Feeling drawn to enlist in the military, Vanessa Y. Williams served 36 years in the U.S. Air Force, contributing to its accounting and finance and airfield management sections and the Air National Guard. While serving in the Air Force, she completed reviews and updated all records in the program data file, and developed a PC program to uniformly apply the decrements, along with generate transactions in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. A certified logistic analyst and member of the U.S. Air Force Association, Ms. Williams has also volunteered with Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit, which is dedicated to the rescue and protection of animals in the community while inspiring healthy relationships between people and their companion animals.
In honor of her myriad accomplishments, Ms. Williams has received numerous accolades for her long service. Among her honors include the Meritorious Service Medal, an Air Force Achievement Medal with Four devices, the Air Good Conduct Medal, the title of Air Force Outstanding Unit, an Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal with four devices, the National Defense Medal, an Air Force Longevity Service Award with three devices, the Air Force Training Ribbon and the Michigan State Ribbon with four devices. Recognized as an Air Force NCO professional military education graduate, Ms. Williams was also awarded the Daily Point of Light Award by the Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit.
Married to her loving wife, Rebecca Bartaway, Ms. Williams now enjoys spending her free time playing softball. The most rewarding thing about her profession was the people that she met over her military career. Ms. Williams’ greatest mentor was her mother, who showed her how to work in the federal government. Her advice to those looking to go into her field is to go in with an open mind and watch things to see if you can make it better in the future.