A Higher Standard: Leadership Strategies from America's First Female Four-Star General

Date & Time Apr 11 2016 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Speaker(s)
GEN Ann E. Dunwoody (U.S. Army, Ret.), the first woman in military history to achieve the rank of four-star general; author, "A Higher Standard: Leadership Strategies from America's First Female Four-Star General"
Audience Open to the Public

GEN Ann E. Dunwoody (U.S. Army, Ret.), the first woman in military history to achieve the rank of four-star general; author, "A Higher Standard: Leadership Strategies from America's First Female Four-Star General" will present a public talk on Monday, April 11, 2016 at 4:30 p.m. in Robertson Hall. General Dunwoody is visiting the School as part of its Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation Leadership Through Mentorship Program. A book sale and signing will follow the discussion.

General Dunwoody retired as a 4 star Army General after 37 + years of service to our country in 2012. In her last assignment she led and ran the largest global logistics command in the Army comprising 69,000 military and civilians, located in all 50 states and over 140 countries. She managed a budget of $60B dollars and was responsible for oversight of approximately $70B in service contracts. She managed and operationalized the Army's global supply chain in support of Iraq and Afghanistan, contingency operations in Haiti, Pakistan, and Japan, while simultaneously moving the Command Headquarters from Fort Belvoir, VA to Huntsville, AL as a result of Base Realignment and Closing (BRAC).

As the commander of Army Materiel Command she was responsible for Army's Research and Development, Installation and Contingency contracting, Foreign Military Sales, Security Assistance, Supply chain management, all Army Depots supporting supply and maintenance functions, manufacturing sites and ammunition plants. Dunwoody led the transformation of the Army's logistics organizations, processes and doctrine in support of an expeditionary Army. The Chief of Staff of the US Army, General Ray Odierno, called her "quite simply the best logistician the Army has ever had.” Dunwoody offers visionary and strategic insights for managing large organizations to posture them for the future and ensure relevancy --- focusing on where to invest as well as divest.

In 2008, General Dunwoody earned the historic distinction of being the first woman in U.S. Military history to achieve the rank of four-star general. She is the fourth generation of her family to serve in the US Army and the third to achieve flag officer rank.

General Dunwoody has been recognized by the NCAA with its highest honor, the Theodore Roosevelt Award, by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association with its lifetime Achievement Award and by France with its National Order of Merit.

Today General Dunwoody is President of First 2 Four, LLC, a leadership mentoring and strategic advisory services company and serves on the Board of Directors for L-3 Communications, Republic Services and Logistics Management Institute. Her book, “A Higher Standard” was released in April 2015.