Warner Robins native retiring as top civilian in Air Force Materiel Command

WARNER ROBINS -- Robins Air Force Base is losing a close friend at its parent organization, the Air Force Materiel Command.

Michael Gill, the command's executive director, was born in Macon, grew up in Warner Robins and spent a decade working as a civilian at Robins. Having held the command's top civilian job for the past three years, Gill is retiring April 1 after 34 years of service.

Both of his parents were in the Air Force, which is what brought him to Warner Robins. He was born in Macon during their first stint at the base, then they came back when he was 6.

He graduated from Warner Robins High School in 1974 and got a bachelor's and a master's degree in business administration from Georgia College.

He started work at Robins in 1982 as a contracting officer and worked there until 1992 when his career took him to other bases throughout the country. He has worked at the command's other two maintenance depots -- Hill Air Force Base in Utah and Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City.

Although he never did another stint at Robins, the base remains dear to his heart.

"That's really where I got my foundation of understanding of what we do, and that's what helped me succeed throughout my career," he told The Telegraph last week. "Once you leave home, you always try to find a way to get back, but fortunately or unfortunately I kept finding opportunities that took me farther away."

His mother and sister still live in the midstate, and he said he counts many friends here. One of those is Deryl Israel, the former executive director at Robins.

Israel said he has known Gill throughout his career, but the two became friends when they both worked together at Hill Air Force Base.

"He was just great as far as I was concerned," Israel said. "He's got a great personality. He's always upbeat and positive. He's a can-do kind of a guy."

At about the time Gill became the command's executive director, the massive organization was undergoing a major change. It consolidated command at Tinker, and some of the top military and civilian jobs at Robins were eliminated. That caused considerable angst locally, especially when Robins lost its two-star general position. But Gill said the reorganization has worked.

The command has saved $100 million annually as a direct result of eliminating 1,000 positions, he said, and it led to more efficiencies that have contributed to a total savings of $1 billion.

"The folks I have talked to say they can't imagine doing business any other way," Gill said.

The Air Force Materiel Command headquarters is at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, and Gill said he plans to remain there for the time being, but he said he will be coming to Warner Robins more often when he retires.

As for the future of Robins as well as the other two depots, Gill believes it's bright. Top Air Force leaders have repeatedly said the Air Force needs three depots, and Gill said he doesn't foresee how that could change with the current state of world events.

"I think the road that Robins, Hill and Tinker are on is exactly where they need to be for us moving into the future to be more efficient," he said. "They have proven that with the savings they have already brought to the table."

To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.

This story was originally published March 20, 2016 at 9:41 PM with the headline "Warner Robins native retiring as top civilian in Air Force Materiel Command ."