thayer

Expertise
Strategic level leadership, risk management, diversity and inclusion, coaching and mentoring

Experience
Becky is a 1981 graduate of the United States Military Academy and achieved an historic milestone as the first female graduate of West Point to be promoted to General Officer. She was the senior Commanding General (equivalent to CEO) for logistics in Iraq, and was the first female in U.S. history to command in combat at the strategic level. In this capacity, she was responsible for leading over 200 multi‐disciplined units (20,000 military and 5,000 civilians) located across 55 different bases, providing supply, maintenance, transportation and distribution support to over 250,000 personnel serving in Iraq.

Becky served in Europe as the Deputy Commanding General for the 21st Theater Support Command and has experience leading a multi-national team in wholesale level logistics operations. Prior to Europe, she served as the Chief Advisor to the Combatant Commander (Four Star General) for Southern Command, whose responsibility encompassed military training and operations for South America. She was also responsible for coordinating directly with high‐level organizations such as Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of State, U.S. Congress, U.S. Ambassadors and equivalent foreign military and civilian organizations.

The culmination of Becky’s Army career came in 2006 when she became the first female Chief of Ordnance and Commanding General of the Army’s Ordnance Center and Schools (equivalent to President of a University), responsible for the leader development and institutional training for the second largest branch in the army with over 100,000 members of the Ordnance Corps.

Scholarly Work/Publications/Awards/Distinctions
Becky is a recipient of the National Women’s History Project award for “Generations of Women Moving History Forward”, was inducted into the Ordnance Corps Hall of Fame and New Jersey Women Hall of Fame. She is the author of 24/7: The First Person You Must Lead is You! as well as the subject of the Harvard Business Case Leadership Study, STEADFAST Leadership. Becky was selected into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, alongside Michelle Obama and Katherine Johnson. In 2022, she was honored as a Distinguished Graduate of West Point.

Education
Honorary PhD degree, Doctor of Military Science, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA
MS, National Resource Strategy (Advanced Manufacturing) Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington DC
MS, Advanced Military Studies, Army Command & General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS
BS, Engineering, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY