Marcia Anderson

Marcia Carol Martin Anderson (née Mahan; born 1957) is a retired senior officer of the United States Army Reserve. She was the first African-American woman to become a major general in the United States Army Reserve.

Marcia Anderson
Anderson at Fort Bragg in 2014
Born	1957 (age 66–67) Beloit, Wisconsin
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1976–2016
Rank	Major General
Awards	Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (3)

Early life

Anderson was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, and finished school in St. Louis, Missouri.^[1][2]

Career

As a civilian, Anderson served as Clerk of Court for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.^[3]

Anderson in 2018

Anderson is a 1979 graduate of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, a 1986 graduate of Rutgers School of Law–Newark in New Jersey, and a 2003 graduate of the United States Army War College. She is married to Amos Charles Anderson.^[4][5][6] She originally signed up for the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at Creighton University because she needed a science credit.^[2]

In 2011, Anderson became the first African-American woman to achieve the federally recognized rank of major general in the US Army, US Army Reserve and the US Army National Guard.^[3][7][8]

Anderson retired from the reserve army in 2016 and from her civilian job in 2019.^[9][10] Since 2021, she has served as a member of the Green Bay Packers Executive Committee. ^[11]

Personal life

Anderson lives in Wisconsin with her husband Amos Charles Anderson; the couple have no children of their own.^[12]

Awards

Anderson's military awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Parachutist Badge, and the Physical Fitness Badge.^[13]

Notes

1. Barrouquere, Brett; Verburg, Steven (2011-09-29). "Wisconsin native promoted to become highest-ranking black woman in Army". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
2. McGregor, Jena. "Getting more women into Army leadership". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
3. "Major General Marcia M. Anderson was the First African American female major general in the U.S. Army". Army.mil. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
4. "Q & A". Q-and-a.org. 2011-12-11. Retrieved 2014-11-27.
5. "Newsletter" (PDF). Law.Newark.Rutgers.edu. Rutgers School of Law-Newark. June 2008. Retrieved July 30, 2015. Marcia Anderson '86 has been confirmed as a brigadier general in the Army Reserve, the first African-American woman to hold that rank. In her civilian life, she is a Bankruptcy Court clerk.
6. "Lecture highlights women in the military". The Creightonian. April 14, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
7. "HRC deputy becomes Army's first female African-American major general | Article | The United States Army". Army.mil. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
8. Marie, Nicole (2011-10-02). "US Army Selects First Black Female Major General". Essence.com. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
9. Journal, Steven Verburg | Wisconsin State. "Army general from Wisconsin retires with an eye to helping others". madison.com. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
10. "Lockheed Martin-Led Team Begins Construction On Navy's Littoral Combat Ship, The Future USS Beloit". sdquebec.ca. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
11. "Packers.com, the official website of the Green Bay Packers". www.packers.com. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
12. Wagner, Amanda N. (February 2008). "Sitting at the table, front and center" (PDF). Wisconsin Woman. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
13. usar.army.mil Archived 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN
  • C-SPAN Q&A interview with Anderson, December 11, 2011
• Paving the way for women’s success in army interview with Melissa Harris-Perry, February 15, 2014
• "PN591 – 21 nominees for Army, 112th Congress (2011–2012)". www.congress.gov. 2011-06-30. Retrieved 2018-03-01.