John J. Carbone, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director of the Civilian Force Management Directorate, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. As Director, Mr. Carbone is the driving force behind transformative civilian workforce policies for over 200,000 total force appropriated and non-appropriated fund personnel. He has been instrumental in shaping and implementing initiatives that ensure the recruitment, development and retention of a mission-ready civilian workforce critical to the Department of the Air Force’s strategic objectives.
Under Mr. Carbone’s leadership, the Department of the Air Force was established as the lead civilian air operations authority for the Department of Defense. This designation unified workforce governance and talent management for critical air operations occupations across all DoD components, strengthening mission readiness and cross-functional collaboration. He also spearheaded the “Revolutionize Civilian Talent Management” strategy, which introduced more than 150 initiatives to enhance workforce planning, streamline hiring and improve civilian workforce readiness.
Mr. Carbone’s accomplishments include securing over 70 advanced hiring and compensation authorities for critical civilian occupations, such as air traffic controllers, aerospace engineers and simulator instructor pilots, as well as leading innovative solutions to improve workforce engagement and retention. His initiatives have directly improved the department’s competitive advantage, operational readiness and global talent management capability.
EDUCATION
1994 Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, University of Vermont, Burlington
1997 Master of Public Administration, University of Vermont, Burlington
2018 Advanced Course (Phase I), Civilian Education System, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, by correspondence
2020 Continuous Process Improvement for Executives, Institute for Defense and Business, San Antonio, Texas
2021 Air Force Senior Leader Orientation Course, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2022 Advanced Professional Executive Senior Orientation Program, Office of the Secretary of Defense Senior Executive Management Office, Washington, D.C.
2023 Middle East and South Asia Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
2024 Advanced Senior Leader Development Seminar, FLATTER Inc, Warrenton, Va.
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. August 1987–August 1990, Combat Engineer, 307th Engineer Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, Army, Fort Bragg, N.C.
2. August 1990–August 1991, Infantryman Mountain Warfare, Vermont National Guard Try One Program, Ethan Allen Firing Range, Jericho, Vt.
3. August 1995–August 1997, Complex Coordinator, Residential Life Department, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt.
4. August 1998–January 2003, Resource Center Advisor, Vermont Student Assistance Corporation Nonprofit, Winooski, Vt.
5. January 2003–January 2005, Human Resources Specialist Department of Army Civilian, Training, Education and Development System Intern, Civilian Human Resources Agency, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
6. January 2005–May 2006, Human Resources Specialist, Northeast Civilian Personnel Operations Center, Civilian Human Resources Agency, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
7. May 2006–May 2008, Senior Human Resources Specialist Staffing/Classification/ Mission Essential Requirements, Camp Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
8. May 2008–September 2009, Senior Human Resources Specialist Special Emphasis Recruitment, Headquarters, Civilian Human Resources Agency, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
9. September 2009–February 2015, Army Staffing and Classification Proponent, Headquarters, Civilian Human Resources Agency, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
10. February 2015–August 2019, Assistant Deputy for Civilian Personnel, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, Assistant Secretary of the Army Manpower and Reserve Affairs, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
11. August 2019–June 2023, Deputy Director of Civilian Force Management, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
12. June 2023–present, Director of Civilian Force Management, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Army Distinguished Civilian Service Medal
Army Commander’s Award for Civilian Service Special Act Awards/QSIs
Army Achievement Medal
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Air Force Association
Association of the United States Army
American Society for Public Administration
82nd Airborne Division Association
(Current as of February 2025)