Brig. Gen. Heather W. Blackwell is the Director of Cyberspace and Information Dominance, and Chief Information Officer, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. She leads a staff and two subordinate units responsible for delivering enterprise-level information technology and expeditionary programs to increase the U.S. Air Force's ability to provide combat forces to Combatant Commanders. Brig. Gen. Blackwell provides the strategic vision, policy, guidance and advocacy to drive the engineering and integration to build, extend, operate, secure and defend the Air Force portion of the Department of Defense global network. She is responsible to organize, train and equip cyberspace capability and communications for the command’s 35 wings, 1,000 aircraft, 12 bases and 242 worldwide operating locations with 156,739 total force military personnel.
Brig. Gen. Blackwell graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1997. She has served in a variety of assignments to include: Commander of the 81st Training Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi; Commander of the 690th Cyberspace Operations Group at JB San Antonio-Lackland, Texas; Commander 87th Communications Squadron at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey; the Director of Legislative Affairs for U.S. Cyber Command, a National Security Fellow in the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, an Assistant Executive Officer for the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and as an Air Force Legislative Fellow for Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) where she was responsible for his military and foreign relations portfolios.
EDUCATION
1997 Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2001 Masters of Information Systems Management, Hawaii Pacific University, Hawaii
2002 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2007 Master of Business Administration, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va.
2008 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2009 Air Force Legislative Fellowship, Washington, D.C.
2010 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence 2015 National Security Fellow, Harvard University, Boston, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1997–May 1999, Assistant Chief, Communications and Information Division, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii
2. May 1999–January 2001, Executive Officer to the Commander, 615th Air Mobility Support Group, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
3. January 2001–May 2001, Crew Commander, Network Operations and Security Center, Computer Net Defense Division, Lackland AFB, Texas
4. May 2001–January 2002, Flight Commander, Network Operations and Security Center, Computer Net Defense Division, Lackland AFB, Texas
5. January 2002–April 2003, Flight Commander, Network Operations and Security Center, Computer Net Operations Division, Lackland AFB, Texas
6. April 2003–November 2004, Executive Officer to the Commander, Eighth Air Force, Barksdale AFB, La.
7. November 2004–August 2005, Base Communications Team Chief, Communications Directorate, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
8. August 2005–March 2007, Expeditionary Communications Team Chief, Communications Directorate, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
9. March 2007–June 2008, ACC Communications Officer Functional Manager, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
10. June 2008–December 2009, Air Force Legislative Fellow, Washington, D.C.
11. January 2010–April 2010, Air Force Liaison to U.S. Senate, Office of the Secretary of the United States, Washington, D.C.
12. April 2010–April 2012, Commander, 87th Communications Squadron, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
13. April 2012–June 2014, Assistant Executive Officer to the Air Force Chief of Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
14. June 2014–July 2015, National Security Fellow, Harvard University, Boston, Mass.
15. July 2015–July 2017, Commander, 690th Cyberspace Operations Group, JB San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
16. July 2017–May 2019, Director of Legislative Affairs, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort George G. Meade, Md.
17. May 2019–June 2021, Commander, 81st Training Wing, Keesler AFB, Miss.
18. July 2021-present, Director of Cyberspace and Information Dominance, Headquarters Air Combat Command, JB Langley- Eustis, Va.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
(Current as of November 2022)