Joseph A. Simonelli

Commonly and affectionately called “COL Joe”, Colonel (Ret.) Joseph Simonelli joined Warrior Centric Health Care, LLC, where he is Vice President, after completing 30 years of uniformed service in a variety of leadership positions.

He finished his Army career as the chief of staff of Arlington National Cemetery, the Nations’ most sacred shrine, laying to rest the Veterans with dignity and respect. After spending his last three years of active duty service caring for Veterans at the end of their lives, he looks forward to now being a major component in prolonging the lives of our Veterans.

He held a variety of leadership positions from small units to the top levels of the Department of Defense. He was one of the most versatile officers in the Army. In addition to his operational assignments and deployments, he held positions of significant importance: Personnel Distribution Officer and Assignment Officer in Human Resources Command; Staff Synchronization Officer for the $8B Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in the Army Deputy Chief of Staff G-8 Programs; Senior Policy Officer in the Joint Staff Strategic Plans & Policy (J5); Garrison Commander (Mayor) of Fort Bliss, TX, one of the largest military installations in the Department of Defense; Director of House Affairs for the Secretary of Defense; and culminating as the Chief of Staff of Arlington National Cemetery. He is a Gulf War and Iraq War Veteran, participating in Operations Southern Watch, Northern Watch, and Iraqi Freedom, and is a service-disabled veteran.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from West Point, a Master of Arts degree in Human Resources from Webster University, and a Master of Science degree in National Security Strategies from the National Defense University, National War College. He is also a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI Fellowship program.

His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), Legion of Merit (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (5 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Commendation Medal (6 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Achievement Medal (3 Oak Leaf Clusters), National Defense Service Medal with bronze star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon (with 2 numerals), and the Kuwaiti Liberation Medal.

In addition to an extremely successful military career, he has the distinct privilege of serving in distinguished positions in not-for-profit organizations. He served over eight years in multiple capacities for the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), serving two years on the Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve Advisory Committee to the Board of Directors followed by six years as the first Active Duty, Active Component Board Member of MOAA. His subcommittee responsibilities included four years on the Government Relations Committee and two years on the Council and Chapter Affairs Committee. Since 2012, he serves on the Board of Governors of the Army-Navy Country Club, a Member Only Country Club located in the Washington DC area. His subcommittee responsibilities include serving on the Tennis Committee, currently serving as the Chair for the past two years, member of the Governance Committee, and liaison to the Finance Committee. Also since 2012, he serves on the Advisory Board for the Blue Sky Foundation’s Boots on the Court Program, a program created to form a partnership between civilian athletes, philanthropists and members of the United States Military to bring the game of tennis to our military service members and their families. Since 2016 he serves on Virginia Arlington County’s Military and Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee (MVAC) advising the County Manager on significant issues and initiatives supporting Veterans and their families. Also since 2016, he serves on the Board of Governors of USA Cares, a charitable organization that addresses the critical and unmet needs of post-9/11 service members, veterans and family members facing service-related hardships.

Joe and his wife, Bettye Marie Simonelli, currently reside in Northern Virginia and will continue to serve Veterans and their families in as many capacities as possible.