Brianna Fields
If you’re someone who hates being stagnant, this is worth it. It opens doors and challenges you in the right ways.
Building the Future While Leading in the Present
How Brianna Fields Is Shaping Space Force Leadership Through Purpose, Education, and Norwich University.
Brianna Fields never followed a straight line. Her career, her education, and her leadership philosophy were shaped by deliberate choices, honest self-reflection, and a willingness to step away from paths that did not feel right. Today, as Vice Commandant and Director of Education at the Space Force’s sole enlisted Professional Military Education academy and a graduate student at Norwich University, Fields is helping build the culture and leaders of a service still defining itself.
Her journey began on the West Coast, far from the world of space operations and strategic leadership classrooms.
Choosing the Long Road
Fields began college at Oregon State University and enrolled in the ROTC program, believing that commissioning might be the next right step. Within two years, she realized it was not the right fit. Something felt off.
“I just had this gut feeling that I wanted to enlist first,” she said. “I wasn’t impressed with the quality of leadership development I was seeing, and I knew I needed a different foundation.”
She left college and enlisted in the Air Force as a Signals Intelligence Analyst. That decision set the course for more than a decade of highly technical work, demanding assignments, and steady leadership growth. It also introduced her to someone who would become central to her personal and professional life.
“I met my husband in tech school,” she said, laughing. “We’re one of those stories, but we’ve been married over 15 years now, so it worked.”
Their first assignment took them to Alaska, a place she still considers her favorite. The environment felt familiar, reminding her of southern Oregon, and it marked a period of both professional development and personal milestones. She attended Intermediate Signals Analysis School and welcomed her first daughter while stationed there.
Georgia came next. While the location was not an easy adjustment, it became a turning point for both Fields and her husband. They were each selected for Advanced Signals Analysis School, a program with a high attrition rate and a reputation for pushing even seasoned analysts to their limits. Both completed it successfully.
“That assignment ended up being incredible for our careers,” she said. “Even though it was hard personally, it gave us opportunities that shaped everything that came after.”
Entering the Space Domain
In 2018, Fields applied for a selectively manned assignment at the National Space Defense Center in Colorado. The move came with tradeoffs. The work would be deeply classified, limiting how much she could explain or leverage externally, and career progression could slow.
She and her husband made the decision anyway.
“We were OK with that,” she said. “We were master sergeant selects, and we decided this move was about our family.”
Two years later, the Space Force stood up as a new service. Fields and her husband applied, uncertain whether their specialized experience would translate.
They transferred together in early 2021 and became part of the Space Force at its inception. The experience has been equal parts exciting and frustrating.
“It’s incredible to help build a service from the ground up,” Fields said. “At the same time, there’s no established culture yet. Processes we took for granted before simply didn’t exist. That requires patience and expectation management.”
Her background prepared her well for that ambiguity. Fields spent most of her career in joint environments, working alongside other services and learning what effective leadership looks like across cultures. That exposure ultimately led her to an experience that reshaped her view of professional military education.
Discovering the Power of Meaningful Education
Fields applied to the Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy almost by accident. A senior leader encouraged her to submit an application, and she assumed she would not be selected.
When the acceptance email arrived, she was stunned.
“That experience changed everything for me,” she said. “It was the only PME I’ve ever had that was truly valuable.”
Unlike other courses she had attended, the academy fostered honest discussion, critical thinking, and real engagement. It showed her that education could be transformational rather than transactional.
“That experience is what motivated me to apply for my current role,” she said.
Today, Fields serves as Vice Commandant and Director of Education at the Space Force’s enlisted academy. The responsibility weighs heavily on her, and she feels it every day.
“The decisions we make now are going to influence Guardians for generations,” she said. “That’s exciting, but it’s also daunting. This isn’t about a handful of people. It’s about shaping the culture of a service.”
What motivates her is seeing enlisted leaders seek education even when they no longer need it for promotion.
“They’re coming because they want value,” she said. “They want shared experiences, meaningful conversations, and growth.”
