Academy supt. dines with cadets Published Sept. 17, 2015 By Airman 1st Class Rachel Hammes U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY. Colo. -- Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle D. Johnson's typical day is filled with meetings, briefings and decision-making. Her days are often scheduled months in advance, and while developing innovative leaders of character is her primary goal at the Academy, she is not always able to act on that goal in such a personal way as she did Sept. 3, when she shared a lunch table at Arnold Hall with four-degree cadets. The idea stemmed from Cadet 4th Class Matt Moawad, who personally requested Johnson join his squadron for lunch. Moawad sent the idea up his chain of command, and by Sept. 3 he was sitting at a table, eating Mexican food with a three-star general. "I just wanted to learn a little bit about our senior leadership," he said. "I'm a big believer in talking to people who are successful and people who are good in character, and learning something from them." Throughout her career, Johnson has served as a White House aide, commanded a tanker wing and studied in England as a Rhodes scholar. Moawad said Johnson, an Academy graduate and the Academy's 19th superintendent, serves as an example for cadets to follow. Throughout the meal, Johnson spoke of her past experiences, including the sometimes difficult decisions leaders must make. "Here's the balance you guys are going to have to have, too - you have to balance cost and quality," she said. Cadet 4th Class McKenzie Rosenthal, who also attended the meal, said events like the lunch helped create camaraderie between Academy leadership and cadets. "Just the fact that she's so willing to come meet with us means a lot," she said.