Mr. Steven E. Erickson serves as Executive Director for Force Resiliency in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. He leads Department-wide efforts to strengthen Total Force resiliency and readiness, integrating policies across command climate, drug demand and personnel risk reduction, child and youth advocacy, and prevention and response to sexual assault, harassment, suicide, and domestic violence. He also serves as the Functional Management Authority for the Sexual Assault Prevention / Response Workforce and the Integrated Primary Prevention Workforce.

Mr. Erickson previously served as Deputy Director of Strategy, Policy, and Programming, advising the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Readiness. He also held the position of Deputy Director for Joint and National Security Council Matters at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, providing strategic Air Force positions on joint actions on behalf of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

Mr. Erickson was raised in an Air Force family and commissioned into the U.S. Air Force in 1990, retiring as a Colonel after 33 years of distinguished service. As a pilot, he led global airlift, airdrop, and reconnaissance missions in support of Operations Southern Watch, Provide Promise, Uphold Democracy, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and the defense of the Republic of Korea. He also served as a Presidential advance agent for Air Force One, an airlift liaison to the 82d Airborne Division, and a military liaison to the U.S. Department of State. He held staff positions at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, Headquarters Air Force, a unified combatant command, and multiple coalition headquarters. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Advanced Airborne School and holds the designation of Master Parachutist.

Mr. Erickson completed numerous deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, he served as Commander of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Laghman Province, Regional Command – East, and later deployed as Deputy Director of the Strategic Transition and Assessment Group, International Security Assistance Force in Kabul.

He holds a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, a Master of Arts degree in Management from Webster University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from George Mason University.

His major awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal (two), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (three), Air Medal (three), Aerial Achievement Medal (five), Joint Service Commendation Medal (two), Afghanistan Campaign Medal (four bronze stars), Iraq Campaign Medal (one silver star), and Kuwait Liberation Medal.

Mr. Erickson and his wife Kelly married in 1991 and have two children, Jack (27) and Sophia (25).