Lt. Col. Nicole M. Balliet has been promoted to a new job in the California National Guard and has left her position as commander of Camp San Luis Obispo.

Taking over as the new commander is Lt. Col. Joseph Righello. His official first day was Thursday.

Balliet’s promotion to executive Nicole M. officer to Balliet the adjutant general in the California National Guard in Sacramento means that for the first time in nearly two decades, she won’t be working at Camp San Luis Obispo.

“For those of you who don’t know, I have worked at Camp San Luis Obispo for over 17 years. Which means that over 40 percent of my life, I have been coming through the front gates of this wonderful institution,” Balliet wrote in a goodbye note published in the camp’s newsletter, The Shot ‘N Shell.

During that time, she said, new facilities were built and tenants added at the camp, along with protective measures following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Righello was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1980. A former Army aviator, Righello has a wide range of experience, most recently as commander of the 2nd Battalion, 223rd Infantry Regiment . He has a bachelor’s degree in management from Saint Mary’s College and a master’s degree in international security and civil-military relations from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey.