Brig. Gen. Pinckney to Head New Diversity Task Force

By ARNEWSDecember 3, 2007

Brig. Gen. Pinckney
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WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Dec. 3, 2007) - Brig. Gen. Belinda Pinckney will head up a new task force to review the Army's diversity policies, practices and progress.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. announced creation of the Diversity Task Force Thursday at the Department of the Army's first senior leadership diversity breakfast.

"The purpose of the task force is to increase awareness and to inform ourselves about how we need to adapt what we're doing so we can sustain awareness and focus on diversity," Gen. Casey said.

Brig. Gen. Pinckney said she is delighted at the opportunity to head up the task force and is currently developing a plan of action. She has commanded the Army's Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command since May 11, 2006.

Her prior command and staff positions include: Congressional appropriations liaison officer, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller); principal deputy director/Army Element commander, Defense Finance and Accounting Service; brigade commander, 266th Finance Command and U.S. Army Europe staff finance and accounting officer, Heidelberg, Germany; battalion commander, Training Support Battalion, Soldier Support Institute, Fort Jackson, S.C.; and military assistant to the assistant secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller).

Brig. Gen. Pinckney is a native of Dublin, Ga. She entered the Army in September 1976 as a finance specialist and attended Officer Candidate School in 1978.

She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland; a Master of Public Administration degree in Financial Management from Golden Gate University; and a Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces

Brig. Gen. Pinckney will work with G1 and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs to conduct the diversity review, Gen. Casey said. He added, though, that her findings will be reported directly to him and Secretary of the Army Pete Geren.

"I will tell you that I firmly believe the strength of our Army comes from our diversity," Gen. Casey said, adding that the example set in Iraq by the U.S. Army has helped that nation bring together an army of Sunni and Shiite Moslems working together with Kurds and other nationalities as a team.

The example of how U.S. Soldiers of different nationalities work together "has really helped the Iraqi Army retain it's role as the only non-sectarian organization in that whole country," Gen. Casey said, "so if you're looking for the impact of the strength, the diversity of an organization, look no further than that."

(ARNEWS staff writer J.D. Leipold contributed to this story.)