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Immediate Release

Senior Executive Service Announcements

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has announced the following Department of Defense Senior Executive Service appointments and assignments:

Stuart Bryce Dustman has been selected for appointment to the Senior Executive Service, and for assignment as the chief of staff to the Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. Dustman was most recently special assistant to Commissioner Joe Mohorovic of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. He served as then Rep. Wilson’s (NM-1) chief of staff from 2001-2009. Dustman’s congressional service also includes: communications director for Rep. Phil Crane (R-IL); communications director/legislative assistant for Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT); and deputy news secretary for Sen. Jack Danforth (R-MO). Prior to his federal service, he owned and managed a 2,700-acre grain and livestock farm in Missouri. Dustman is a graduate of Truman State University and Trenton Junior College.

Dr. Joseph H. Felter III has been selected for appointment to the Senior Executive Service, and for assignment as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia. Felter was most recently director of the Hacking for Defense Project at Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, co-director of the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project, and research fellow at the Hoover Institution. Felter is a former Army Special Forces officer and a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Harvard Kennedy School, and Stanford University.

Andrew F. Knaggs has been selected for appointment to the Senior Executive Service, and for assignment as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and combating terrorism. Knaggs was most recently the founder and managing partner of Knaggs Law PLLC. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and the William & Mary School of Law.

Megan A. Milam has been selected for appointment to the Senior Executive Service, and for assignment as the deputy comptroller for budget and appropriations affairs. Milam was most recently a professional staff member on the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. She is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Edinburgh.

Jamie Jones Miller has been selected for appointment to the Senior Executive Service, and for assignment as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for House affairs. Miller was most recently chief of staff for Rep. Robert J. Wittman, senior member of the House Armed Services Committee. She is a graduate of James Madison University.

John E. Odegaard has been selected for appointment to the Senior Executive Service, and for assignment as the chief of staff to the Secretary of the Navy. Odegaard was most recently chief executive officer of the Naval War College Foundation. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, the University of Southern California, George Washington University, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

Kathryn L. Wheelbarger has been selected for appointment to the Senior Executive Service, and for assignment as the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. Wheelbarger most recently served as vice president and chief compliance officer at CSRA. She is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, and Harvard Law School.