Janet C. Wolfenbarger - wikipedia Janet C. Wolfenbarger Janet Carol Wolfenbarger General Janet Carol Wolfenbarger 1958 ( age 59 -- 60 ) Tampa, Florida, U.S. Allegiance United States of America Service / branch United States Air Force Years of service 1980 -- 2015 Rank General Commands held Air Force Materiel Command C - 17 Systems Group Awards Air Force Distinguished Service Medal ( 2 ) Legion of Merit ( 2 ) Janet Carol Wolfenbarger ( née Libby ; 1958 ) is a retired United States Air Force four - star general who served as the eighth commander of Air Force Materiel Command from June 5, 2012, to June 8, 2015. She was the first woman to achieve the rank of four - star general in the Air Force. Wolfenbarger retired from the Air Force after over 35 years of service. Contents 1 Military career 2 Education 3 Assignments 4 Awards and decorations 4.1 Other achievements 5 Effective dates of promotion 6 See also 7 Notes Military career Wolfenbarger was born in Tampa, Florida. She was commissioned in 1980 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, and began her career in acquisition as an engineer at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Along with her various duty assignments she furthered her education with a Master of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1985 and another Master of Science degree in national resource strategy from Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1994. She is also a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College. Her major awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal. Wolfenbarger was the U.S. Air Force 's highest - ranking woman, a distinction held until January 1, 2010, by Lt. Gen. Terry Gabreski, whom Wolfenbarger succeeded at Wright - Patterson. On February 6, 2012, President Obama nominated Wolfenbarger to become the first woman four - star general for the Air Force. This was confirmed by the US Senate on March 26, 2012, and she assumed her new rank, and became Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, on June 5, 2012. Wolfenbarger graduated from Beavercreek High School in Beavercreek, Ohio, in 1976. She is the daughter of Eldon and Shirley Libby of Paicines, California. She is married to Craig `` Wolf '' Wolfenbarger. Education 1976 Beavercreek High School, Beavercreek, Ohio 1980 Bachelor of Science degree in engineering sciences, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 1983 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence 1985 Master of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 1988 Program Management Course, Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, Va. 1991 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence 1994 Master of Science degree in national resource strategy, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. Assignments July 1980 -- August 1981, technical intelligence analyst, Armament Division, Eglin AFB, Fla. August 1981 -- July 1983, communication systems development officer, Electronic Security Command, Kelly AFB, Texas July 1983 -- December 1984, student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. December 1984 -- October 1987, Chief, Strategic Offense Weapons Branch, Headquarters Air Force Systems Command, Andrews AFB, Md. October 1987 -- September 1988, executive officer, Headquarters Air Force Systems Command, Andrews AFB, Md. September 1988 -- July 1993, Chief, Plans and Strategies Division ; Chief, Air Vehicle Analysis and Integration Team ; and Chief, F - 22 Subsystems Team, F - 22 System Program Office, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright - Patterson AFB, Ohio July 1993 -- June 1994, student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. June 1994 -- June 1997, Lead F - 22 Program Element Monitor, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. June 1997 -- April 2000, Chief, B - 2 Air Vehicle Team, B - 2 SPO, ASC, Wright - Patterson AFB, Ohio April 2000 -- December 2002, B - 2 System Program Director, B - 2 SPO, ASC, Wright - Patterson AFB, Ohio December 2002 -- July 2005, Commander, C - 17 Systems Group, Mobility Systems Wing, ASC, Wright - Patterson AFB, Ohio August 2005 -- July 2006, Director, Air Force Acquisition Center of Excellence, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. August 2006 -- January 2007, Special Assistant for Command Transformation to the Commander, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright - Patterson AFB, Ohio January 2007 -- July 2008, Director, Intelligence and Requirements Directorate, and Special Assistant for Command Transformation to the Commander, Headquarters AFMC, Wright - Patterson