Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport & AirFest
Greg Cullen – Biography
I was born and raised on our family farm and part of the last 6th grade class to attend Johnstown Elementary School. After graduating Milton Senior High School in 1987, I left the family farm and worked at Stoughton Trailers. Anything had to be better than milking cows and working 7 days a week. After working for 18 months in a factory, I found myself saying “anything had to be better than working in a factory!” So, I enlisted in the United States Air Force. One enlistment turned into another. Before I knew it, I was retiring after 27 years in the spring of 2016. Seven of those years on active duty and twenty as an active member in the WI Air National Guard. During that time, I was an Air Traffic Controller, Airport Manager, and Operations Superintendent. My last four years I was fortunate to serve as the State Command Chief for the WI Air National Guard. It was really a great ride that I’m very proud of, but also thankful for the opportunity to serve.
I had traveled quite a bit my last few years in my military role. Therefore, I enjoyed the chance to stay home and spent time with family for a few months after retiring. Out of the blue, I received a phone call and asked if I’d want a contract job working back at Volk Field in Camp Douglas, WI where I had worked for many years. I worked for a year managing the Special Use Airspace the military planes use over central Wisconsin. Then by chance, I heard about an opening near my home town.
Since the week after Thanksgiving, I’ve been fortunate to be the Interim Airport Manager at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport. I appreciate the opportunity Rock County has given me. Military and civilian run airports are similar but very different. The learning curve has been steep, but I have many good people surrounding me. I’m very excited to serve in the community that I grew up in. And, I’m even more excited about the possibilities our airport has to offer in southern Wisconsin.
I’m blessed to have three adult children who are scattered within Wisconsin and one daughter going into her senior year at Deforest High School. I also have 3 grandchildren. Last but not least, I’m married to Jennifer who also retired from the WI Air National Guard a year ago.