Don Cloutier

Donald Cloutier is a native of Saco, Maine, he joined the US Air Force in 1983 at the age of 17. Don trained as a Telecommunications Specialist and retired after 28 years of service. He assignments included, RAF Greenham Common United Kingdom supporting Ground Launch Cruise Missile operations, Misawa Air Base, Japan supporting US Navy P-3 Orion Bat Wing, Air Intelligence Agency and Japan Air Self Defense Forces. Don was assigned to Grand Forks AFB North Dakota Global Reach Communication Element in which he deployed as First Sergeant to Baghdad International Airport. During his time in the Air Force, he garnered numerous awards including Strategic Air Command Technician of the Year, 6 Meritorious Service Medals, amongst the list of accolades.

After retirement from the US Air Force, Don continued his federal service by joining the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an Information Technology Quality Assurance Inspector. During this time, he oversaw a new optical transport system to enhance redundancy and reliability for FEMA mission operations. In 2016, Don continued to support the federal mission joining the United States Secret Service (USSS) to support the USSS training facility. Don oversaw facility operations and provided key engineering and design support for new recruits and working dog facilities while incorporating an improved ticketing system to manage outages. His efforts earned him a USSS Director’s Special Recognition Award for supporting the USSS mission operations. In 2019, Don joined the National Science Foundation (NSF) as an IT Specialist to oversee the Service Desk operations and management of the new Customer Resource Management tool, ServiceNow. Leading innovations and improved operations enabled a method of aggregating operational hardware assets and device data into a single dashboard, which provides system-wide visibility, automated alerts, and remote monitoring and management capabilities, as well as security monitoring greatly enhancing the single pane of glass concept. In recognition of his outstanding work in the area customer support and visibility earned him the NSF’s Director Award in 2022.

Don is a pilot and a radio control turbine jet pilot instructor which he spends time teaching STEM students aeronautical theories and building 3-D models. Don is married to Janel Cloutier and has three wonderful daughters.