COUNTRY OF BIRTH

USA

INDUSTRY

Military

TOP ACHIEVEMENTS

Michelle Howard is a former U.S. military officer who was the first woman to become a four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy. She also made history as the first African American woman to serve as captain of a U.S. naval ship.

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

Michelle Janine Howard was born on April 30, 1960, at March Air Force Base in California. Her father was a United States Air Force master sergeant. By the time Howard was 12 years old, she began thinking about a career in the military. In 1978, she graduated from Gateway High School in Aurora, Colorado, and was accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy as one of only seven black women in the school’s class of 1,363 students. She graduated from the Academy with a Bachelor of Science in 1982 and from the United States Army Command and General Staff College in 1998 with a master’s degree in Military Art and Science.

EARLY CAREER

During Howard’s sophomore year at the Naval Academy, she piloted her first ship, the destroyer USS Spruance, during a summer training cruise. Howard’s initial sea tours were aboard the USS Hunley and the USS Lexington. While serving on board the USS Lexington, she received the Secretary of the Navy/Navy League Captain Winifred Collins Award in May 1987. This award is given to one woman officer a year for outstanding leadership. Howard served in the Persian Gulf War (1990-1991) during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm as Chief Engineer on USS Mount Hood. She assumed the duties of first lieutenant aboard the USS Flint in 1992 and became executive officer on the USS Tortuga in 1996. Howard was deployed to Indonesia for tsunami relief efforts in 2004. She became the first African American woman to lead a U.S. Navy battle group when, in 2009, she took command of Expeditionary Strike Group Two, guarding the North Arabian Gulf

ACHIEVEMENTS

In 1999, Howard became the first African American woman to captain a U.S. naval ship, when she took command of the USS Rushmore. On July 1, 2014, Howard became the first woman in the U.S. Navy's 236-year history to be promoted to four-star admiral. That same day, she was also appointed the 38th Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO), making her the second highest-ranking officer in the U.S. Navy. In 2016, she assumed command of United States Naval Forces Europe and Naval Forces Africa. Howard retired on December 1, 2017, after nearly 36 years of service in the United States Navy.

RECOGNITION

Howard has been recognized with numerous service medals and commendations, including the Navy’s Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

• After Howard retired from the Navy, she became the Visiting Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University, teaching cybersecurity and international policy.
• Howard, like her mother, is an enthusiastic trout fisher.