United States Southern Command
Julie (Brown) Rockefeller, Ph.D., currently serves as Chief of Programming at the United States Southern Command since November 2019, with prior roles as Management and Program Analyst and CENTAM/CARIB Counter Narcotics Program Manager. From December 2017 to November 2019, Julie was a Lean Navigator and Quality Assurance Manager at GMMI Inc. Additionally, from May 1994 to March 2000, Julie held positions as Quality Manager and Human Resource Manager in the U.S. Army. Julie holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Grand Canyon University and a Master's degree in Quality Systems Management from The National Graduate School of Quality Management.
United States Southern Command
The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida in Greater Miami, is one of ten Unified Combatant Commands (CCMDs) in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning, operations, and security cooperation for Central and South America, the Caribbean (except U.S. commonwealths, territories, and possessions), their territorial waters, and for the force protection of U.S. military resources at these locations. USSOUTHCOM is also responsible for ensuring the defense of the Panama Canal and the canal area. As explained below, USSOUTHCOM has been under scrutiny due to several human rights and rule of law controversies in which it has been embroiled for nearly a decade.