Doctor of Letters
(honoris causa) DLitt
Major Brenda Tinsley joined the Canadian Armed Forces out of Hamilton, Ontario in 1996 as a member of a proud military family. She attended the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston and graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Military and Strategic Studies in 2000.
After graduating from the Weapons Control Courses at the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Control Operations (CFSACO) and 51 Aircraft Control and Warning (AC&W) Operational Training Unit she was posted to 21 AC&W Sqadron North Bay in 2002. Between 2002 and 2004 Major Tinsley worked as a Weapons Controller; earning additional qualifications as both a Senior Director and a Tactical Fighter Controller. In 2004 she was posted to the Alaskan NORAD Sector where she worked as a WC and SD, and spent her final year as the Director of Current Operations for the 176 Air Control Squadron.
Major Tinsley began her long involvement in the training realm with a posting to CFSACO, first as an instructor and then the Standards Officer between 2004 and 2008. In 2012 she was posted to Winnipeg as the Executive Assistant to the Commander of 2 Canadian Air Division (2 CAD).
Promoted to her current rank in 2013, she remained at 2 CAD as the Qualification Manager for Aerospace Controllers. In 2014 Major Tinsley deployed as part of Roto 0 for OP IMPACT, working as both A5 Plans and A3 Operations.
Posted to the Canadian Air Defense Sector in 2016, she returned to North Bay where she qualified as a Mission Crew Commander and was Alpha Flight Commander within 21 Aerospace Control and Warning Squadron before assuming command of 51 Aerospace Control and Warning (Operational Training) Squadron.