Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso, the Air Force's new personnel chief, formally pinned on her third star during a ceremony at the Pentagon Monday.
The first female personnel chief in Air Force history, Grosso said that one of her first tasks will be to get updated on where the Air Force's personnel initiatives and requirements are, and to flesh out the human capital portion of the strategic master plan the service released earlier this year.
"A huge part of our future tasks are going to be putting some meat on the bones" of that plan, Grosso said. "How are we going to further develop these plans to make sure that we have an Air Force that is not only capable today, but in the mid term and the far term?"
Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein delivered remarks at Grosso's ceremony and administered the reaffirmation of her oath. Pinning on her new rank were her father, retired World War II C-47 pilot Lt. Col. Gerry Grosso, who flew troops into battle on D-Day; her mother, Camille Grosso, a nurse; and her husband, retired Col. Brian O'Connor, who was a C-17 pilot.
Goldfein lauded Grosso for her dedication, especially in her previous role as director of the Air Force's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, and said she provided a voice for victims of sexual assault and those who advocate for them.
"To watch how our Air Force leaned forward and led the department when it came to this terrible crime, and to watch, Gina, how you personalized this to make things better for our Air Force, was just an inspiration to all of us," Goldfein said. "I've always appreciated how you take care of your airmen."
Grosso became the deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services last month, taking over for Lt. Gen. Samuel Cox. As the Air Force's A1, Grosso oversees all plans and policies regarding military and civilian personnel management, including end strength management, education and training, compensation, resource allocation and Air Force services worldwide.
Her effective date of promotion was Oct. 15. She is the first female personnel chief in Air Force history.
Grosso said that one of her first tasks will be to get updated on where the Air Force's personnel initiatives and requirements are, and fleshing out the human capital portion of the strategic master plan it released earlier this year.
"A huge part of our future tasks are going to be putting some meat on the bones" of that plan, Grosso said. "How are we going to further develop these plans to make sure that we have an Air Force that is not only capable today, but in the mid term and the far term?"
A top priority, Grosso said, is to make sure the Air Force has a human capital plan that sustains the force — not just active duty, but also the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and civilian components.
"What we're really trying to do, not just on the enlisted side, is to modernize our personnel programs," Grosso said of programs such as the overhaul of the enlisted performance and promotion system and the Pentagon's Force of the Future plans. "All of those are attempts to take what was very much a Cold War model, with very few updates, and modernize it for the current force. We have to understand the Millennial generation and the generations that we have, and have personnel policies -- promotion, development, recruiting and retention — that ensures we maintain the force that we need to to protect and defend the nation."
Grosso said the lessons she learned from running the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office will help her as she takes over A1.
"What I learned from SAPR is that leaders matter, and nothing gets fixed unless leaders understand the problem, and leaders address the problem," Grosso said when asked what she learned from her previous assignment that she will take into her new job. "But also, I believe there's no task an airman can't achieve. I think that's true in the SAPR arena, and I think that's true in the Air Force at large."
Grosso got her bachelor's degree in applied mathematics and industrial management from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in 1986, the same year she joined the Air Force. She started out as an operations analyst at the 554th Range Group at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
She later got her master's degree in business administration from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and attended Squadron Officer School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.
Grosso also previously served as the Air Force's director of force management policy, director of manpower, organization and resources, and commander of the joint base and 87th Air Base Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
