David Tillotson III, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Director, National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. As Museum Director, Mr. Tillotson manages the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum, portraying the heritage and traditions of the Air Force through specialized exhibits. He oversees nearly one million square feet of exhibit space with more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of other artifacts. He also provides technical and professional guidance to the U.S. Air Force Heritage Program, which includes more than 2,400 aerospace vehicles and over 46,000 other artifacts, on loan to nearly 780 domestic and international military heritage activities, civilian museums, cities, municipalities and veterans' organizations.
Prior to his current assignment he was the Assistant Deputy Chief Management Officer for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Mr. Tillotson was commissioned upon graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1975. His assignments included ground theater air control system units with Tactical Air Command and U.S. Air Forces in Europe, as well as at headquarters level with USAFE, U.S. Air Force and the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Mr. Tillotson has served twice as a unit commander with responsibility for conventional air defense employment and counterdrug operations with international law enforcement and airspace control authorities.
At the staff level, Mr. Tillotson has been responsible for air defense planning and system requirements, including air defense and air control systems integration, in both NATO and North American settings. Following assignments in operations, Mr. Tillotson moved to the Air Force acquisition corps, where he initially served as the Deputy Mission Area Director, Information Dominance, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. He was assigned to the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, as Chief of Experimentation with the Integrated Command and Control System Program Office and was responsible for the Air Force's Joint Expeditionary Experiment series. He then became the System Program Director for the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Integration Program Office.
Mr. Tillotson entered the Senior Executive Service in November 2002, following retirement from active duty. As a senior executive, Mr. Tillotson served as a Director in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Warfighting Integration; as the Deputy Chief, Warfighting Integration and Deputy Chief Information Officer, Headquarters U.S. Air Force; as the first Air Force Deputy Chief Management Officer. He served as the Assistant Deputy Chief Management Officer for the Office of the Secretary of Defense before taking his current position.