JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
Maj. Gen. Troy Dunn relinquished command of the Air Force Personnel Center to Brig. Gen. Jefferson O’Donnell during a change of command ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph June 20.
Lt. Gen. Caroline Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, presided over the ceremony and reflected on Dunn’s commitment to AFPC.
“He cares deeply for his Airmen, Guardians and their families and makes it his personal mission to ensure they have everything they need to achieve success,” she said.
When speaking of O’Donnell’s experience, Miller highlighted the credentials he brings to AFPC.
“He brings a wealth of leadership experience from commanding at multiple levels to serving on OSD, Joint and Air Force Staffs – he understands the Air Force mission like few other officers, making him the right and only choice to follow in Dunn’s footsteps,” she said.
Taking the podium and addressing his command for the first time, O’Donnell highlighted the critical role of AFPC in supporting the National Defense Strategy and challenged the Center to embrace change.
"Every member of the Air Force’s Personnel Center is vital to implementing that strategy – your daily actions define the efficiency and effectiveness of the Air Force and Space Force human resource management enterprise,” he said. “Our Air Force Chief of Staff has issued the directive – we must accelerate change or we will lose. We must have a culture that embraces change through communication, collaboration, competence, compliance, and consistency.”
Prior to taking command, O’Donnell was the Director of Regional Affairs for the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs at the Pentagon. In this position, he was responsible for providing oversight and guidance for international programs supporting national security objectives.
In his new role, O’Donnell commands an organization of 2,200 military members, civilians and contractors, which supports nearly 2.3 million total force Airmen, Guardians, retirees and family members worldwide.
O’Donnell was commissioned in 1996 through Air Force Officer Training School after graduating from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He holds master’s degrees from The George Washington University and Air War College.
He is a command pilot with more than 2,600 military and civilian flying hours, including more than 370 combat hours in fighter aircraft and has commanded at the squadron and wing level.
O’Donnell closed his remarks by saying, “We are going to share ideas, thoughts, and dreams and build professional relationships that are not transactional but transformational. We are going to help each other become our better selves because in the competition and fight for liberty and freedom, what we do matters.”
The Air Force Personnel Center provides commanders around the world with skilled Airmen and Guardians to conduct Department of the Air Force and Joint missions. Additionally, AFPC executes programs covering the entire life cycle of military and civilian personnel for the Department of the Air Force, from accession through retirement.