Pawlikowski Ellen Marie

27.01.2020

Ellen Marie Pawlikowski (born 1956) is a retired four-star general of the United States Air Force. She last served as the commander of Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base from June 8, 2015 to the end of July 2018, managing some 80,000 people and $60 billion in Air Force programs annually. Pawlikowski retired from the Air Force on September 1, 2018 after over 40 years of service. She currently serves on the board of directors for Raytheon and is a Judge Widney Professor at the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering.

Carreer

Born in East Orange, New Jersey and raised in Bloomfield, New Jersey, Pawlikowski entered the U.S. Air Force in 1978 through the ROTC program at New Jersey Institute of Technology after graduating with a B.S. in chemical engineering. She then attended the University of California, Berkeley where she received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering in December 1981, entering active duty at McClellan AFB, California, in April 1982.

Pawlikowski has served as Director of the Acquisition Management Office for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Atomic Energy and as Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Counterproliferation. Her leadership assignments have included Program Director of the Airborne Laser program, Commander of the Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing, Deputy Director of the National Reconnaissance Office, Commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, and most recently Commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center.

On February 18, 2015, the President of the United States nominated her for promotion to general and as Commander of the Air Force Materiel Command. Pawlikoski's promotion and assignment to AFMC were confirmed by the United States Senate on March 27, 2015. On 8 June 2015, Pawlikowski assumed command of Air Force Materiel Command from General Janet C. Wolfenbarger.

Following her retirement from the US Air Force in as of 9 August 2018, Pawlikowski accepted a place on the Board of Directors of Raytheon in September. She remains a member of the National Academy of Engineering. As of August 2019, she serves as a Judge Widney Professor at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.

Dates of promotion

Second Lieutenant – May 25, 1978
First Lieutenant – May 25, 1981
Captain – May 25, 1983
Major – March 1, 1988
Lieutenant Colonel – April 1, 1992
Colonel – October 1, 1996
Brigadier General – June 1, 2005
Major General – July 22, 2008
Lieutenant General – June 3, 2011
General – June 8, 2015