Senior enlisted leader reflects on more than 3 decades of military service: ‘I always wanted to give back’

Courtesy Photo | Chief Master Sergeant Tanya Y. Johnson, Senior Enlisted Leader  

UNITED STATES

11.18.2025

Story by Robyn Mincher 

Defense Health Agency

As Defense Health Agency Senior Enlisted Leader Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Tanya Y. Johnson departs the role on Nov. 20, 2025, she will leave behind a legacy of dedication to military health care delivery and commitment to the readiness and morale of thousands of health care professionals caring for our nation’s warfighters.

A self-described “military sprout, because you grow where you're planted when you're in the military,” Johnson was born into military medicine — quite literally — at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, Texas, to a U.S. Air Force medic. Following in her father’s footsteps, she joined the U.S. Air Force as an Airman Basic in October 1993. “It was just a matter of when I was going to join,” she said.

While Johnson trained as a laboratorian, she had her sights set on leadership from the start. “I wanted to be a chief so I could take care of my people,” she said. From her ambitious beginnings in the lab to various deployments to championing DHA’s military medical mission — she brought a wealth of experience with her empathetic leadership style and tireless dedication to beneficiaries and the workforce who cares for them.

Johnson sat down with the DHA news team to reflect on her career-long commitment to the Military Health System, helping provide a medically ready force and ready medical force, and advocating for the people who make military medicine possible. “I’ve always wanted to give back,” she said. “The bottom line is nothing matters if the people doing the work aren't taken care of.”

Question: How did you find yourself in the running for the Defense Health Agency Senior Enlisted Leader role?

Johnson: I’ve been lucky. There have been a lot of great senior leaders throughout my career who helped me get where I am today. In 2013, when I was at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, I started hearing about DHA. Keesler Air Force Base was one of the first facilities to go under the authority, direction, and control of DHA and I was pulled up to be the squadron superintendent, helping the facility transition. I saw DHA as an exciting opportunity to keep military medicine moving forward. I went on deployment right after Keesler transitioned, and when I returned and saw that things weren’t moving as fast as I thought they would, I asked questions. I ended up working as senior enlisted leader in DHA administration and management under Dr. Barclay Butler and the rest is history.

Question: How did your deployments with Operation United Assistance, Operation Inherent Resolve, and Operation Deliberate Resolve shape your experience?

Johnson: On deployment you’re often going into an unknown situation. To succeed, everyone must work together to support the mission. From a medical perspective, deployments showcase medics at their best. Building a health care facility that’s ready to go within 12 hours of boots on the ground, and then having the privilege of supporting health care workers — is there any more fulfilling mission? Add to that the joint relationships, not just between the services but with our allied partners and seeing how those relationships are reinforced, was incredibly valuable.

Question: Where do you see the biggest opportunities for growth and innovation at DHA over the next several years?

Johnson: Technology is our greatest opportunity. We all know there’s a shortage of health care professionals in this country. We need to find new ways to deliver care to meet our military medical mission. There's so much out there, the things we see at conferences like DHITS (Defense Health Information Technology Symposium) and HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Symposium) … I hope DHA can find a way to get that technology into the hands of patients and providers.

Question: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing DHA in coming years and how is DHA preparing to meet those challenges?

Johnson: DHA needs to modernize its infrastructure — everything from computers to the facilities — to continue delivering the best possible care. That means showing the value of investing those dollars. That’s a challenge because money spent on infrastructure is money not spent on something else. There are always going to be competing priorities, and I don't envy the people having those conversations, but we owe it to our patients and staff to find a way to make it happen.

Question: What are you most proud of from your time at DHA?

Johnson: The people. What we do isn’t easy, and I’m proud of the compassion and discipline of our workforce. It’s humbling to work alongside such a dedicated team. I’m also proud of what DHA has accomplished. We’ve made great strides in things like our electronic health record (MHS GENESIS) and network structure. The last few years I’ve noticed a real cohesiveness around our shared vision. It’s been amazing to witness.

