Staff
DETACHMENT 875 STAFF
Detachment 875's staff are called the cadre. The cadre are the group of personnel that foster the Air Force ROTC cadet experience at Virginia Tech. The cadre are dedicated to sustaining an environment where cadets develop into, and ultimately commission as, the highest caliber Second Lieutenants possible.
Col John O'Dell
Detachment Commander
Colonel John P. "J.P." O'Dell III is from Ewing, VA, and was commissioned through AFROTC at The Virginia Military Institute in 1999 with a BS in Computer Science. He is a Master Navigator with over 3,300 flight hours in various Special Operations and Rescue aircraft. Col O'Dell has deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, as well as multiple operations in EUCOM and AFRICOM. His career includes squadron command, joint staff duties at U.S. Southern Command, and serving as Military Deputy Director of the Aircrew Task Force at Air Force Headquarters. Col O'Dell most recently served as Deputy Commander of the 37th Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland before joining Detachment 875 as Commander and Professor of Aerospace Studies where he leads all recruiting, instruction, evaluation, and administration activities to develop over 300 prospective Air Force and Space Force officers annually.
Maj David Carlson
Operations Flight Commander
Maj David Carlson is originally from Minnesota. He commissioned through AFROTC Det 415 at the University of Minnesota in 2014, earning a B.S. in Agricultural Industries and Marketing. Maj Carlson is an Aircraft Maintenance Officer (21A), who has worked with F-15E Strike Eagles and RQ-4 Global Hawks. He is currently the Operations Flight Commander at AFROTC Detachment 875.
Capt Diana Macie
Capt Diana Macie
AS400 Instructor
Capt Diana Macie grew up in Killeen, Texas. She entered the Air Force in 2006 as a Medical Materiel Technician (4A1). She earned her degree in Business Administration in 2013 and Masters in Organizational Development and Leadership in 2016 then commissioned through Officer Training School in 2018. She is a Contracting Officer (64P), who has worked with Northrop Grumman and SpaceX. She deployed two times to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and most recently serving a nine month tour in Kuwait in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. She is currently the AS400 instructor at AFROTC Detachment 875.
Maj Daniel Faulk
AS300 Instructor
Maj Faulk is a helicopter pilot and new addition to the Det 875 team. He will be instructing the AS300 class in Fall 2026.
Maj Randy Rechkemmer
AS200 Instructor
Maj Rechkemmer is from Virginia Beach, Virginia and entered the Air Force as a Weather Officer through ROTC at Virginia Tech. He completed weather officer training in 2016 and has since held a variety of weather positions supporting Air Force, Space Force, Navy, and Army operations. Maj Rechkemmer serves as an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies for the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC), Detachment 875 at Virginia Tech. He currently instructs Team and Leadership Fundamental and serves as the Detachment’s Recruiting Officer.
Capt Jordan Stipcak
AS100/AS200 Instructor
Capt Jordan Stipcak grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and enlisted in the United States Air Force as an Emergency Manager in 2008. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of West Florida in 2017 in Chemistry and commissioned through Officer Training School in 2019. He is a Space Operations Officer who has worked in missile warning and narrowband SATCOM. He is currently an AS100 and AS200 instructor at AFROTC Det 875.
Capt Stephen Cox
AS100 Instructor
Capt Cox is a Force Support Officer and new addition to the Det 875 team. He will be instructing the AS100 and AS200 classes in Fall 2026.
TSgt Christopher Spotswood - NCOIC
TSgt Ethan Blanton
Officer Accessions Instructor
TSgt Ethan Blanton is from Cynthiana, KY, and joined the Air Force in 2012 as a vehicle maintenance technician, where he has performed repairs on thousands of different types of vehicles from passenger cars to 2.5 ton crawler cranes, MATVs, HMMWVs and everything in between. He’s spent his career at Joint Base Andrews, Osan Air Base, Dyess Air Force Base, and Minot Air Force Base. He’s deployed to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iraq. He is currently serving as our Officer Accessions Instructor, where he provides mentorship and guidance to aspiring officers, prepares and maintains cadet personnel records, and ensures all commissioning requirements are met.
TSgt Christopher Spotswood - NCOIC
SSgt Bryce Larkin
NCOIC Cadet Actions
SSgt Bryce Larkin is from Toledo, OH. He is a 3F5 Administration troop. He has been stationed at Hurlburt Field, FL previous to his assignment here at Detachment 875. SSgt Larkin has been deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar where he worked on the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Commander’s Support Staff. He is currently serving as NCOIC, Cadet Actions.
TSgt Christopher Spotswood - NCOIC
SSgt Eileen Perez
NCOIC Administration
SSgt Eileen Perez is from El Paso, TX but California raised! In 2017 she entered the Air Force as an Administration Specialist. She was first assigned to Hurlburt Field FL where she supported various unique units managing commander directed programs. SSgt Perez is currently on her second assignment at Detachment 875 as the Administration NCOIC.
Ms. Kayla Harris
Administrative Coordinator
Kayla Harris was born and raised here in Montgomery County, VA. She is currently serving as the Administrative Coordinator for the VT AFROTC Detachment 875 and is excited to help train and develop cadets alongside the military staff in the years to come. She has 4 young children, Noah, Kendall, Emma and Lainey. Kayla enjoys watching her children play sports and spending time with her family and friends.