Joe Guilfoyle

SERGEANT MAJOR JOE GUILFOYLE

WMU Aviation Staff Member, US Army SMG

Joe Guilfoyle holds the rank of Sergeant Major, the highest enlisted rank one can hold. He began his career at WMU working as the Senior Instructor in the Army ROTC program from 1985-1991. He came to the College of Aviation in May of 1998, serving as Coordinator of Operations where he was responsible for safety, security, facilities, and grounds, as well as serving as apartment manager for students in the International Pilot Training Program. Over the years, Guilfoyle continuously took on more responsibilities, including the overall supervision of the WMU Line Services department in 2006. Overseeing the “Line Dawgs” increased Guilfoyle’s responsibility to include supervision of student employees whose job was to move, stage and fuel aircraft for flight operations. The position also required the maintenance of several service vehicles and equipment. Guilfoyle was on call 24/7 and every faculty, staff member and student knew they could rely on him at a moment’s notice. Students who worked for Guilfoyle were held to high standards and were taught respect, responsibility, and accountability. He was a true mentor to them in every sense of the word and helped shape them into global aviation professionals while at the WMU College of Aviation.