Colonel Merryl Tengesdal is a personal trainer, commencement speaker, leadership consultant or motivational inspiration, reality star on “Tough as Nails’’, and author of “Shatter the Sky.” She is a retired Air Force Colonel, veteran, and (Naval/Air Force) aviator. She has held various leadership and training positions, including Director of Inspections for the Inspector General of the Air Force. Colonel Tengesdal is the first and only African American woman to fly the U. S. Air Force U-2 Aircraft with over 23 years of aviation and leadership experience in both the Navy and Air Force, serving in the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan. Throughout her career, Colonel Tengesdal has logged more than 3,400 flight hours and more than 330 combat hours. In her memoir, “Shatter the Sky,” Colonel Tengesdal shares her life lessons on everything from her career in the military, being the first and only black woman to pilot the U2 aircraft, to marriage and motherhood – and everything in between. Colonel Tengesdal holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of New Haven in Connecticut, a Master’s in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle and an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering from the University of New Haven. Follow Col. Merryl Tengesdal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dragonlady788/?hl=en Col. Merryl Tengesdal Website: http://merryltengesdal.com/