Col. Lisa Carrington Firmin

Colonel Lisa “La Coronela” Carrington Firmin is retired U.S. Air Force and a Latina, speaker, writer, award winning author, poet, advocate, and Bronze Star-decorated combat veteran. She is the founder of Carrington Firmin LLC, where she writes and provides consulting and training services in Leadership, Veterans, Transitions, Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and Diversity and Inclusion. Her poetry is deeply personal, an intimate reflection into the invisible wounds of MST, PTSD, trauma, combat, hardship, and the joys of her Latina culture. She is the award-winning author of Stories from the Front: Pain, Betrayal and Resilience on the MST Battlefield (April 2022) from Blue Ear Books which was awarded a Silver medal from the Military Writers Society of America. La Coronela is the founder of The University of Texas at San Antonio’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs and the UTSA Top Scholar program. Her most recent book, Latina Warrior, a collection of poems, prose and art chronicling her journey was published by Blue Ear Books in October 2023. She retired from the United States Air Force as a Colonel and its most senior ranking Latina officer, after leading UTSA’s ROTC program to the best in the nation. A highly decorated veteran who has garnered many accolades as a trailblazer, leader, and advocate for underserved populations, she has been featured in VFW, Military Officer, Latina Style, San Antonio, and Hispanic Executive magazines. Her opinion editorials, articles and chapters have been published in the San Antonio Express News, Military Times, Blue Ear Books Substack, among others. She has been profiled in national new stories, podcasts, radio shows and a documentary. La Coronela serves as a member of the inaugural Department of Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, the Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans, a member of the Texas A&M University-Kingsville University’s Foundation Board of Trustees, and the first woman board member of the Hispanic Veterans Leadership Alliance.