Air Force Brig. Gen. Shanna Woyak was promoted to the rank of major general during a ceremony at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., June 16. Woyak will become the first director of the Defense Health Agency's Small Market and Stand-Alone Military Treatment Facility Organization, or SSO, in the coming weeks.
In her new role, Woyak will lead the effort to manage stand-alone MTFs and others grouped together into small markets. The SSO will provide executive management and oversee clinical operations, business operations, and analytics and strategy for the MTFs it supports. She will oversee 17 small markets and 68 stand-alone MTFs.
Woyak, a member of the Air National Guard, brings a wealth of military and civilian experience to the role.
She began her military medical career as an airman first class in 1986 and received a direct commission as an Air Force clinical nurse in 1995. She recently served as the director of the National Capital Region Medical Directorate at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
In her civilian career, she has held executive-level positions at Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, among others.
With this promotion, Woyak is now one of five female major generals and two medical major generals in the Air National Guard.
Air Force Surgeon General Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Robert Miller presided the ceremony and administered the oath of office.
"When Shanna first started her career, she wanted to do a few things - she wanted to be able to take care of people, she wanted to become a nurse and, even at a young age, she knew that serving her country would allow her to achieve her goals, while being a part of something bigger," said Miller. "Like many, she thought she would serve her four years, be done, and move on to civilian life. Your nation is grateful that you decided to stay a few years longer, and I can't think of a more deserving, more qualified individual for this promotion and to become the first DHA SSO director."
For the role, Woyak plans to draw on her knowledge and experience over the past four decades. Specifically, her executive experience within civilian hospital networks is a perfect fit to bring this group of facilities, with both geographic and service-related concerns, into the same organization.
"In the private sector, I've had a lot of experience with integration, facilities, and acquisitions, and I think (DHA director) Lt. Gen. Place thought it would be a good fit," said Woyak. "In the private sector, there's not a free-standing facility. Everyone is part of a larger conglomerate of facilities. It's similar to what we're going to be doing with pulling together the Army, Navy, and Air Force."
There are 140 facilities under the SSO, accounting for just over a quarter of health encounters within the Military Health System's direct-care system.