Ms. Joan H. Garbutt, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Director of Personnel Operations, Headquarters Air Force Personnel Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. She is responsible for effective and efficient delivery of A1 Human Resource Management programs impacting 69,000 officers, 260,000 enlisted and 180,000 Air Force Civilian Service members across the Air Force with the least expenditure of resources and best possible customer service. The scope of programs she executes includes effective accession, workforce development, assignment and deployment actions for officer, enlisted and civilian workforce, as well as civilian staffing and classification actions to meet worldwide requirements. The Director also executes AF/A1 sustainment and transition programs that affect military, civilian, military retirees and their dependents.
Prior to her current assignment, Ms. Garbutt served as the Director of Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters Air Combat Command, JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia. She was responsible for policies, programs and objectives involving the readiness, assignment, education and training, separation, retirement, career progression, classification, manpower, services support and quality of life for more than 94,000 active duty military and civilians covering five numbered Air Forces, the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center, 34 wings, 19 bases and more than 70 operating locations, as well as 49,000 total force Reserve and Air National Guard partners.
Ms. Garbutt was commissioned via direct appointment following graduation from the University of Florida in May 1989 and served as a staff nurse and cardiac intensive care nurse at Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. While assigned to Shaw AFB, South Carolina, she was selected as the Wing Protocol Officer, and crossflowed into the personnel career field. She served in multiple force support positions. She commanded at squadron and group levels, including 42nd Mission Support Squadron and 436th Mission Support Group.
She was also assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., as the Chief, Military Force Policy Division, Directorate of Force Management Policy, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services, where she was responsible for establishing force management policies for more than 510,000 Air Force men and women military personnel serving on active duty or in the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve.
EDUCATION
1989 Bachelor of Science, nursing, University of Florida, Gainesville
1995 Air Force Squadron Officer School, residence, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1998 Master’s degree in public administration, Troy State University, Troy, Ala.
2003 Master’s degree in military operations art and science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2009 Master’s degree in strategic studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 1989 - February 1990, Nurse Intern, Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland AFB, Texas
2. February 1990 - March 1992, Staff Nurse, General Medicine Unit, Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland AFB, Texas
3. March 1992 - June 1993, Staff Nurse, Cardiac Critical Care/Tele Unit, Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland AFB, Texas
4. July 1993 - May 1994, Staff Nurse, Multi Service Unit, 90th Medical Group, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.
5. May 1994 - June 1996, Nurse Manager, Emergency Services, 90th Medical Operations Squadron, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.
6. June 1996 - June 1997, Nurse Manager, Internal Medicine and Primary Care Clinic, 20th Medical Operations Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
7. June 1997 - May 1999, Wing Protocol Officer, 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw AFB, S.C..
8. May 1999 - July 2000, Squadron Section Commander, 555th Fighter Squadron, Aviano Air Base, Italy.
9. July 2000 - July 2002, Military Personnel Flight Commander, 31st Mission Support Squadron, Aviano AB, Italy
10. July 2002 - June 2003, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
11. July 2003 - August 2005, Commander, 42nd Mission Support Squadron, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
12. September 2005 - April 2007, Chief, Support Officer Assignments Branch, Headquarters Air Force Personnel Center, Randolph AFB, Texas
13. April 2007 - July 2008, Chief, Commander's Action Group, Headquarters Air Force Personnel Center, Randolph AFB, Texas
14. July 2008 - June 2009, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
15. July 2009 - June 2010, Chief, Military Force Policy Division, Directorate of Force Management Policy, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel & Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
16. July 2010 - June 2012, Commander, 436th Mission Support Group, Dover AFB, Del.
17. June 2012- February 2014, Director, Manpower and Personnel, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort George G. Meade, Md.
18. February 2014 – February 2017, Director, Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters Air Combat Command, JB Langley-Eustis, Va.
19. April 2017 – present, Director of Personnel Operations, Headquarters Air Force Personnel Center, JB San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
NATO Medal
(Current as of March 2017)