Margaret W. Burcham

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Margaret W. Burcham
Margaret burcham.jpg
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1978–2016
RankBrigadier General
Commands heldDirector of Manpower and Personnel for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2015–2016)
Battles/warsIraq War
AwardsDefense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Margaret Burcham

Margaret W. Burcham is a retired brigadier general of the United States Army. She was the first female brigadier general in the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Military career[]

Margaret W. Burcham attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned into the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in 1982.[1] She holds a master's degree in computer science from Kansas State University and is married to Jay Burcham.[1][2] Burcham attended the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses and also studied at the , the United States Army Command and General Staff College, the and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.[1]

Burcham has been chief of the Joint Capabilities Division of the Resources, Assessments and Force Management Directorate at the Pentagon and commander of the USACE North Engineer District in Iraq and the Europe Engineer District. She was appointed commander of the USACE Great Lakes and Ohio River Division in September 2011, the first woman to command a USACE division.[3] In this role, Burcham commanded 4,800 personnel in seven engineering districts covering 17 states and including the waters within the Great Lakes and Ohio River basins.[1] Her annual budget was $2 billion and the division's responsibilities included the maintenance of navigational aids, flood defense projects, water conservation schemes, hydro-electric power and environmental restoration projects of an asset value of over $80 billion.[4] She was promoted to brigadier general on January 27, 2012 at the USACE headquarters in Washington and became the first female general of the USACE.[1] She was appointed to the Mississippi River Commission on May 28, 2013 by President Barack Obama.[5]

Burcham was appointed Director of Manpower and Personnel for the Joint Chiefs of Staff by June 2015.[6][7] She retired from active duty in August 2016.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e Carpenter, Rhonda (February 9, 2012). "President Nominates USAF's First Female Four-Star, USACE Promotes First Female General". Defense Media Network. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  2. ^ "First woman promoted to general within Army Corps of Engineers". US Army. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  3. ^ Somers, Meredith (August 12, 2014). "Women shattering glass ceiling, reaching new heights in 2014". The Washington Times. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  4. ^ "Margaret W. Burcham". Academy Women. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  5. ^ Anderson, Bob (June 5, 2013). "Burcham becomes first female General Officer on the Mississippi River Commission". U.S. Army. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  6. ^ "J1 Manpower and Personnel". Joint Chiefs of Staff. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  7. ^ "Annual Conference of the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives2015". NATO. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
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