Lieutenant Colonel Michael J. Hower is currently the commander of the 31st Student Squadron, Squadron Officer College and the Research Director for the Air Force Forums project, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.  Prior to this assignment, he was the Chief of Squadron Commander Professional Development, and the Director of Commanders Connection, the professional forum for Air Force squadron commanders, at Air Command and Staff College, also at Maxwell Air Force Base.

Lt Col Hower entered the Air Force after graduation from the Air Force Academy in 1991. He has served at the squadron level in both space & missile operations and developmental engineering assignments across Air Force Space Command, including a one year tour as commander of Detachment 3, 22d Space Operations Squadron, Thule Air Base, Greenland.  His staff experience includes a joint assignment with the United States Strategic Command, and internships with the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force and the Director of Developmental Test and Evaluation in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. 

In 1996, Lt Col Hower was selected for the Air Force Association "Operations Excellence" award as the top officer space operator in Air Force Space Command.  In 2006, he earned the Frances Hesselbein Research Award for advancing the practice of command as part of the Air Command and Staff College research team creating the first-ever, online professional forum for Air Force squadron commanders.  In 2009, his Commanders Connection system was selected as the Air University model for social learning and professional networking, creating a "facebook-like" system for Airmen to learn from each other while connecting professionally around the world.