Center personnel director reflects on 44-year career

  • Published
  • By K. Houston Waters
  • Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  As her federal service comes to an end, Jeanette Padilla is feeling grateful.

Padilla served as the director of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center’s Manpower, Personnel and Force Development Directorate. She retired March 25.

“Thank you to the entire AFNWC workforce, I am so incredibly proud of the important work that you do every day,” she said. “I appreciate the comradery and the memories, the lessons you’ve taught me, and the support you have given over the years. I am looking forward to this opportunity to start this new chapter in life where I can spend more time with the people that mean the most to me, my family.” 

Family is one of the keys to my success, Padilla said. 

“My children, Nicole and Josh, are my biggest cheerleaders, and I’m just so proud of the people they’ve become. They are the best children I could ask for,” she said. “And my husband, Art, he’s just been my biggest supporter and encourager. I don’t know what I would do without him.”

Padilla also cites hard work, education, and staying up to date on new policies and practices as additional factors in her success. 

Padilla served various roles at installations both home and abroad throughout her Air Force career. Her first job was with the contract management division at the Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, headquarters in 1982. 

She then served as a medical clerk for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Albuquerque before joining her husband in the Philippines in 1984, where she worked in the Civilian Personnel Office. She then transitioned to Castle AFB, California, in 1986 before returning home to Albuquerque in 1989, where she has been ever since. 

Padilla’s first stint with the AFNWC was 2009-2012. After some time at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, she returned in 2019, when she became the role of chief of Personnel Programs before assuming her current role. 

Teamwork is also vital to her career success, Padilla said. She was full of praise for the members of her directorate and their hard work.

“Our team is the linchpin of this organization; they are absolute rock stars,” she said. “They are the epitome of true professionals, and I am thankful that I had the pleasure of being side by side with them every day. I am proud of what we accomplished together and how we were able to contribute to the mission.” 

Padilla oversees 28 employees located at Kirtland AFB; Hill AFB, Utah; Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts; and Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. 

“It’s been an honor to support the nuclear enterprise and to work for AFNWC,” she said. “I feel a great sense of accomplishment and comfort, knowing that when I retire, I had a part in helping make the world a safer place.”

Joseph Oder, executive director of AFNWC, thanked Padilla for her commitment and her service.

“It is the people of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center that acquire and sustain the bedrock upon which all other military capabilities stand," he said. "Jeanette Padilla dedicated her career to empowering people. I am so grateful to her for sharing her expertise and leadership with our team for many years.”

In addition to her role at AFNWC, Padilla teaches courses in human resources, which she plans to continue. Her retirement plans also include traveling and spending as much time as possible with her grandchildren, Estie and Luca, who are the lights of her life.