THE
VALUE OF
WOMEN SPECIAL REPORT
HISTORY
my guts, but he didn’t; he knew I
wasn’t serious about the military
and saw I was strong-willed. The
first day, he and I were like oil and
water; however, by the end of the
six weeks, he and I had reshaped
each other. At graduation, he gave
me my first silver dollar, which was
the ultimate compliment.
When I returned to college,
my best friend and I agreed to
join the program, which resulted
in our being the first women to
complete and get commissioned
from Savannah State University’s
NROTC program.
I remember June 5, 1977, as if
it were yesterday, when I walked
across the stage at graduation to get
my diploma and a commission into
the Navy. When I took the oath,
chills ran through my body; my
sense of patriotism, achievement,
success and pride were overwhelming. I remember thinking “This is
my country; I will always protect
and defend the flag and what it
represents.” Having joined as an
ensign and obtaining the rank of
captain, I enjoyed leadership at all
levels—great experiences, lessons
learned, exposure and growth. HR
and personnel management were
my career roles in the Navy.
The success in those areas led
to my being recruited to join the
National Security Agency. The
transition from the Navy to the
intelligence community (IC) was
easy, especially at NSA because of
the prevalent military presence and
direct tie to the war fighter. There
TITLE
Senior Adviser and Chief of Staff
for the Intelligence Community
Equal Employment Opportunity
and Diversity Office (ICEEOD)
BIRTHPLACE
Miami
EDUCATION
Bachelor’s degree, Savannah State
University; master’s degree in
personnel management, Central
Michigan University; graduate of
Navy Reserve Officers Training
Corps; graduate of MIT’s Seminar
XXI Program - Foreign Relations
and International Affairs
PAST POSITIONS
U.S. Navy, served 27 years, retired
at the rank of captain; associ-
ate deputy director of human
resources at the National Security
Agency
PERSONAL
One son and one daughter
INTERESTING FACT
First Black person to serve
as commodore of major Navy
recruiting region
FAST FACTS
is a parallel between the overall
mission of the Navy and the IC;
therefore, I eagerly accepted an
offer to work in the IC to continue
service to my country.
My challenge as a woman start-
ed in the NROTC unit in college. I
was the Battalion commander and
four of my male peer midshipmen
(also African American) refused
to “take orders from a girl.” Being
assertive and having the support of
the leaders at the unit enabled me
to help them understand why and
how they would “take orders from a
girl” to ensure that we would all be
successful in our respective roles.
What challenges did
you face as a Black
woman assuming
leadership roles in
the U.S. Navy? Q
When I came on active duty in 1977, there were very few women and even fewer
African Americans and other minorities in the U.S. Navy’s officer ranks. There were
often times when I did not know if I was experiencing challenges because of my
gender or because of my race. One of my senior enlisted men, the equivalent of my
No. 2 in command, refused to work for me because I was, in his words, “a woman
and a colored.” Luckily, senior leaders above him were committed to fairness and equality and
recognized my talent, potential and contributions. Unlike many companies or other places of
employment, the Navy had written policies and mandated behaviors that, if violated, yielded
punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Senior leaders enforced the rules and
created an environment that enabled me to succeed.
A
