“Those values continue to stick with me,” she said. “To me, attitude and character really count.”
Destefani was one of 20 honorees – and the only woman – inducted this year into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame, founded to recognize veterans who continue to serve their communities in different ways. The Greene County resident also was recently reelected to her third term as a Sugarcreek Twp. trustee.
Destefani, 56, grew up near Columbus with a dream to become an astronaut by way of training as a test pilot. As a teen, she joined the Civil Air Patrol, where she met her husband of 33 years. She graduated from Ohio State with an aviation engineering degree and joined the Air Force in 1991.
Her goal to earn a pilot slot was waylaid when she was found to be a half-inch too short – she stands 5 feet 1.5 inches tall – with less than perfect vision. It was around this time, however, that females were first allowed to become fighter pilots, and Destefani became the smallest female research test subject, undergoing high-speed tests that had her withstanding up to 10 Gs.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
That test data helped to lay the foundation for the design of future military fighter aircrafts that accommodate smaller-framed pilots.
“I feel like my data helped the first female fighter pilot become a fighter pilot,” she said.
Her seven years in the military also included determining deployment needs during the Gulf War and conducting international postal and medical re-engineering studies.
Today her duties have her looking closer to home. She became a township trustee in 2016, and the value of teamwork that she learned in the military continues to show its importance.
“Working as a team is really the way to pull together to do good things for the community,” she said.
That collaboration has led to many projects and successes, including working with the Greene County engineer to widen Upper Bellbrook Road in front of local schools, and helping to secure federal funds for engineering for the Wilmington Pike and Interstate 675 corridor project. She also is leading efforts to create the Sugarcreek Veterans Memorial Park, which hopes to break ground in the spring.
Destefani, who works as director of federal programs for the information technology firm Flairsoft Federal, also serves on the Miami Valley Military Affairs Association and the Greater Ohio Valley Women in Defense chapter, as well as being an advocate for biking and hiking paths.
Destefani’s military background became the “perfect training ground” to prepare her for public service, said Cassie Barlow, president of the Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education. Barlow, who retired in 2014 from active duty with the Air Force as a colonel, nominated Destefani for the Hall of Fame honor.
“She’s definitely a community leader, and she does it in a quiet, subtle way that is just very effective,” Barlow said.
The leadership, communication and management skills she honed in the military have transferred to the work she has done since then, both as a public official and in other community activities, Barlow said.
The induction into the Hall of Fame was an honor, said Destefani, who has two adult children and two grandchildren with her husband, Chuck. He retired from the Air Force as a colonel after 32 years on active and reserve duty.
This year’s Hall of Fame class includes several honorees from Montgomery, Greene and other nearby counties. Past inductees include astronaut and former U.S. Sen. John Glenn.
“To be recognized in the same Hall of Fame as one of my childhood heroes is one of the greatest honors of my life,” Destefani said.
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