U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Bonnie Rushing didn’t want a promotion ceremony at all, but her cybersecurity cohort at UCCS convinced her to take a moment to celebrate…and then get back to work! In February, Rushing, U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Ekzhin Ear, Ph.D. advisor Shouhuai Xu, and a small group of security graduate students took part in her promotion ceremony from USAF Master Sergeant to Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt).
Lt. Colonel Ekzhin Ear, also a UCCS Ph.D. in Security student, introduced Rushing as one of the first enlisted faculty at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA). Ear lauded Rushing as very mission-focused, prioritizing their shared UCCS Laboratory of Cybersecurity Dynamics (LCD) work. He also explained that the rank of SMSgt is an honor and that no more than 3% of the US military can hold this rank according to federal law.
When Rushing graduates in 2027 with a Ph.D. in Security, she will be the only SMSgt with a service-earned Ph.D. degree. She was able to pursue this doctoral assignment (a historical enlisted first) in an effort to increase experience and knowledge as faculty upon her return to teach the next generations of Air Force and Space Force officers. She will bring a unique enlisted perspective and security research skillset to USAFA cadets. Her experience continues to open doors for an increasingly skilled enlisted force.
The ability to pursue a Ph.D. assignment was historically only for commissioned officers. The possibility of pursuing full-time, doctoral-level, research-based education as an enlisted service member didn’t exist before her former leadership at USAFA provided the pathway. Rushing shares what this promotion and the Ph.D. assignment mean to her, “though I've blazed a unique trail in my career since 2009, this promotion means that the Air Force values leaders with unique specialties.”
In her remarks on her promotion at the end of the ceremony, Rushing focused on the value of team. “I did not earn my stripes alone — our promotions and awards are always a team effort. I did not get here on my own, and I will continue to pay it forward by using my rank and authority to help our team members open doors, receive opportunities, and be heard. And I will never forget those who paved that road for me in the past.”
Shouhuai Xu, Rushing’s cybersecurity Ph.D. advisor and founder of the Laboratory of Cybersecurity Dynamics, said, “Bonnie is extremely hard-working, as evidenced by the fact that she already submitted multiple manuscripts for peer review within the first semester of her Ph.D. program. I have no doubt she will continue to excel during her Ph.D. study.”
In terms of research, Rushing’s focus is on communications effectiveness, media influence, social engineering, trust metrics, and cybersecurity topics related to operations in the information environment (OIE). She currently mentors three other students: a Space Force officer master's degree student and two undergraduate Army ROTC cadets.
How does Rushing plan to take her research forward and experience? She says, “Many students choose academics with no straightforward real-world application, but I focus my studies on communications that are growing in promise. Global communications, litigation, marketing, influence, and entertainment have all collided, and I will continue to write about, teach about, and play a senior role in leading these megatrends.”