by Tim Crosby
CARBONDALE, Ill. – A Southern Illinois native will take over command of the Air Force ROTC unit at Southern Illinois University Carbondale during a ceremony June 28.
Lt. Col. Chay M. Derbigny will become commander and a professor of aerospace studies for Air Force ROTC Detachment 205 at 10 a.m. Friday, June 28, at Saluki Alumni Plaza, located between Woody and Pulliam halls on the SIU campus. Derbigny, a native of Murphysboro, will take over for Lt. Col. Jessica H. Dwyer, who is heading to the Pentagon to serve as deputy division chief for acquisition force development. Dwyer became AFROTC commander at SIU in June 2021.
In his new role, Derbigny will lead all training, education, assessment and recruitment of prospective Air Force and Space Force officers enrolled at SIU, as well as students enrolled at Southeast Missouri State University and John A. Logan College. He most recently served as the director for Maxwell AFB’s 2024 “Beyond the Horizon” Air and Space Show and as an academic instructor and executive officer for the commandant, Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), Maxwell AFB. ACSC is the world’s premier in-residence and distance-learning professional military education college for mid-career officers and civilians, focusing on the education and development of air-minded joint leaders.
Although born in Murphysboro, Derbigny grew up mainly in the Chicago suburbs. He was commissioned in 2008 through the U.S. Air Force Academy and has spent much of his career in special operations and air education and training aviation assignments, deploying extensively.