Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Col. Omar A. Perea to the Aerospace and Aviation Advisory Committee, with a term lasting until September 1, 2027. The committee is tasked with supporting Texas’s economic development by helping recruit and retain aerospace and aviation jobs and investments.
Col. Perea, from El Paso, serves as chief of Innovation and Prototyping for Operations Locations in El Paso and College Station, Texas. He also holds the position of Individual Mobilization Augmentee for the Program Executive Officer for Battle Management Command, Control, and Communications at Space Systems Command within the United States Space Force.
Previously, Col. Perea was deputy director of the Warfighting Integration Office at Space Systems Command based at Los Angeles Air Force Base in California. Before that role, he was Commander of the 19 Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado, where he managed a squadron responsible for operating and modernizing the nation’s Global Position System satellite constellation.
Col. Perea began his career after commissioning from Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama in 2002. He has held several leadership positions in operations, planning, and training across the Air Force, Space Force, and Reserve components. His assignments have included Congressional Liaison; Deputy Operations Group Commander; Strategy Plans Deputy Division Chief; Air Operations Center/Joint Space Operations Center Battle Watch Commander; Satellite Operations Instructor; Satellite Vehicle Command and Control Operator; and Satellite Vehicle Engineering Officer.
The appointment aligns with Governor Abbott’s broader focus on job creation and innovation as part of his administration’s priorities within the executive office for Texas state government. The governor’s office has contributed to record employment levels in Texas through economic initiatives designed to support sectors such as aerospace and foster innovation. Governor Abbott has led these efforts since being elected in 2014 and operates out of primary offices located at the State Insurance Building in Austin.
