Major General Steve Lepper
Last Name: Lepper
First Name: Steven
Middle Name: Joseph
Nickname: Steve
Medals and Honors: Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (x2); Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (x3)
ACNSL Offices and Committees: American Values Committee Chair
Rank: Major General
Service/Department: U.S. Air Force
Last or Significant Assignment: Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Air Force
Areas of Experience: International Law, Japan, NATO, Treaties and Negotiations, Turkey
Articles, Books and Publications:
A retirement check from the armed services is not a muzzle, The Hill Op-Ed, 16 December 2022
After Insurrection: The National Security Implications, The Hill, 14 Jan 2021;
Heroes and Losers - And a President Who Can't Tell the Difference, The Hill, 8 Sep 2020;
America's Blood Chit: Is Our Promise Worth the Silk It's Written On?, The Hill, 9 May 2021;
Retired General: I Must Speak Out On Trump and the Military, The Hill, 5 Jun 2020;
Renaming Bases: What To Do When the Military Wants Social Change But the President Doesn't, The Hill, 18 Jun 2020;
"Thank You For Your Service:" The Meaning of Veterans Day For Them and For Us, The Hill, 11 Nov 2020;
Independence Day 2020: Do We Still Have What it Takes?, The Hill, 4 Jul 2020;
Trump Appointment Tarnishes Honor at the Air Force Academy, The Hill, 18 Dec 2020;
Trump Opens Pandora's Box, The Hill, 25 Nov 2019; "Princes of the Church" Do Not Take Vows of Silence: The Debate over Retired General Officer Political Activity, Medium, 4 Aug 2020;
Governor Abbott: Let Veterans Vote by Mail So They Can Avoid Coronavirus Risk, Fort Worth Star-Telegraph, 2020;
Major General, USAF (Ret.)
Steven J. Lepper currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Military Banks of America, a non-profit trade association founded in 1959 to partner with the Department of Defense for the benefit of military members and their families. AMBA’s membership includes large and small national and state chartered banks, most operating on military installations and all insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Prior to his current position, Steve served for one year as the Acting Director and Deputy Director of the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative and for thirty-five years as an Air Force judge advocate. A retired major general, Steve has spent most of his career as a legal advisor and counselor to senior U.S. government and military leaders and serving in leadership roles himself.
Steve is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in mathematics and operations research. He also holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Golden Gate University, a Juris Doctor degree from Duke University, and a Master of Laws (International and Comparative Law) degree from Georgetown University. He is a distinguished graduate of the National War College, National Defense University, where he received a Master of National Security Strategy degree.
Steve is an active member of the North Carolina Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the North Carolina Supreme Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. His military awards and decorations include two Air Force Distinguished Service Medals, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and three Legions of Merit.
Steve also currently serves as a director or trustee of the Armed Forces Financial Network, Arnold Air Society/Silver Wings, The US Space Force Historical Foundation, The Air Force Judge Advocate General’s School Foundation, The American College of National Security Leaders, The Airlift-Tanker Association, and The Leaders’ Council of the Legal Services Corporation. He is a former Chair of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel and director of the Better Business Bureau Institute of Marketplace Trust.
Steve and his wife, Kathy, have two daughters and four grandchildren. They live in Merritt Island, Florida.
