Marianne Malizia

Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Force Resilience, and the Chief Diversity Officer for the Department of the Air Force

Marianne Malizia, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Force Resilience, and the Chief Diversity Officer for the U.S. Air Force. In this role, Ms. Malizia is responsible for planning, establishing, and implementing policy for activities crucial to the resilience of approximately 697,00 active duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian Airmen and Guardians worldwide. She also has strategic oversight of the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security framework and associated principles for the Air and Space Forces. As Chief Diversity Officer, she provides strategic oversight for increasing the readiness of the Department through programs and policies that enhance a culture of inclusion, leveraging the diverse talents of Airmen and Guardians.

Ms. Malizia started her federal service in 2021 as the Director, Diversity and Inclusion for the Department of the U.S. Air Force. In this role, she advised the Secretary of the Air Force on the Department of the Air Force’s diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs, policies, and initiatives. She was responsible for advancing the Department of the Air Force’s diversity and inclusion mission to attract, recruit, develop and retain a high quality, diverse total force, ensuring a culture of inclusion.

Prior to joining the Air Force, she established the first Diversity and Inclusion program for a global logistics company with over 100,000 employees. There she stood up and led the Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Steering Committee that drove strategic implementation of programs across the company and formed critical partnerships, fostering a strong culture of inclusion within the organization.

Previously, Ms. Malizia served in many key roles during her 21 year tenure at Booz Allen Hamilton. There she co-led the establishment of the firm’s LGBTQ Employee Resource Group that she later co-chaired. She also led many initiatives to support the professional learning and career development opportunities for Booz Allen Hamilton employees, to include training and education programs for Diversity and Inclusion. During her time at Booz Allen, Ms. Malizia spoke at various industry conferences and seminars on subjects in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion realm.

Marianne is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. She served nine years as an active duty Army officer, including assignments in Germany, at both the Satellite Communications Command and the Communications Electronic Command, and supported public affairs as the strategic engagements lead. Additionally, she provided operational support for Desert Storm and Desert Shield.