COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Lt. Col. Mercy Te'o assumed command of the 14th Civil Engineer Squadron during a ceremony held Wednesday at Fire Station One on Columbus Air Force Base.
Te’o succeeds Lt. Col. SeanMichael Kelly, who has led the squadron since July 2022.
Col. Scott Ryder, commander of the 14th Mission Support Group, presided over the ceremony and highlighted both leaders' commitment to mission excellence, installation readiness, and Airman development.
“We are fortunate to welcome a proven leader with expeditionary experience and deep technical expertise,” Ryder said of Te'o.
Prior to this assignment, Te'o served as the Expeditionary Future Operations Branch Chief at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. A 2009 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, she brings more than 15 years of civil engineering and command experience, including six deployments and leadership of two expeditionary squadrons.
"I'm honored to be a part of a great team and am excited to progress forward together," said Te'o.
Te'o’s career includes leadership roles across the Air Force enterprise, including service at Buckley AFB, the 820th RED HORSE Squadron, the Pentagon, and multiple command positions in Africa and the Middle East. Her decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters and the Joint Service Commendation Medal.
As the new commander of the 14th CES, Te'o will oversee installation engineering, emergency management, fire protection services, and infrastructure support critical to Columbus AFB’s pilot training mission.
Kelly departs after leading key infrastructure upgrades and installation resilience initiatives during his tenure.
The change of command ceremony is a long-standing military tradition that formally transfers authority and responsibility from one officer to another.