LATHAM N.Y.--Chief Master Sgt. Maureen Dooley, a Rome, N.Y. resident, formally took over as the top enlisted leader for the 5,600-member New York Air National Guard on Monday, Feb. 26 during a short ceremony at New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs headquarters.
Major General Anthony German, the Adjutant General of New York and Commander of the New York Air National Guard, transferred the organization’s guidon from Chief Master Sgt. Amy Giaquinto to Dooley, marking Dooley’s assumption of responsibility.
Dooley previously served as the Senior Enlisted Leader and Group Superintendent for the 224th Air Defense Group in Rome. Dooley served in the active Air Force from 1979 to 1987 and has served in the Air National Guard since 1995.
As Command Chief Master Sergeant for the New York Air National Guard, Dooley will serve as the advisor to Major General Anthony German, commander of the New York Air National Guard, on issues affecting enlisted Airmen.
Giaquinto now serves as the senior enlisted advisor for both the Army and Air National Guard.
Trying to handle the Air Guard duties while also looking out for all members of the New York National Guard is too much, German explained, so the New York Air Guard needed a non-commissioned officer who could do that.
German praised Dooley as a non-commissioned officer who looks after Airmen and who has had a distinguished career and understands the issues facing Airmen.
“She has unlimited energy,” German said.
In her remarks, Dooley thanked her family for their support and also thanked the Airmen and leaders of the Eastern Air Defense Command, where she has served for most of her career, for the things she learned there.
“Today is one of the most humbling and exciting times of my military career,” Dooley said.
Dooley said she plans to focus on Airmen care and also on learning and growing as a leader in the new role.
Today’s Airmen of the New York Air National Guard are motivated, professional and intelligent, and they deserve the best leadership, she said.
The New York Air National Guard is located at five bases across New York and operates the MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft, the C-17 Globemaster III strategic transport, the LC-130 ski-equipped Hercules transport, and the HH-60 search and rescue helicopter and the HC-130 search and rescue aircraft.
Most of the force consists of traditional Air National Guardsmen who serve on a part-time basis, but others serve full-time to ensure readiness.
Dooley is a native of Danielson, Connecticut. After joining the Air Force in 1979 she served as an aircraft maintenance specialists on the F-4E and then the F-15 fighter and the T-33 training aircraft before leaving the Air Force.
In December 1995, Dooley enlisted in the New York Air National Guard and joined what was then the Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS), part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, and is responsible for identifying and tracking aircraft flying over the United States and Canada. The unit directs fighters to defend North American airspace.
Dooley worked in tracking and identification positions and also served in weapons director, air surveillance, mission crew controller and non-commissioned officer positions at NEADS and now EADs.
She served as Flight Superintendent and Operations Superintendent before becoming the Chief Enlisted Manager of the 224th Support Squadron in 2014. She served as the senior enlisted leader at the 224th Air Defense Group from 2016 until January 2018.
Dooley is a Distinguished Graduate of the Air Force Senior NCO Academy and holds a degree in Space Technology from the Community College of Air Force.