Question: What advice would you give your younger self about being a successful leader?

Johnson: To succeed in a joint environment, you need to learn and understand the cultural nuances and terminology of the other services. Those differences matter, especially as a leader. Taking time to learn and use words like shipmate and deck plate when visiting a Navy hospital, for example, show the sailors on board you respect them. Once your people see and feel your respect, it’s easier to pull them together and keep everyone moving in the same direction.

Question: Your catchphrase is “lead with grace.” What does it mean to lead with grace?

Johnson: Leading with grace means practicing compassion and empathy for others, assuming positive intent and acknowledging that everyone is trying their best. Leaders set the tone. If a leader is respectful and understanding, their people will be, too.

Question: You once said DHA’s core values of dependability, humility, and agility are an important part of who we are today and who we want to be in the future. What do DHA’s values mean to you?

Johnson: Patients depend on us to provide the care they deserve, and our staff depend on us for a safe, modern facility to provide that care. We need to be humble enough to hear and understand what our patients and staff tell us they need and then do our best to provide it. Agility means asking ourselves, “Are we changing with the times? Are we delivering at the speed of relevance?” and then finding ways to make change happen.

Question: Celebrating the workforce has been an important part of your role as SEL. How can DHA continue to recognize workforce contributions?

Johnson: We can't do what we do without our people. The DHA workforce is a huge force-enabler. Without our people, the warfighter doesn't go to war, retirees don't get their benefits, TRICARE doesn't provide for its 9.5 million beneficiaries. Our success depends on our workforce, and they should be tremendously proud of what they accomplish each and every day. That’s one reason we started #DHAProud Days, so we’d have an opportunity every month to celebrate the DHA workforce. We also have DHA Spotlights and the quarterly employee recognition awards, but we can always do more to acknowledge the incredible work being done across the agency.

Question: Is there anything you didn’t accomplish as SEL that you wish you’d been able to do?

Johnson: An organizational well-being platform was at the top of my list. Our health care workers are under so much stress and that stress impacts the entire team. We wanted to find a way to support them, to bring the temperature down and give them a chance to take a knee, take a breath, and fill their cup a bit. It was a way of giving back, and I’m hopeful it will launch in the future.

I also hoped to consolidate and optimize enlisted education at the Medical Education and Training Campus to focus on joint courses and shared resources. We have an enlisted working group of SELs looking at how we can consolidate the METC campus and the continuum of enlisted training, from METC to the MTFs (military treatment facilities) and advanced training. My hope is that sometime in the next three to five years you’ll walk into a classroom and see everyone training together.

Question: What surprised you the most about being DHA SEL?

Johson: Just how much was out of our control. So much of what we do is determined by legislation. Before coming to DHA, I’d often wonder why something wasn’t getting done or wasn’t getting done quickly. DHA is a small piece of a larger bureaucratic system and it's easy to see why that’s frustrating. The system is complex, and while we do everything we can to set the agency up for success — that often means making tough decisions.

Question: What advice do you have for the next SEL to help them succeed in the role?

Johnson: This job isn’t about what you want, it’s about being responsible and accountable to the agency, our beneficiaries, our workforce — everyone we’re privileged to serve. Stay the course. Trust your team. Get comfortable saying no. Remember that nothing happens without our people. They're the legacy we leave behind.

Question: What’s next after you retire from DHA?

Johnson: Finding a way to give back to the communities and people who supported me all these years. I believe in DHA and the MHS and I want to continue supporting the health care professionals doing the hard work, day in and day out.

Question: What message would you like to leave for the DHA workforce?

Johnson: Thank you for trusting me and thank you for continuing to take care of our beneficiaries and each other. It has been an honor to be part of your team and a true privilege to support you, advocate for you, and cheer your many, many successes. I hope you know how much I care about each of you.

• Date Taken: 11.18.2025
• Date Posted: 11.18.2025 14:32
• Story ID: 551587
• Location: US