations Center, Qatar)
5.
August 2007 – May 2008, LLM Student, The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, Charlottesville, VA
6.
June 2008 – July 2009, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate (Chief, International Law), 3rd Air Force, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
7.
July 2009 – July 2010, Legal Advisor, 603rd Air and Space Operations Center, Ramstein AB, Germany
8.
July 2010 – June 2011, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate (Chief, Military Justice), 3rd Air Force, Ramstein AB, Germany (April 2011, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate (Chief, Air Operations Law), Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn, on board USS Mount Whitney, Gaeta, Italy)
9.
July 2011 – July 2014, Staff Judge Advocate, 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson AFB, AK
10.
July 2014 – August 2015 – Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, FL
11.
August 2015 – June 2016, Staff Judge Advocate, Air Force Safety Center, Kirtland AFB, NM
12.
June 2016 – May 2017, Student, Air War College, Grand Strategy Seminar, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL
13.
June 2017 – July 2019, Staff Judge Advocate, 96th Test Wing, Eglin AFB, FL
14.
July 2019 – June 2021, Staff Judge Advocate, 20th Air Force, F. E. Warren AFB, WY
15.
July 2021 – July 2022, Director and Chief Information Officer, Legal Information Services Directorate Headquarters USAF, Maxwell AFB, AL
16.
July 2022 – July 2025, Staff Judge Advocate, HQ Air Education and Training Command, JBSA- Randolph, TX
17.
July 2025 – Present, Commandant, The Judge Advocate General’s School, Maxwell AFB, AL
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
First Lieutenant 17 November 1997
Captain 4 July 1998
Major 1 November 2004
Lieutenant Colonel 1 November 2010
Colonel 1 March 2016
(Current as of July 2025)