Governor Katie Hobbs Announces Appointment Brigadier General John Conley as the Adjutant General and Director of Department of Emergency and Military Affairs

Phoenix, AZ - Today, Governor Katie Hobbs has appointed Brigadier General John Conley as The Adjutant General of Arizona and Director of the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA). In this role, he will oversee the day-to-day operations of Arizona's Army and Air National Guard, Joint Task Force, Administrative Services, and the Division of Emergency Management. 

Brigadier General Conley has more than three decades of commissioned service in both the Army and the Air National Guard. For the past 14 years, he has held various positions within the Arizona National Guard. In his new role, Brigadier General Conley will continue to drive key initiatives for the Arizona National Guard, including Task Force SAFE, a critical ongoing effort to prevent dangerous drugs from entering the state.

“Brigadier General Conley is a distinguished leader, accomplished lawyer, and dedicated public servant, and I’m proud to appoint him to this position,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “As The Adjutant General of Arizona and the Director of DEMA, Conley will build on our ongoing efforts to secure our border and keep our communities safe. His decades of military service, including 14 years in the Arizona National Guard, are a testament to his commitment to protecting the people of Arizona and our nation.”

“I’m honored that Governor Hobbs has selected me to lead the Arizona National Guard and Department of Emergency and Military Affairs,” said Brigadier General John Conley. “Throughout my career, I have been driven by a desire to defend our country and to keep people safe. I look forward to continuing to work alongside the men and women of DEMA to protect and serve Arizonans.”

Most recently, Brigadier General Conley served as Director of Administrative Services for DEMA, where he managed personnel, finance, and mission support functions for the Arizona National Guard and Division of Emergency Management. Before this, he served as the Staff Judge Advocate for the Arizona Air National Guard and State Judge Advocate for the Arizona National Guard. As the senior legal advisor to the Air Component Commander and Land Component Commander of Arizona National Guard he directed all Air and Army Judge Advocates, DEMA civilian counsel, and paralegals and oversaw Air and Army military justice, operational law, civil law, fiscal law, cyber law, and ethics functions at all command levels. In this role, he was instrumental in shaping Arizona’s military cyber operations, collaborating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Arizona Department of Administration to establish the Arizona National Guard’s first cyber security interagency agreements.

Prior to his roles at DEMA, Brigadier General Conley served on active duty as Legal Assistance attorney and later Trial Counsel at Camp Humphreys Army Airfield, Korea. He was also assigned as Trial Counsel and later Labor Counselor at Wiesbaden Army Airfield, Germany. After leaving active duty, Brigadier General Conley served as Executive Officer and later Officer in Charge of the largest Army Reserve legal support team in Arizona.

In his civilian capacity, Brigadier General Conley is a shareholder-attorney whose practice focuses on commercial litigation and employment law in the healthcare industry. He represents physicians, physician groups, and healthcare entities. Brigadier General Conley earned a B.S. from Northeastern University and a J.D. from the University of Arizona College of Law.

Headshot of Brigadier General Conley: