WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE - The 88th Air Base Wing will get a new commander on July 17, Air Force Materiel Command officials announced Wednesday.

Col. Cassie B. Barlow will replace Col. Amanda W. Gladney at a ceremony scheduled for that day at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

According to the 88th Air Base Wing Office of Public Affairs, Gladney has been selected for a new assignment as director of communications for Special Operations Command Europe in Stuttgart, Germany.

Barlow, who was previously assigned to the Air Force Research Laboratory Human Effectiveness Directorate at Wright-Patterson from 1996 to 1998, currently serves as director of manpower and personnel of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command, headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

Barlow will be the third woman to serve as commander of the more than 5,000 Air Force military, civilian and contract employees that comprise the 88th Air Wing at Wright-Patterson. The other women to hold the post were Gladney and retired Col. Colleen Ryan, who left Wright-Patterson command in 2008.

Barlow currently leads a selectively manned directorate that provides manpower and personnel support to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command, according to the Office of Public Affairs. She has served in a variety of positions in the information management, behavioral science and personnel career fields at squadron, wing, direct reporting unit, major command, Air Force and combatant command levels.

She is a 1988 graduate of Georgetown University.

Gladney has served as wing commander since June 2010. She succeeded Col. Bradley D. Spacy so he could report to a new assignment as chief of Air Force-Senate liaison at the Pentagon.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2124 or kwedell@coxohio.com.