BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The leadership of the Headquarters Individual Reservist Readiness and Integration Organization will change hands following Col. Christopher E. Cronce’s move to the Pentagon, where he is now the Deputy Director for Reserve Personnel.
Cronce hands the reins of leadership to Col. Carolyn A. Stickell, who currently serves as the Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Headquarters Air Reserve Personnel Center vice commander.
Cronce became the first commander of HQ RIO following the transition of the Individual Reserve force from the Readiness Management Group, Robins AFB, Georgia, to Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, in February 2014. In August 2013, prior to officially becoming the HQ RIO commander, he also served as Chief, Individual Reservist Integration and Transformation, overseeing the beginning stages of the RMG to HQ RIO transition.
“I know that the HQ RIO, Detachment, and Operating Location staffs will continue to mature under [Col. Stickell’s] leadership and will achieve even more in their efforts to support the Individual Reservist and the rest of their customers,” said Cronce.
Stickell served as the IMA to the ARPC vice commander since August 2013. In this role, she aided in leading the seven-directorate, 450-member center, directing approximately 150 programs to deliver total force support to generations of Airmen throughout their military careers. Prior to coming to ARPC, she served as an assistant professor of finance at the U.S. Air Force Academy, an acquisition program manager, resource manager, executive officer and manpower officer. She holds of Bachelor of Science degree in finance and a Master of Business Administration degree, both from the University of Colorado.
I’m really excited to be coming on board as part of HQ RIO,” said Stickell. “Having been an Individual Mobilization Augmentee for 15 years, I understand many of the challenges IRs face in their careers and the importance of supporting them and their active duty units.”
Stickell will officially take the helm of HQ RIO during an assumption of command ceremony, June 24.
Individual Reservists, a term that encompasses IMAs and Participating Individual Ready Reservists, are Air Force Reservists assigned to active-duty units and government agencies. They are managed by HQ RIO, located at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, and serve over 50 separate major commands, combatant commands and government agencies.
Unlike Traditional Reservists, who are assigned to Reserve units that regularly perform duty together, IRs work with their active-duty supervisors to create a custom duty schedule to meet mission requirements.