Leading People in a Technical Force
The Space Force is built on advanced technology, and Fields sees both the strength and the challenge in that reality.
“We have incredible technical experts,” she said. “What we sometimes lack are the people skills to take care of others.”
Her leadership philosophy emphasizes empathy, communication, and human connection. She believes those qualities are essential, especially in a small service where demands are high and roles expand quickly.
“The way we lead today is very different than when I came in,” she said. “Understanding people, communicating like a human, and showing empathy make people want to do more. That matters.”
Her approach reflects lessons learned from both exceptional leaders and difficult ones.
“I’ve learned just as much from bad leaders as I have from good ones,” she said.
“They showed me exactly who I don’t want to be.”
Choosing Norwich University
After completing her undergraduate degree in psychology, a process that took 17 years, Fields hesitated before returning to school. She felt the familiar exhaustion many enlisted service members experience after finishing a long-delayed degree.
“I told myself I was done with school,” she said. “That lasted about a year.”
What brought her back was uncertainty about the future and a desire to keep growing. With several years left before retirement, she wanted options. She also wanted an education that mattered immediately, not someday.
Fields chose Norwich University Online and enrolled in the Master of Science in Leadership program.
“I didn’t want a degree just to check a box,” she said. “I wanted something that would make me a better leader, a better parent, and a better person.”
Norwich stood out for its values, academic rigor, and willingness to recognize prior learning. Transfer credit opportunities made it possible to complete the degree efficiently without sacrificing depth.
The coursework quickly proved relevant. Concepts from class showed up in real decisions at work.
“In one class, we were learning about mission and vision statements,” she said. “Shortly after, we were in a commanders' conference trying to define a new strategic vision. People were stuck on catchy words.”
Fields pulled out her textbook and reframed the discussion around purpose, alignment, and motivation.
“It completely shifted the conversation,” she said. “That was one of those moments where you realize the education is working.”
Learning Without Limits
Like many service members, Fields initially wondered whether online education would feel isolating. Her experience has been the opposite.
“The discussion boards are where it comes alive,” she said. “When professors engage deeply, it creates a real connection.”
She credits adjunct professor Bruce Lindsay with setting that standard.
“He somehow knew us as people,” she said. “He identified blind spots in our thinking and pushed us to engage more deeply. It was one of the best online learning experiences I’ve ever had.”
The flexibility of online learning has been essential for her family. Fields and her husband are dual-military parents raising two teenage daughters with demanding schedules.
“Our evenings are a three-and-a-half-hour swim marathon,” she said. “Being able to access coursework from anywhere makes it possible.”
She has completed discussion posts from airports, relied on mobile access, and appreciated having all materials available digitally.
“Norwich’s system just works,” she said. “It’s easy to use, and that matters when your schedule is unpredictable.”
Values That Align
Fields sees a strong alignment between Norwich’s values and those of military service. Character, integrity, and service resonate deeply with her experiences in both the Air Force and the Space Force.
“Character overlaps directly with the Space Force’s core values,” she said. “Integrity and service are what drew me to the Air Force in the first place.”
As the daughter of a police officer, she grew up with a strong sense of justice and accountability. She sees those same principles reflected in Norwich’s student community.
“What’s unique is the diversity,” she said. “You have military, civilians, faculty, and staff all bringing different perspectives, yet the conversations keep coming back to shared values.”
Looking Ahead
With only two classes remaining, Fields is nearing the completion of her degree. She sees it as both a milestone and a foundation.
“I still don’t know exactly what I want to be when I grow up,” she said. “But I know I want options.”
Her advice to service members who feel burned out on education is simple.
“If you’re someone who hates being stagnant, this is worth it,” she said. “It opens doors and challenges you in the right ways.”
For Fields, Norwich University represents more than a credential. It represents a commitment to growth, leadership, and purpose at every stage of service.
“I’ll absolutely be a positive endorser of this program,” she said. “People need to know these opportunities exist.”
As the Space Force continues to define its identity, leaders like Brianna Fields are shaping its future with intention, empathy, and education that matters.
