Meet the team
Tammy Barlette is a retired Lieutenant Colonel and fighter pilot with over 20 years of service in the United States Air Force. She has flown the T-37 Tweet, T-38 Talon, A-10 Warthog, MQ-1 Predator, and MQ-9 Reaper, accumulating over 3,000 total flight hours, including 1,500 hours of combat support in Iraq and Afghanistan. A Minnesota native with no aviation background, she discovered her passion for flying after joining Air Force ROTC at the University of Minnesota.
Tammy’s career included instructor duty in the T-37, combat deployment in the A-10, and elite training through the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. After a spinal injury, she transitioned to flying remotely piloted aircraft and later returned to high-performance aircraft as a T-38 instructor. While balancing full-time military service, a growing family, and graduate studies, she earned her Master’s in Christian Ministry.
Now based in Tucson, AZ with her husband and three children, Tammy is a professional speaker and the founder of both Athena’s Voice and Crosscheck Mental Performance Training. She is the creator of the Aviation Performance Accelerator Course and leads the company’s mission to empower pilots and professionals through mental performance training.
Dr. Brian Ellis is a retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CW5) with over 20 years of experience in rotary wing aviation. As a Black Hawk instructor and examiner, he served in various high-level standardization roles, including with the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment as a mission pilot and maintenance test pilot. Brian has deployed multiple times in support of combat operations and humanitarian missions worldwide.
He holds a Ph.D. in Higher Educational Leadership, an MA in Aviation Education, and a BS in Professional Aeronautics. His research explored the Dunning-Kruger Effect in aviators. Brian is an FAA Airline Transport Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor (CFI/CFII) and has helped shape Army aviation training programs through cutting-edge work in situational awareness and decision-making.
Now a coach and consultant, Brian brings deep expertise in aviation, human performance, and instructional design to Crosscheck clients.
Bethany Slack is a retired Lieutenant Colonel and fighter pilot with over 20 years of service in the United States Air Force and over 2,250 flight hours across manned and unmanned platforms. She entered the Air Force after graduating from the AFROTC program from St. Thomas University in St. Paul, MN. Her experience includes flying the T-38 Talon, T-37 Tweet, F-16 Fighting Falcon, MQ-1 Predator, and RQ-170 Sentinel. She flew 40 combat missions in the F-16 during Operation Iraqi Freedom and provided critical aerial support in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Bethany served as an instructor and evaluator pilot, bringing precision, composure, and leadership to each mission.
After retiring in 2024, Bethany continues to support military aviation as a Crew Resource Management (CRM) instructor for both fighter and remotely piloted aircraft crews and works as a Senior Strategic Defense Analyst for Picture Clean Consulting. At Crosscheck, she shares her aviation expertise and mentorship with the next generation of high-performance aviators. She resides in Las Vegas, NV with her husband and two children.
Steve Gergen is an instrument-rated private pilot working toward his commercial and multi-engine ratings—fulfilling a dream that began in his childhood home just miles from the Minneapolis airport. After a 23-year break from flying, Steve returned to the cockpit, only to find the transition challenging and filled with self-doubt.
After completing the Crosscheck course, Steve regained his confidence and rediscovered his joy for flying. As our brand representative, he shares his personal journey with fellow aviators and supports the broader Crosscheck community. Outside the cockpit, Steve enjoys baking, golfing, fitness, airshows—and more flying.
