Marianne Malizia, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Reserve Affairs and Family Readiness, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. In this role, Ms. Malizia is responsible for planning, establishing and implementing policy for activities crucial to the readiness of approximately 697,00 active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian Airmen and Guardians worldwide. She also has strategic oversight of policy implementation for health affairs, transitions and veterans’ programs, family support, commissaries, Chaplain’s Corp and Civil Air Patrol.
She previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Force Resilience. In this role, Ms. Malizia was responsible for planning, establishing and implementing policy for activities crucial to the resilience of approximately 697,00 active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian Airmen and Guardians worldwide, focused on the prevention and when necessary, the response to harmful behaviors. In addition, she had strategic oversight for the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security framework and associated principles for the Air and Space Forces.
Ms. Malizia started her federal service in 2021 as the Director, Diversity and Inclusion for the Department of the U.S. Air Force where she advised the Secretary of the Air Force on the Department of the Air Force’s diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs, policies and initiatives. She was responsible for advancing the Department of the Air Force’s diversity and inclusion mission to attract, recruit, develop and retain a high quality, diverse total force, ensuring a culture of inclusion.
Prior to joining the Air Force, she established the first Diversity and Inclusion program for a global logistics company with over 100,000 employees. There she stood up and led the Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Steering Committee that drove strategic implementation of programs across the company and formed critical partnerships, fostering a strong culture of inclusion within the organization.
Previously, Ms. Malizia served in many key roles during her 21-year tenure at Booz Allen Hamilton. There she co-led the establishment of the firm’s LGBTQ Employee Resource Group that she later co-chaired. She also led many initiatives to support the professional learning and career development opportunities for Booz Allen Hamilton employees, to include training and education programs for Diversity and Inclusion. During her time at Booz Allen, Ms. Malizia spoke at various industry conferences and seminars on subjects in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion realm.
Ms. Malizia is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. She served nine years as an active-duty Army officer, including assignments in Germany, at both the Satellite Communications Command and the Communications Electronic Command, and supported public affairs as the strategic engagements lead. Additionally, she provided operational support for Desert Storm and Desert Shield.
EDUCATION
1979 Jungle Warfare School, Fort Sherman, Panama
1981 Bachelor of Science, General Engineering, United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.
1981 Air Defense Artillery Officer Basic Course, Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas
1985 Adjutant General Officer Advanced Course, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Ind.
1985 Planning, Programming, and Budgeting Systems Course, Ft Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Ind.
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1981–1985, Security Officer and Executive Officer, 66th U.S. Army Artillery Detachment, Soest, Germany
1985–1987, Administrative Services Officer, Satellite Communications Agency, Fort Monmouth, N.J.
1987–1990, Public Affairs Officer, Satellite Communications Agency, Fort Monmouth, N.J.
1991–1997, Various Industry Positions in Human Resource Management & Education, New York, N.Y.
1997–2018, Human Resources and Learning & Development Professional, Booz Allen Hamilton, New York, N.Y.
2018–2021, Senior Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Corporate Learning and Development, XPO Logistics, Greenwich, Conn.
2021–2023, Director, Diversity and Inclusion, Department of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
2024–2025, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Force Resilience, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
2025–present, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Reserve Affairs and Family Readiness, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Department of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service
Army Achievement Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
CERTIFICATIONS
Certified Diversity Professional (CDP), Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Certified Facilitator, Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Qualified Administrator, Human Capital Strategist (HCS), Kirkpatrick Four Level Evaluation – Bronze, Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
(Current as of April 2025)