Michelle Howard

Michelle Howard was born on April 30, 1960, at March Air Force Base in California. She began her service in the United States Navy in 1982, graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science. She furthered her education at the United States Army Command and General Staff College, earning a Master of Military Art and Science in 1998. Throughout her military career, Admiral Howard achieved several significant firsts as she progressed through the ranks. In 1999, she became the first African-American woman to command a United States Navy ship, the USS Rushmore. Her early sea tours included service aboard USS Hunley and USS Lexington, where she received the Secretary of the Navy/Navy League Captain Winifred Collins award in 1987 for outstanding leadership. She also served in the Gulf War during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm while on USS Mount Hood.

Admiral Howard’s career progressed steadily, marked by her promotion to rear admiral (lower half) in 2006, making her the first Naval Academy graduate from the class of 1982 and first female graduate selected for flag rank. In 2014, she was promoted to admiral, becoming the first female four-star admiral in United States Naval history and the highest-ranking woman in the Navy at that time. She also became the first female four-star admiral to command operational forces when she led United States Naval Forces Europe and Naval Forces Africa. Post-retirement in 2017 after 36 years of service, Admiral Howard transitioned to a role as the J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Visiting Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University, focusing on cybersecurity and international policy. In 2019, she was appointed to the board of IBM, and in 2021, she was sworn in as chair of The Naming Commission, a congressional body tasked with renaming U.S. military assets associated with the Confederate States of America.