JAG superintendent receives 2 high-level assignments

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Ryan Kuntze
  • 128 Air Refueling Wing
Senior Master Sgt. Jo-Ann Decker, Superintendent for the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) office at the 128 Air Refueling Wing here, recently accepted a national-level position as the Senior Paralegal for JAG's Legal Information Systems. 

One day after Decker assumed her Senior Paralegal duties, she was asked to fill a position as the Air National Guard's (ANG) Officer Liaison for Legal Information Systems, which is abbreviated JAS, a responsibility normally reserved for 0-6 Colonels. 

Decker's dual role within JAS will mark the first time an enlisted service member has held both the Senior Paralegal and Officer Liaison to JAS position. 

"The senior paralegal to JAS position works with all information technology functions within the ANG JAG corps," Decker said. 

Working as the officer liaison to JAS involves being in charge of the IT certification process, maintaining a roster for JAS personnel, adding content to the JAS web site, working in concert with JAS at Maxwell Air Force Base and reporting directly to the Major General in charge of JAS, Decker said. 

Both of the JAS positions handle the ANG's IT concerns across the entire country, Decker said. 

Decker said she traveled to Denver, Colo., in January to attend the Annual Survey of the Law, a gathering of approximately 500 legal representatives from the ANG and the Air Force Reserve. Her role in the survey was a three-hour presentation discussing information technology practices, she said. 

"I always support people who work for me who strive for higher things," said her commander Lt. Col. Scott Letteney, the Judge Advocate General for the 128 ARW. Letteney said Decker had the opportunity to retire after 22 years of service but instead chose to cross train as a paralegal. 

National-level paralegal slots usually go to career paralegals, Letteney noted. The fact Decker has done so well after only four years (compared to a career's worth) of experience with the JAG office speaks volumes as a testament to her personal motivation, Letteney said. 

Beyond Decker's dual JAS roles and being the 128th's JAG Superintendent here, she is also a school board member for the Random Lake School District, Wis., and she is the union president for city hall workers in Sheboygan, Wis. 

Decker said her manner of work ethic is to do the job as thoroughly and diligently as possible. She's not motivated by personal gain, but rather by her commitment to the tasks at hand. 

The colonel-slotted position with JAS is a three-year position, but has been offered to Decker for as long as she wants it, she said.