Lt. Col. Daniel Wangelin is the commander of the 42nd Comptroller Squadron, 42nd Air Base Wing, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, in this role, he is responsible for 110 military and US civilian personnel. In addition, he is responsible for the execution of more than $800 million across eleven appropriations. As chief financial officer, he is responsible for resourcing the base operating support, infrastructure, and services support for 42,000 active-duty, reserve, civilian, contractor personnel, and students along with their families at Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter-Annex.
Lt. Col. Wangelin received a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Southern Illinois University and was commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 2009. His previous assignments include various levels of comptroller, including assignments as a cost analysis officer, budget officer, financial services officer, and senior military assistant at the base, major command, and air staff level. Prior to his assignment to Air Command Staff College, the major served as senior military assistant for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for financial operation’s, at the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. Before his tenure at Air Staff, he was the budget officer at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado.
Lt. Col. Wangelin has also deployed twice with one assignment at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as the director of J8 and Afghanistan as a trusted fund agent for the Afghan police forces. He has also completed a short assignment in Qatar as the forward comptroller while serving with the Special Operations Command Central.
EDUCATION
2009 Bachelor of Science, Finance, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill.
2009 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2012 Master of Business Administration and Management, Keller Graduate School of Management, Chicago, Ill.
2013 Financial Management and Squadron Officer Course, Keesler AFB, Miss.
2015 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2019 Defense Financial Management and Comptroller Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2019 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. by correspondence
2022 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
June 2009 – May 2010, Financial Analyst, 1st Special Operations Comptroller Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
May 2010 – October 2010, Financial Analysis Deputy Flight Commander, 1st Special Operations Comptroller Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
October 2010 – June 2012, Financial Operations Flight Commander, 1st Special Operations Comptroller Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
June 2012 – April 2013, Financial Manager, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
April 2013 – June 2014, Budget Analyst, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, Robins AFB, Ga.
June 2014 – August 2015, J8 Forward Comptroller, Special Operations Command Central, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
August 2015 – June 2018, Chief, Financial Management Analysis, US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. (October 2017 – April 2018, J8 Director, Joint Task Force GITMO, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba)
June 2018 – June 2019, Cost Analyst, Space Systems, Air Force Cost Analyst Agency, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
June 2019 – June 2021, Senior Military Assistant, Secretary of Air Force for Financial Operations, Pentagon, Arlington, Va. (October 2020 – March 2021, Trusted Funds Agent, Resolute Support, Kabul, Afghanistan)
June 2021 – June 2022, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
June 2022 – present, Commander, 42nd Comptroller Squadron, 42nd Air Base Wing, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
U.S. Air Force Financial Service Office of the Year, 2011
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
Certified Defense Financial Manager, American Society of Military Comptrollers
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 27, 2009
First Lieutenant May 27, 2011
Captain May 27, 2013
Major March 1, 2020
Lieutenant Colonel Nov. 1, 2023
(Current as of Nov. 9, 2023)