Megan Piersol (’15): Ensuring U.S. Preparedness in Space

Since graduating from IWP, Megan Piersol (’15) has facilitated communication between the U.S. Air Force and Congress. She has worked on legislation surrounding air and space weapons programs and has seen some of her work signed into law. As a result, our Air Force and Space Force are more ready and more capable.

Here, she shares her story with us, from briefing a room full of Colonels and a three-star general shortly after starting work as an Air Force civilian, to her current studies with the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy.

An IWP M.A.

After graduating from Ohio Northern University, Megan Piersol (’15) came straight to IWP. “It was the only graduate school I looked at that had the opportunity to work while going to school because of the night classes,” she said.

In her first week at IWP, one of her classmates told her the lobbying firm where he was interning was looking for more interns. Megan quickly became an intern there, and later a full-time associate focused on national security at a partner firm.

Megan’s studies at IWP complemented her professional work. She learned about the national security policy process at IWP by night and worked within this process during the day. After her final exam in her Intelligence and Policy class, she attended a work reception where the new Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper was in attendance. “I went from learning about these topics in class to seeing the person in charge of all of it!” said Megan.

Supporting Air Force space acquisitions

At her lobbying firm, Megan switched to a position at the company’s government contractor branch that did legislative affairs for the organization that managed Air Force space acquisitions for the Pentagon.

She later moved to Los Angeles to become a civilian Air Force employee at what is now Space Systems Command, where she continued to work in legislative affairs. This organization does 75-85% of all the acquisitions for space programs for the Air Force and now the Space Force.

On a day-to-day basis, Megan served as a subject matter expert who advised on the Air Force’s relationships with Congress. Anytime a member of Congress, Congressional committee, or Congressional staffer had a question about one of their programs, Megan relayed it to the right person within the Air Force, obtained the answer, and presented the answer accurately and within the correct strategic messaging.

While she was serving in this role, her supervisor asked her to brief some of the leadership at the base on congressional matters. “I was 27, staring down a table of ten senior Colonels and general officers. The three-star general in charge asked me questions for 25 minutes! I answered as best I could. At the end, he asked me to sit down. He asked the group, ‘Does anyone think she is not qualified to be here and give us advice?’”

“No, Sir!” was the resounding reply.

Impacting national security policy

The Space Systems Command became part of the Space Force in 2019, and the number of people doing direct legislative affairs with Congress expanded. Megan moved back to D.C. and helped build out the legislative liaison team and served as the deputy division chief for the Weapons Systems Division. Her division oversaw every air and space weapons program and managed their relations with Congress. “Any aircraft, satellite, missile, etc. went through my team,” said Megan.

In this role, Megan helped effect policy decisions made in the National Defense Authorization Act. As a result of her advice and relationships with senior leaders in the Department of the Air Force and Congress, Megan said, “I could see tangible things that I helped change get signed into law by the President. It was a team effort.” As a result of her work, the Air Force and Space Force are more prepared for future challenges.

Megan believes that her time at IWP has helped her communicate better with senior leadership. “Coming out of my undergraduate studies, I was good at writing long history papers. IWP helped me become more concise and get my point across in as few words as possible.” Megan has briefed leaders such as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and the Chief of Space Operations, and she has had to advise them about what to do on particular issues. These meetings do not have the luxury of time, and she has been able to communicate the essential points rapidly.

For her work, Megan has received numerous awards – most recently, the 2024 Award for Meritorious Civilian Service, Department of the Air Force.

Studying national security and resource strategy

The Air Force is now paying Megan to go back to graduate school – this time at the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, part of National Defense University.

The Eisenhower School was set up after WWI when the U.S. realized that our country was not able to mobilize quickly. The school is therefore focused on improving the readiness of the U.S. military industrial base. Dwight D. Eisenhower attended this school and taught there. “On the first day, Eisenhower’s granddaughter spoke to us,” said Megan.

Megan sees this as a ten-month “break,” where she can step back, learn more, meet new people, and learn what she wants to do next. “Some of it is similar to what I studied at IWP, and it is all a very practical application. The amount of reading is about half of what I had to do at IWP!”

Most people attend the Eisenhower School after they have done squadron-level command. “At IWP, I felt like I was the youngest person in the classroom, and I’m one of the youngest students here as well,” said Megan. “All the people in the room are State Department, military, or foreign officials. One of my fellow students is a general in the Israeli army who just left the Golan Heights.”

In terms of where she is in her career, Megan is in a similar place to those who are ten years her senior. Megan has worked hard to seize the opportunities that have come her way, and she feels grateful to have had great mentors and leaders who recognize and reward excellent work.