AFB, Ohio July 2008 -- December 2009, Director, Intelligence and Requirements Directorate, Headquarters AFMC, Wright - Patterson AFB, Ohio December 2009 -- September 2011, Vice Commander, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright - Patterson AFB, Ohio September 2011 -- June 2012, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. June 2012 -- June 2015, Air Force Materiel Command Awards and decorations Master Acquisition and Financial Management Badge Headquarters Air Force Badge Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster Legion of Merit with one bronze oak leaf cluster Meritorious Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters Air Force Commendation Medal Air Force Achievement Medal Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with silver and three bronze oak leaf clusters National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver and three bronze oak leaf clusters Air Force Training Ribbon Other achievements 1996 Kelly Burke Award, Department of the Air Force 2002 Stewart Award, Aeronautical Systems Center 2004 Stewart Award, Aeronautical Systems Center 2013 United Service Organizations ( USO ) Woman of the Year 2014 James Doolittle Award, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Security Studies Program 2014 Seymour E. and Ruth B. Harris Lecturer, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University 2015 Air Force Materiel Command Order of the Sword 2015 Retroactively prompted change to General Officer Promotion Laws 2015 Retired from active duty USAF at $17,700 / month + allowances 2015 Hired as Independent Director of AECOM for $249,500 / year ( total salary and benefits - 16 : 84 cash / stock split ) Effective dates of promotion Promotions Insignia Rank Date General June 5, 2012 Lieutenant General December 3, 2009 Major General June 26, 2009 Brigadier General February 1, 2006 Colonel September 1, 1998 Lieutenant Colonel June 1, 1993 Major January 1, 1990 Captain May 28, 1984 First Lieutenant May 28, 1982 Second Lieutenant May 28, 1980 See also List of female United States military generals and flag officers Notes Jump up ^ `` Air Force 's first female 4 - star general credits area education www.springfieldnewssun.com ''. springfieldnewssun.com. Retrieved 2015 - 05 - 24. Jump up ^ `` AF Biography : Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger ''. Jump up ^ `` Lieutenant General Janet C. Wolfenbarger bio on the USAF official site ''. Archived from the original on 2012 - 07 - 22. Jump up ^ Female general nominated for 3rd star, Air Force Times, 2009 December 4 ( accessed 2009 December 5 ). Jump up ^ Reuters Editorial. `` Obama nominates Air Force 's first female four - star general ''. reuters.com. Retrieved 2015 - 05 - 24. Jump up ^ Nominations confirmed ( non-civilian ), U.S. Senate site, ( accessed 2012 March 27 ) ; Malec, William A. ( May 2012 ). `` Female firsts ''. Military Officer. Military Officers Association of America. p. 19. Retrieved 2012 - 05 - 01. ^ Jump up to : Kim Dawley ( June 5, 2012 ). `` Gen. Wolfenbarger receives fourth star, assumes leadership of AFMC ''. Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs. Archived from the original on February 24, 2013. Retrieved 2012 - 06 - 05. Jump up ^ John Nolan, AFMC 's vice commander is once again Air Force 's highest - ranking woman. Dayton Daily News, 2009 December 4 ( accessed 2009 December 5 ). Jump up ^ Janet C. Wolfenbarger, Gilroy Dispatch ( Gilroy, California ), 2005 May 20 ( accessed 2009 December 10 ). Jump up ^ http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/careers/2015/08/28/force-future-report-ash-carter-review/32476549/ Jump up ^ https://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/officerProfile?symbol=ACM&officerId=2638244 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Janet C. Wolfenbarger. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Janet_C._Wolfenbarger&oldid=826012177 '' Categories : 1958 births Living people Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy alumni Logistics personnel of the United States military Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Military personnel from Dayton, Ohio People from Beavercreek, Ohio People from Tampa, Florida Recipients of the Legion of Merit American people of Swiss descent United States Air Force Academy alumni Female generals of the United States Air Force Wright - Patterson Air Force Base Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 16 February 2018, at 18 : 18. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who was the first female general officer in the air force
Answer: Janet Carol Wolfenbarger