John Barry is the President and CEO of the Wings Over the Rockies located in Denver, Colorado. Wings is Colorado’s Official Air and Space Museum with two locations and in 2018, Wings was recognized by CNN as one of the top 20 Aviation Museums in the World and by USA Today as the top 10 Museums in the USA.
Before returning to Colorado, he served in the United States Air Force for over 30 years as a combat veteran with 270 hours of combat time, fighter pilot, Fighter Weapons School Graduate (USAF “Top Gun” School), winning team member at the “Top Gun” international Air-to-Air William Tell Competition, Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, and commander multiple times at the squadron, twice at the group command level and twice at the wing command level. He is also a survivor of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon while serving as the lead Strategic Planner for the USAF. He retired in 2004 as a “Two Star”, Major General, and finished his USAF career as Board Member and Executive Director for the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation.
Mr. Barry is a 1973 Honor Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, with a double major in International Affairs and Political Science and a Distinguished Graduate of USAF Pilot Training. He received his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Oklahoma University, was a White House Fellow in 1986-1987, attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard on a fellowship in 1993-1994, and is a 2004 graduate of the Broad Superintendent Academy.
In 2023, John was inducted into the Titan 100 CEOs Hall of Fame in Colorado, inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame and honored by the Denver Business Journal as a Most Admired CEO.
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