Colonel Patrick J. White
Director, Office of Labor and Economic Analysis
Bio
Colonel Patrick J. White is the Director of the Office of Labor and Economic Analysis (OLEA), the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado. Colonel White leads a research center responsible for providing labor economic analysis and insights to inform an Air and Space Force workforce design that attracts, employs, and retains over 700K total force Air and Space professionals in a competitive labor market. OLEA addresses unmet needs in personnel policy identified by senior leadership, with a focus on the application of labor economics principles and econometric analysis to understand the impacts of policy and incentive structures on the behavior Airmen and Guardians. Colonel White and OLEA supports priorities and research directed by the OLEA Steering Group, chaired by the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
The Colonel was commissioned a Second Lieutenant upon graduation from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1994. He has served as a Manpower and Organization / Force Support Officer at the squadron, wing, MAJCOM, Air Staff, and Joint Staff levels as well as deployed at the Squadron, Air Component Headquarters and US Joint Task Force levels. He has commanded a Force Support Squadron and an Expeditionary Support Squadron. Additionally, Colonel White served on the faculty at the United States Air Force Academy as an executive officer and Assistant Professor of Geography.
Education
1994 Bachelor of Science in Geography, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
1999 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
2000 Master of Arts in Geography, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
2008 Master of Arts in Military Operational Arts and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2013 Air War College, Air University (Correspondence)
Summary of Joint Assignments
April 2006 – July 2007, Joint Manpower Analyst, Joint Manpower Division, Joint Manpower and Personnel Directorate (J1), The Joint Staff, The Pentagon, Washington DC as a Major
Professional Experience
July 1994 – July 1996, Manpower Officer, 56th Fighter Wing Manpower Office, Luke AFB, Arizona
July 1996 – July 1998, Chief Organization Section, Manpower and Organization Division, Plans and Programs Directorate, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph AFB, Texas
July 1998 – July 2000, Air Force Institute of Technology Student, Department of Geography and Regional Planning, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
July 2000 – July 2003, Assistant Professor of Geography and Executive Officer, Department of Economics and Geography, The United States Air Force Academy, Colorado
July 2003 – April 2006, Wartime Requirements Program Manager and Combat Forces Manpower Programmer, Manpower and Organization Directorate, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Personnel, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington DC
May 2005 – Sept 2005, Deputy A1-Forward, Combined Air Operations Center, U.S. Central Air Forces, Al Udeid AB, Qatar
April 2006 – July 2007, Joint Manpower Analyst, Joint Manpower Division, Joint Manpower and Personnel Directorate (J1), The Joint Staff, The Pentagon, Washington DC
July 2007 – Jun 2008, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
July 2008 – July 2010, Commander, 45th Force Support Squadron, 45th Space Wing, Patrick AFB, Florida
Sept 2009 – Mar 2010, Joint Visitor’s Bureau Planner, Headquarters US Forces-Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghanistan
July 2010 – Sept 2011, Chief, Current Operations Branch, Personnel Readiness Division, Force Management and Policy Directorate, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel, and Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington DC
Sept 2011 – Jun 2012, Chief, Enlisted Force Management Branch, Force Management Division, Force Management and Policy Directorate, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel, and Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington DC
Jun 2012 – Nov 2012, Commander, 405th Expeditionary Support Squadron, 405th Air Expeditionary Group, Southwest Asia
Nov 2012 – Jun 2015, Deputy Chief, Force Management and Enterprise Readiness Analysis Division, Military Force Management Policy Directorate, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel, Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington DC
Jul 2015 – July 2018, Chief, Manpower and Organization Division, Manpower, Personnel, and Services Directorate, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
July 2018 – May 2020, Chief, Manpower Program Development Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel, Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington DC
May 2020 – July 2022, Chief, Workforce Futures Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel, Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington DC
August 2022 – Present, Director, Office of Labor and Economic Analysis, The United States Air Force Academy, Colorado
Honors & Awards
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Achievement Medal with two oak leaf cluster
Other Achievements
2008 Air Command and Staff College Dean’s Research Award – Leadership, Command, and Communications Studies
2020 Air Force Michael P.C. Carns Award
2021 Air Force General Benjamin O. Davis Management Engineering Team Award
Publications
2002 “Hedonic Estimates of Lodging rates in the Four Corners States,” with Gordon Mulligan, The Professional Geographer