One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 130 years of family serving family
Who she is: Bettina Ciciriello-Frederick, Fort Stewart general manager
Years at the Exchange: She celebrated her 20th anniversary in January.
Military connections: Ciciriello-Frederick was married to an Army tank mechanic, who was an E5 (sergeant). They met in Giessen, Germany, before the Army closed some of the installations.
How she came to the Exchange: She first discovered the Exchange as a military spouse.
Her first role: Ciciriello-Frederick started as a shift manager at Fort Riley, Kansas, where she and her family were stationed after living in Germany.
“I started as a shift supervisor at Fort Riley working at a troop store, which was called the Riley Sports Page. When I was in Germany, I was working in retail on the German economy, so I did have a retail background and had a degree in business from a German university.”
Her Exchange career: Ciciriello-Frederick has held many roles, including positions at headquarters and at the Pentagon.
“I’ve been very fortunate that people really invested in me,” she said. “I worked for the Exchange for six months before I got promoted to shift manager. I’ve been nominated for the Retail Management Academy.
“In 2009, I decided to take my career to the next level. I always saw people come and go, including managers, and I wanted to see other places and grow with the organization. I decided to go mobile. In May 2010, I got my first assignment. It was to the Pentagon as the Military Clothing Sales manager. I didn’t even know we had a store at the Pentagon at that point.
“When I talked with my general manager, she told me where it was. Of course, I was super nervous, but my Exchange family took care of me. I took the facility manager course, then I was sent to Fort Carson for training, then I PCS’d to the Pentagon. Everyone invited me with open arms. I got to meet a lot of great people, including generals who were really great and taught me a lot, even for my own personal development.
“After the Pentagon, I went to Store Operations at headquarters as an analyst. From there, I went to Fort Carson as the operations manager. Later, I went to Fort Irwin as the main store manager. Then, I went back to Store Ops and became a firearms specialist.
“My first general manager position for Dyess Air Force Base and Goodfellow Air Force Base. Then I came here to Fort Stewart.
“When I had a big life change, it was either leave everything and go back to Germany or stay with the Exchange and make that my career. And I really loved what I was doing, so I decided to take that leap of faith.”
We Go Where You Go: “I had the best time at Fort Irwin because it was like a tight-knit family in your own little city because you were in the middle of the desert.
“My son was in high school when we were assigned there. Everybody knew my kid. He couldn’t really get in trouble because I would know it before he could make it home. And everybody took care of everyone. He forgot his debit card in the commissary and the cashier brought it to me because they knew his name. He got a ride back from the sergeant major when he went to the theater because we lived across the street.
“You really are a big part of the community there. Some of the installations we serve, you still have all these places outside, but once you go into the remote and isolated installations, we’re it. It is a great experience when you get to go to places like that.”
Other memorable moments: “When I first became a general manager, it was in 2020. It was COVID times, and we had just completed a remodel of the Goodfellow main store. Doing a project like that during COVID was extremely difficult with the restrictions. We still had so many people getting sick. We had merchandise and fixture shortages. We had the grand opening in August 2021, and it all came together perfectly. It was so rewarding to see it all and have a successful grand opening. I had a lot of support from my headquarters partners, and my vice president gave me a lot of guidance.”
Family Serving Family: “Family serving family is really how the Exchange works. When we go through something like a natural disaster, the Exchange is always the first one that opens back up on any installation. That’s because of our people and how dedicated they are, even though they’re likely affected too. That’s why we can work through anything.”
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