Maria L. Ciepiela, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Deputy Director of the Civilian Force Management Directorate, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. The directorate is responsible for establishing force management policies for more than 200,000 total force appropriated and non-appropriated fund civilian personnel. These policies guide the recruitment, hiring, management, development, support and retention of the civilian workforce.
Ms. Ciepiela was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in August 2023. Prior to her current assignment, she served as the Chief, Cyber Excepted Service Civilian Personnel Proponency Office in the Headquarters, Department of the Army. Ms. Ciepiela was responsible for implementing and sustaining the Cyber Excepted Service alternate personnel system across the Department of the Army. In this capacity, Ms. Ciepiela enhanced the agency’s cyber mission by leading, planning and developing human capital policies and programs to recruit and retain civilian cyber talent.
Ms. Ciepiela also served as the Assistant Deputy, Civilian Workforce Transformation in the Headquarters, Department of the Army. In this capacity, Ms. Ciepiela was responsible for planning, leading and conducting strategic oversight and analysis of civilian workforce transformation and talent management policies, programs and issues on behalf of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civilian
Personnel). Ms. Ciepiela ensured a variety of Army civilian human capital strategies, plans and programs aligned with current and futures goals and objectives, policies and resources of the Department of the Army and the Department of Defense.
Over the course of her 14-year civilian career, Ms. Ciepiela served in a variety of high-impact positions at the tactical, operational and strategic levels. Her efforts led to the establishment and enhancement of new and existing policies, programs and techniques to efficiently and effectively recruit, hire, develop, employ and retain civilian talent through human capital planning, workforce planning and management, strategic recruitment and hiring, quality of hires, supervisor and employee development, employee engagement, organizational development, retention strategies, management of alternate personnel systems, compensation management, strategic communication and change management and overall civilian personnel policy development.
EDUCATION
2005 Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, Towson University, Baltimore, Md.
2015 Master of Science, Human Resources Development, Towson University, Baltimore, Md.
2015 Emerging HR Leader Program, Partnership for Public Service, Washington, DC
2018, Department of the Army Inspector General School, Fort Belvoir, Va.
2019 Advanced Course, Civilian Education System, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, Ft. Leavenworth, Kan.
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. January 2009–August 2009, Student Trainee (Human Resources Specialist), Headquarters, Deputy
Chief of Staff for Personnel, Headquarters, Communications Electronics Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
2. August 2009–August 2013, Human Resources Specialist, Aberdeen Proving Ground Civilian
Personnel Advisory Center, Civilian Human Resources Agency, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
3. August 2013–February 2015, Human Resources Specialist, Fort Huachuca Civilian Personnel Advisory Center, Civilian Human Resources Agency, Fort George G. Meade, Md.
4. February 2015–June 2018, Human Resources Specialist, Directorate of Human Resources, Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.
5. June 2018–August 2019, Human Resources Specialist, Civilian Personnel Evaluation and Analysis
Office, Office of the Assistant G-1 for Civilian Personnel, Headquarters, Department of Army, Fort Belvoir, Va.
6. August 2019–December 2020, Human Resources Specialist, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower & Reserve Affairs), Headquarters, Department of the Army, Arlington, Va.
7. December 2020–July 2022, Assistant Deputy, Civilian Workforce Transformation, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower & Reserve Affairs), Headquarters, Department of the Army, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
8. July 2022–August 2023, Chief, Cyber Excepted Service Civilian Personnel Proponency Office,
Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower & Reserve Affairs), Headquarters, Department of the Army, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
9. August 2023–present, Deputy Director, Civilian Force Management, Deputy Chief of Staff for
Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters, Department of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
William H. Kushnick Award, August 2022
Army Civilian Service Commendation Medal, August 2019
Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, June 2018, December 2017
Special Act Awards/Quality Step Increases
(Current as of July 2024)