Recently retired from her position as the Director of Command, Control, Communications, andComputer/Cyber (C4) and Chief Information Officer, J6, on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. In this job, she led the development of C4 capabilities essential for the United States; defense and strategic operations. Her role involved providing critical guidance on Joint and Combined Force command and control issues, and evaluating requirements, plans, programs, and strategies for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Commissioned in 1989 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a Bachelor ofScience in Chemistry, her education also includes a Master of Arts in Organizational Management from The George Washington University and a Master ofStrategic Studies from the Air War College.
She held command positions at every level – squadron, group, wing, and numbered air force. As the 25th Air Force commander, she led 30,000 people at more than 65 locations around the globe conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for every combatant commander. They also developed and integrated multiple new technologies to expand collection and analysis capabilities.
Her career, spanning more than three decades, saw a pivotal shift toward modern warfare - reliance on technology and she was at the forefront of employing these merging technologies.
Her innovative approach to integrating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), networked weapons, and new types of intelligence sensors significantly advanced the strategic and operational capabilities of the U.S. military.
By championing the use of UAVs – starting back in 1994 – against the wishes of the majority of Air Force pilots in charge of the Air Force, she enabled more efficient and safer reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition, minimizing risks to personnel and extending the reach of intelligence capabilities.
She was an early advocate for networked weapons systems and new types of intelligence sensors, which improve the speed, precision, and lethality of military operations and allow for coordinated attacks and enhanced situational awareness through real-time data sharing among dispersed units. Her focus on integrating cutting-edge technologies into operations led to better decision-making and increased mission success.
Through her innovative employment of emerging technologies, she demonstrated a profound understanding of the strategic advantages these tools offer. Her dedication to modernizing the U.S. military’s capabilities ensures that it remains capable of facing current and future challenges with confidence and agility.
Shewas also recognized for her commitment to identifying and removing barriers to women’s military service for her volunteer work as the general officer champion for the Air Force Women’s Initiative Team. The measurable impact on readiness, resources, risk mitigation, retention, and recruiting resulted in her receiving the 2023 Sea Service Leadership Association North Star Award, the 2022 Women in Government Relations Excellence in Advocacy Award, and the 2021 Deptartrment of Air Force Diversity and Inclusion Innovation Award – Team Category, among others.
Sincere tiring in October, Mary is just as committed to our national security. She serves as a consultant to companies developing emerging technology capabilities for national security purposes and recently co-founded a company with three other individuals dedicated to bringing broadband service to rural and underserved areas.
You won’t see it in her official biography, but she’s proud to be a mom, stepmom and grandmother to six adult children, their partners, and six grandchildren. She continues to use her chemistry degree to create delicious cookies, cakes, and banana bread for her family, friends and neighbors, which disappear almost as fast as she can bake them. Her secret is to always weigh the flour.
