This article features Sergeant LeSans Alexander
Sergeant LeSans Alexander is a 38-year Air Traffic Control (ATC) veteran who served in the U.S. Air Force as an air traffic controller for 16½ years and then continued her career in air traffic control within the Department of Defense, based in Dover, Delaware, where she resides. LeSans Alexander has dedicated over 30 years of service to the Delmarva area in both military and civilian capacities. She is currently retired as a Civilian Air Traffic Controller, Air Traffic Control Standardization and Evaluation Specialist, and Flying Hours Program Manager in Maryland, D.C., and the Pentagon.
Sergeant Alexander’s accomplishments in ATC are numerous. She has held assignments in Berlin, supervised the Air Route Traffic Control Center, and managed the Dover Radar Approach Control (RAPCON), Dover Tower, Pentagon Tower, Davison Army Airfield, and the Fort Belvoir Ground Control Radar unit. She has served as interim Chief Controller, RAPCON Chief Controller, Tower Chief, and Training and Standards Manager at the Dover Air Force Base complex, overseeing flight safety and operational issues. She also served as Flying Hours Program Manager, responsible for pilot hours, equipment, and travel—a $2.5 billion program.
Her expertise was critical during major events, including the response to 9/11, clearing regional airspace and directing approved traffic for FBI and security services, and developing revised operational procedures to handle airspace deviations.
Perhaps her most lasting impact has been in training. LeSans Alexander has directly trained 65 U.S. and international controllers, many of whom now hold key ATC positions worldwide, including in the U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense, and Federal Aviation Administration.
She is the first African-American female and first Air Traffic Controller inducted into the Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2017, she was unanimously nominated to the Board of Trustees and in 2028 was voted Vice-President. In fall 2019, she became the first Black female President of the organization, successfully leading the nonprofit through the COVID crisis and establishing its first Youth Aviation Scholarship, a program she continues to support through 2025.
LeSans has also served as Vice-President of First State Military Women Warriors (2018–2025), volunteered with the Delaware Veteran Standdown Committee for three years, and held three leadership positions with the Walter L. Fox Post 2, American Legion (2018–2024), including 2nd Vice Commander, 1st Vice Commander, and Executive House/Bar Manager.
Read more articles from VOM Magazine here: www.veteransoutreachministries.org/vom-magazine
