Former U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds lead solo pilot Maj. Jason Curtis of Kalispell is among the national finalists for the 2016-17 White House Fellows Program, the White House announced Thursday.

The 30 finalists have advanced through a highly competitive selection process, including a comprehensive written application and regional interviews with civic leaders in eight different cities. They will be evaluated by the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships in Washington, D.C., this week.

According to the White House, national finalists for the nation’s premier program for leadership and public service hail from across the United States and have demonstrated remarkable professional achievement early in their careers, a commitment to public service, and the leadership skills needed to succeed at the highest levels of the federal government.

Curtis, 35, wrapped up a three-year stint with the elite Thunderbirds in January.

As a Thunderbird, Curtis flew in 147 air shows in 72 locations — including the 2014 Mountain Madness Air Show in the Flathead Valley — with nine fly-overs for events such as the Super Bowl.

Curtis, a 1999 Flathead High School graduate, said during earlier interviews with the Daily Inter Lake that he didn’t start his Air Force career with the goal of joining the Thunderbirds, even though they inspired him to learn to fly. He was just 4 years old in 1985 when the Thunderbirds performed in Kalispell.

He remembers that “hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-the-neck feeling” watching the jets maneuver overhead. It inspired him to pursue a career in aviation.

After he earned a degree in aeronautical engineering, Curtis was among the 2 percent of his class selected for the elite Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix.

He became an officer when the nation was at war.

The White House Fellows Program, founded in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, offers exceptional Americans firsthand experience working at the highest levels of the federal government.

After a competitive application process, selected individuals spend a year in Washington, D.C., working full time for cabinet secretaries, senior White House staffers and other top-ranking government officials. Fellows also participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with renowned leaders from the private and public sectors, including the president and vice president. Fellowships are awarded on a strictly non-partisan basis.