Aaron Gillison, Deputy Director, Operations

Portrait of Aaron Gillison, Deputy Director, DFAS Indianapolis

Aaron Gillison became the DFAS Deputy Director for Operations in January 2021, after serving as the Deputy Director for Strategy and Support immediately prior.  In this role, Mr. Gillison was responsible for developing and guiding implementation of the agency’s strategy and directing the agency’s mission support activities including: Resource Management, Information and Technology, Acquisition, Policy, Corporate Communications, Legislative Liaison, Human Capital, Equal Employment Opportunity, Lean6, Project Management, Force Protection, and the DFAS Human Resources Regional Service Center, which services personnel spanning both DFAS and DoD’s Fourth Estate.
 
Mr. Gillison has served in various capacities throughout DFAS.  From December 2014 to July 2019, he was the Director of Information and Technology, responsible for the oversight and direction of DFAS information technology expenditures of approximately $500 million per year.  Mr. Gillison served as the Deputy Director and Director of DFAS Indianapolis from August 2010 to December 2014; he was responsible for managing the day-to-day operation of more than 3,000 federal employees providing a range of finance and accounting services to the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and 26 Defense Agencies worldwide. 
 
From September 2008 to August 2010, he was Director, DFAS Rome, located in central New York State. His site was the accounting support to the U.S. Army, Army Central Command; the Accounting Center of Excellence for U.S. Special Operations Command; and Army and Navy Medical Commands. Mr. Gillison also served as the Acting Director for DFAS Limestone, Maine, from March to August 2008, supporting the U.S. Air Force. Before that, he was the Director of the Finance Mission Area for Standards and Compliance in Indianapolis, a position he assumed in January 2006. In that position he had oversight responsibility for pay services and disbursing operations to DoD for Active, National Guard, and Reserve military pay, civilian pay, travel pay, and retired and annuitant pay. During 2007-2008, he served as the DFAS Program Manager for Wounded Warrior Pay Management and supported DoD and the Department of Veteran Affairs efforts to enhance the financial component of wounded warrior care. Mr. Gillison also served as the DFAS Director of Military Pay from July 2005 to January 2006. As the Director of Military Pay, he directed day-to-day military pay operations for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.
 
Prior to joining DFAS, Mr. Gillison completed a career with the U.S. Army as an officer, where he served in a multitude of assignments from the Airborne Infantry to Financial Management at HQDA and a joint unified command. Some of his active duty assignments included Commander of the 13th Finance Group supporting the III Armored Corps; Executive Officer to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management; Chief, Program Analysis Division for the Army G4; Commander, 215th Finance Battalion supporting the III Corps and then 1st Cavalry Division; and as the Chief of Operations and Maintenance Budget Branch for the U.S. Special Operations Command. He also served in leadership and financial management positions overseas in Egypt, Korea, and Bosnia.
 
Mr. Gillison earned the Airborne & Air Assault Badges, Expert Infantryman Badge, the Joint Specialty Officer designation, and the Army Staff Identification Badge. He has earned a number of civilian and military awards, including the Legion of Merit.
 
Mr. Gillison holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; a Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting from Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana; and a Masters of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. He is also a graduate of the Office of Personnel Management Federal Executive Institute Leadership for Democratic Society Program.
 

Updated January 8, 2021