Upon completing his Ph.D. in economics, Whitley worked in the economics department of the University of Adelaide in Australia. At Adelaide, Whitley taught various courses on microeconomics topics and published research in on agricultural economics and law and economics topics.[3]
Whitley left DoD for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the office of the CFO. He was the director of DHS PA&E and the DHS Performance Improvement Officer. In these roles, he led the resource allocation process and the measurement, reporting and improvement of performance. At DHS, Whitley worked on counterterrorism, immigration, cybersecurity and disaster management issues.[7]
On February 1, 2018, President Donald Trump nominated Whitley to be Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller). On September 18, 2018, the United States Senate confirmed his nomination by voice vote; he was sworn in the same day.[2][8] Whitley served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the U.S. Army, in charge of financial management, audit, and budgetary issue for the $180 billion Army budget.[9]
From August 16, 2019, through March 13, 2020, Whitley was acting director of cost assessment and program evaluation (CAPE) for DoD. He then moved to the role of performing the duties of the director of CAPE from March 13, 2020, through May 4, 2020.[10] As the director of CAPE, Whitley served in roles similar to the Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Investment Officer of the DoD.[11] On May 4, 2020, he was nominated to assume this post.[12] While awaiting confirmation, Whitley served as the acting deputy chief management officer of the DoD.[13] On January 3, 2021, his nomination was returned to the president under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate.[12]
Whitley in 2018 as Assistant Secretary of the Army
President Joe Biden appointed Whitley as the acting Secretary of the Army.[3] In the role, Whitley functioned as the CEO of the Department of the Army, including its more than one million military personnel, 200,000 civilians, and $180 billion annual budget.[1] During his tenure, Whitley advocated for Army modernization efforts,[14] increased the focus in readiness on small-unit training,[15] directed a major restructuring of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command,[16] oversaw the National Guardsmen stationed in Washington, D.C. (including the 25,000 in place for the inauguration on January 20, 2021),[17] and developed the 2022 Army budget.[18] On May 5, 2021, Whitley testified to the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense on the Fiscal Year 2022 Army Budget.[19]
Personal life
Whitley lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife, Danielle, and their two children. His son serves in the Army.[citation needed]
Publications
Some academic works
Whitley, J.; Bishop, J.; Burns, S.; Guerrera, K.; Lurie, P.; Rieksts, B.; Roberts, B.; Wojtecki, T.; Wu, L. (2018). “Medical Total Force Management: Assessing Readiness and Cost” IDA Paper P-8805
Roberts, B.; Whitley, J.; and Valdes-Dapena, M. (2014). “Economics of Federal Law Enforcement,” in Payson S. (ed). "Public Economics in the United States: How the Federal Government Analyzes and Influences the Economy". 1: Praeger.
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