I am proud to officially join the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command as the command sergeant major. As the senior enlisted adviser, I look forward to working with the team here at CECOM and tenant partners of APG. I have had some great leaders and mentors who have shaped me into who I am today: civilians, officers, NCOs and people junior to me. I would not be here today if it weren’t for them. I certainly cannot say enough about the support from my family, my husband especially.
I am excited to get to know all of you and would like to share a bit about myself. I joined the Army to get an education, opportunity, experience and possibly the chance to travel the world. I grew up on a farm in Ethan, South Dakota, where the men worked the fields and livestock, and women had a more traditional role. I wanted more options and knew I needed to venture out for that. I come from a large family who predominantly choose to assume that very important role of working in agriculture. Although I didn’t see anything wrong with their choice, I hoped for something different, something larger, some place where I could make a difference and serve something greater than myself and be all I could be.
I am also proud to be the first female senior enlisted adviser in CECOM’s great history. I want other female Soldiers to know that anything is possible. The sky’s the limit; we can all do what we want to do. That is the great thing about serving in the Army: you can break those glass ceilings. It’s important that every Soldier, regardless of gender, can achieve his or her full potential.
Coming from a small farming community, I learned about the importance of diversity in the Army; that our backgrounds, experiences and differences define the success of our team. All members are equal; our race, ethnicity, religious preference and gender define the Army today and are at the core of who we are. We all have an opportunity in our field of expertise to go as far as we want to go. The military has always led the way in equality, whether that is race or gender, and we are still leading the way for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning teammates. I have sincere appreciation for everyone I have met in the Army; they have shaped and developed me into who I am today.
As the command sergeant major, I will be focused on supporting the commander and every member of the CECOM team. I will work to foster a culture of trust, openness and interpersonal relationships among the leadership, workforce, APG customers and the local community.
My priority is people, always. One of the commanding general’s lines of effort for CECOM is people — ensuring that they are trained, agile and cared for. It is my priority to empower all members of the team to do that. We cannot do what we do without our battle buddies and the people we work and train with. We are more successful working together as a whole than we are alone, and we must trust one another. There is no mission without our people.
People First, Winning Matters, Army Strong!
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