Student Profile: Dave Fujimoto, Lt Col, USAF, Ret.

When Dave Fujimoto gives a presentation, it is like sitting in the Situation Room in the White House or the Pentagon. His strong presence and tone immediately commands the attention of an audience, no matter the topic. A second-year Master of Public Service and Administration (MPSA) student at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, Fujimoto owes his expertise in public speaking and on a host of topics to his twenty-two years as an Air Force staff officer and aviator.

“I like public speaking,” said Fujimoto with confidence. “I didn’t always like to do that, but I got to the point in my career where I was very comfortable talking to senior people about information.”

A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Fujimoto spent over two decades in military service, primarily flying AC-130s and remotely piloted aircraft. He participated in missions in the Middle East and Africa and served a tour at the Pentagon, retiring in 2015. Wanting to continue his service in a civilian setting, he decided to enroll in the Bush School’s MPSA program.

“I felt the values as well as the academic and networking opportunities offered by Texas A&M and the Bush School would give me opportunities to find other ways to serve the citizens of the United States,” Fujimoto said.

Known among his classmates as “Fuji,” Fujimoto quickly stepped into a leadership role at the Bush School, not only in his classes but also as chief of the Bush School Ambassadors, a group that represents the School on the Texas A&M campus and at conferences and speaker presentations hosted by the School or the George Bush Foundation.

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