Joy M. White, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Executive Director for Space Systems Command, headquartered at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. SSC develops and delivers agile, integrated and resilient space capabilities to meet critical national imperatives. She is the principal assistant to the Space Systems Integrator for acquisition strategies, program execution and management of an annual portfolio of $11 billion. Ms. White leads a workforce of approximately 10,000 military, civilian and contractor personnel to enable a resilient space order of battle, preparing the nation to fight and win a conflict in space. Additionally, Ms. White is the Head of the Contracting Activity for the U.S. Space Force, working on behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force and the Assistant Secretary for Space Acquisition and Integration to expedite the development of business processes and contracting solutions to capitalize on rapid acquisition of space assets in today’s competitive space ecosystem.
Prior to her current position, Ms. White was the Space and Missile Systems Center Director of Contracting. She was responsible for executing more than 600 active contracts valued at $80 billion. Ms. White also served as the Deputy Director of Contracting for the Missile Defense Agency where she guided a group of over 200 contracting professionals across five locations in the execution of contracts totaling $9 billion annually.
Ms. White entered federal service in 1985 as a Copper Cap contracting intern at the Space and Missile Systems Center. She has served in a variety of roles including as a contracting officer, policy expert and joint-service team lead to tackle cross-cutting regulatory and statutory issues.
EDUCATION
1985 Bachelor of Business Administration, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va.
1989 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1997 Master of Business Administration, Averett College, Danville, Va.
1999 Advanced Program Management Course, Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, Va.
2004 Leading Change, Federal Executive Institute, Charlottesville, Va.
2006 Senior Executive Fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2008 Senior Leader Orientation Course, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2008 Advanced Professional Executive Orientation Program, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2020 Department of the Air Force Advanced Senior Leadership Seminar, Warrenton, Va.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. 1985–1990, Copper Cap Intern, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.
2. 1990–1992, Contracting Officer, Global Positioning System, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
3. 1992–1999, Procurement Analyst, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C.
4. 2000–2002, Deputy Director, Air Force Contracting Information Systems Office, Gunter Annex, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
5. 2002–2003, Procurement Analyst, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C.
6. 2003–2006, Director of Contract Policy and Review, Missile Defense Agency, Washington, D.C.
7. 2006–2008, Deputy Director of Contracting, Missile Defense Agency, Washington, D.C.
8. 2008–2016, Director of Contracting, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
9. 2016–present, Executive Director, Space Systems Command, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
2013 Meritorious Civilian Service Award
2019 Presidential Rank Award Meritorious Service
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2015 Bernard A. Schriever Fellowship Award
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
National Contracts Management Association, Board of Directors
(Current as of June 2022)