Commander Allan Palmer grew up with the U.S. Air Force as his family moved from base to base across the United States and Europe. After graduation from East Tennessee State University, he attended the U.S. Air Force Officer Training School where he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1966 and became a third generation Air Force officer. Allan has held several senior management positions, including at the San Diego Aerospace Museum where he managed one of the top five aviation and space museums in the country. Allan is currently the Executive Director and CEO of the National Atomic Testing Museum, located in Las Vegas, Nevada and one of only 37 National Museums in America.