Michelle J. Howard

2009 Honoree

Rear Admiral Michelle Howard believes that America’s success is intrinsically linked to the education of its citizens. Through books, her parents introduced her to historic black leaders such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells and Admiral Samuel L. Gravely, Jr.

Howard did not take those lessons lightly and, at an early age, decided to attend a military service academy and ultimately serve her country.

She graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982. She spent the next 17 years mastering at-sea and shore assignments that involved increased responsibility and complexity. In 1999 she became the first African-American woman to command a U.S. Navy ship, the USS Rushmore.

"I’m really quite thrilled that the stars aligned to allow me to command a ship," she says. "You train your whole life to be in command. I am comfortable with responsibilities and figuring out how operations need to go. That’s part of who I am."

Howard says women were approximately 5 percent of Navy personnel in the early 1980s. Today they comprise about 15 percent of those enlisted. She encourages young people and women to consider the Navy, which provides not just a career, but a global education.

Her favorite quote is by Nelson Mandela, who said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

After commanding the Rushmore, Howard’s other commands included the Amphibious Squadron in 2004-2005. Deploying with Expeditionary Strike Group 5, operations included tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia and maritime security operations in the North Arabian Gulf.

Other sea tours included deployment to the Adriatic for a peacekeeping mission in the former Republic of Yugoslavia and leading a West African Training Cruise where the ship’s sailors operated with the naval services of seven African nations.

In 2006, Howard became the first woman graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy to be selected rear admiral. From July to December 2006, she served as deputy director, expeditionary Warfare Division. She currently is senior military assistant to the secretary of the Navy.

While serving on board the USS Lexington, Howard received the Secretary of the Navy/Navy League Captain Winifred Collins award in May 1987 for outstanding leadership. She earned a master’s degree in Military Arts and Sciences from the Army’s Command and General Staff College in 1998.