Readiness

Laura Macaluso

Ms. Macaluso is the principal staff advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness on all matters pertaining to safety and occupational health and its impact on total force readiness. She oversees the Department of Defense’s (DoD) safety and occupational health programs and policies to include aviation, ground, motor vehicle, afloat, and the Safety and Occupational Health (SOH) strategic plan. Ms. Macaluso is the lead for integrated safety assessment and reporting, trend analysis, mishap reduction and mitigation activities, and the Force Risk Reduction (FR2) system, which is the key management tool to monitor and evaluate DoD mishaps and trends. Ms. Macaluso also oversees the DoD Safety Management Center of Excellence (SMCX), which supports DoD organizations, units, and activities to achieve a comprehensive world-class SOH program.

Ms. Macaluso entered federal service in 2010, as a Safety Enterprise Information Technology Manager for the office of Personnel Readiness and Assessment, where she developed the DoD's safety information management tool, FR2, and served as a safety and readiness analyst to the Director. In March 2018, Ms. Macaluso assumed the Personnel Readiness and Safety Director role, and was instrumental in aligning the operational safety policies, authorities, and resources within the Department. In this capacity, she provides expert advice and analysis to senior defense leaders on operational safety challenges and initiatives.

Prior to her federal service, Ms. Macaluso worked 10+ years in private industry for Booz Allen Hamilton, MicroStrategy, and other federal contractors, where she served in a variety of information technology management and data analyst roles, managing diverse teams of 40+ individuals. She also worked closely with senior executives to architect and implement business intelligence solutions, data and analyses strategies, and assisted organizations with identifying and tracking essential metrics for key decision making.

Ms. Macaluso received her master’s degree in Information Systems from George Mason University and a second master’s degree in Government Information Leadership in Cybersecurity from the National Defense University. She received a bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a minor in Computer Science from the University of South Carolina, and is a Certified Chief Information Security Officer and a Certified Chief Information Officer. Ms. Macaluso is a recipient of the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service. She has been married to her husband Scott for 14 years and they have two children, Grant and Alexa.