Major General THERESA C. CARTER

Maj. Gen. Theresa C. Carter serves as Commander, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. She leads an intermediate-level headquarters responsible for providing installation and mission support capabilities to 77 Air Force installations, nine major commands and two direct reporting units with an annual budget of approximately $10 billion. One of six centers assigned to Air Force Materiel Command, the unit’s cross-functional team integrates security forces, civil engineering, base communications, logistics readiness, installation ministry programs, services, operational acquisition and financial management across 10 detachments and six primary subordinate units. Those units are the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Air Force Security Forces Center, Air Force Installation Contracting Agency, Air Force Services Activity, Air Force Financial Services Center and Air Force Financial Management Center of Expertise. 

 

General Carter entered the Air Force in September 1985 as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Purdue University. A career civil engineer, she has served in a variety of positions at the base, major command and Air Staff levels.  One third of her career has been in command positions with command of a civil engineer squadron, mission support group, two air base wings and a center.  Her contingency experience includes service in support of Operation Desert Shield, and command of a civil engineer unit in support of Operation Southern Watch. Prior to her current assignment, General Carter served as the Air Force Civil Engineer where she was responsible for organizing, training and equipping the 60,000-person civil engineer force and for planning, development, construction, maintenance, utilities and the environmental quality of Air Force bases worldwide valued at more than $251 billion.


EDUCATION
1985 Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
1988 Master of Science degree in industrial engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman
1989 Distinguished graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1998 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1999 Air War College, by correspondence
2003 Distinguished graduate, Master of Science degree in national resource strategy, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2007 U.S. Air Force Senior Leadership Course, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2007 U.S. Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2008 Senior Executive Fellows Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

ASSIGNMENTS

 

 

1. September 1985 - July 1987, industrial engineer, 2854th Civil Engineer Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla.

 

2. August 1987 - December 1988, graduate student, industrial engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology Civilian Institute Program, University of Oklahoma, Norman

3. January 1989 - March 1991, Chief of Industrial Engineering; Hurricane Hugo Recovery Program Manager; and Chief, Production and Materiel Management, 363rd Civil Engineer Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.

4. April 1991 - April 1992, operations flight commander, 673rd Civil Engineer Squadron, Shemya AFB, Alaska

5. April 1992 - December 1995, Environmental Program Manager; Environmental Compliance Program Manager; special assistant and, later, executive officer to the Civil Engineer, Civil Engineer Directorate, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.

6. December 1995 - July 1997, operations flight commander, 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany

7. August 1997 - June 1998, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

8. June 1998 - June 2000, Military Construction Program Manager and Chief, Housing Operations Branch, Office of the Civil Engineer, Deputy Chief of Staff for Installations and Logistics, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

9. June 2000 - July 2002, Commander, 355th Civil Engineer Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.

10. August 2002 - August 2003, student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.

11. August 2003 - June 2005, Commander, 42nd Mission Support Group, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

12. June 2005 - January 2006, Vice Commander, 78th Air Base Wing, Robins AFB, Ga.

13. January 2006 - January 2008, Commander, 78th Air Base Wing, Robins AFB, Ga.

14. January 2008 - July 2011, Director of Installations and Mission Support, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.

15. July 2011 - May 2013, Commander, 502nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.

16. June 2013 March 2014, Air Force Civil Engineer, Deputy Chief of Staff, Logistics, Installations and Mission Support, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington D.C.

17. March 2014 August 2014, Special Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Joint Base Andrews-NAF Washington, Md.

18. August 2014 April 2015, Commander, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center (Provisional), Joint Base Andrews, Md

19. April 2015 - present, Commander, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas


MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS 
Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with "V" device, eight oak leaf clusters
Air Force Recognition Ribbon
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1989 Squadron Outstanding Graduate, Squadron Officer School
1997 Air Force Senior Civil Engineer Manager of the Year
2003 Award for Excellence in Logistics Research and Writing, Defense Logistics Agency
2010 Outstanding Industrial Engineer Alumna, Purdue University
2011 Purdue University ROTC Hall of Fame
2013 Distinguished Engineering Alumna, Purdue University
Registered Professional Engineer, Va.

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant July 9, 1985
First Lieutenant July 9, 1987
Captain July 9, 1989
Major Aug. 1, 1996
Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 1999
Colonel Aug. 1, 2003
Brigadier General May 7, 2010 
Major General Aug. 2, 2013  

(Current as of September 2016)