Dr. Robin L. Bowman
Dr. Robin L. Bowman is the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Safety and Occupational Health in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. In this role, she serves as the principal staff advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness on matters pertaining to operational and occupational safety and occupational and environmental health, as well as their impact on Total Force readiness. She also serves as the principal advisor to the Defense Safety Oversight Council and as the Vice Chair on the Joint Safety Council, the Department’s safety governance fora. She brings to this position over two decades of civilian and military experience in national security.
Prior to this role, Dr. Bowman served as the Principal Director for the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategic Readiness. She led a cross-functional team to develop policies and plans, analyze data and information, and make recommendations for Total Force readiness programs, reporting, and assessments to execute the National Defense Strategy.
She is also a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, currently serving as an Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer for the National Capital Region to assist in the coordination of defense support of civilian authorities in disaster response, crisis management, and national security special events.
In her previous active and reserve military capacities, she served as the Director of Total Force Integration at Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; a Southeast Asian Policy Officer at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) and at Pacific Air Forces Command, Hawaii; an academic; and a Communications and Information Systems/ Cyberspace Operations Officer. Previous civilian roles include Global Posture Planner in the Strategy, Plans, and Policy Directorate, Joint Staff, Washington D.C., and Senior Strategic Analyst, where she led theater campaign assessments and all hazard response assessments for INDOPACOM.
Dr. Bowman earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine; a Master of Arts degree in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School; and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. Her awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Civilian Service Commendation Medal, and the Joint Civilian Service Achievement Award.