Office of the Under Secretary of Defense
Personnel and Readiness
Pamela S. Mitchell, Acting Director
Federal Voting Assistance Program
Ms. Pamela S. Mitchell is currently the Acting Director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), effective May 29, 2012. FVAP is a component of the Defense Human Resources Activity. Ms. Mitchell, a member of the Senior Executive Service, administers the federal responsibilities of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) for the Secretary of Defense, who is the Presidential designee. The Act covers the voting rights of all members of the Uniformed Services, Merchant Marine, and their family members, the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and all U.S. civilian citizens residing outside the United States.
Prior to this assignment, Ms. Mitchell was Director, Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO). The DTMO, also a component of the Defense Human Resources Activity, is aligned under the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Military Personnel Policy. The DTMO was established in February 2006, to consolidate and improve commercial travel oversight and management within the Department of Defense, serving as the single focal point for commercial travel both within the Department and with industry. As the Director, Ms. Mitchell provided oversight for commercial travel management, travel policy and implementation, customer support and training, the DoD travel card program, and housing and travel allowance and entitlement programs, as well as functional oversight of the Defense Travel System (DTS).
Ms. Mitchell holds a Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College, National Defense University and a Master of Business Administration from Florida Tech. She holds a Certificate in Information Strategy, School of Information Warfare and Strategy, Information Resources Management College, National Defense University, and is a graduate of the University of Southern Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.
Ms. Mitchell retired from the United States Army after 25 years of service in the fields of military personnel policy, management and personnel systems, encompassing company, battalion, brigade, corps, theater, and Army Personnel Command assignments. Key positions included Chief, Field Systems and Chief, Personnel Service Support at the United States Total Army Personnel Command, and Director, Enlisted Management for United States Army Europe. Following her retirement, she was employed in the private sector as a human resources consultant before returning to the Department of Defense.
Awards include the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service, the Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster, and the Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters.
