Marcelite J Harris

Military
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Brief

     Major General Harris (ret., 1943-2018) was the first Black woman to reach the rank of Major General in the U.S. Air Force. When she retired in 1997, she was the highest-ranking woman officer in the Air Force and the highest-ranking Black woman in the entire U.S. military. Prior to her retirement, she served as director of maintenance and deputy chief of staff for logistics at the U.S. Air Force  Headquarters in Washington, D.C. She managed a workforce of over 125,000 personnel and oversaw a $260 billion Global Reach Global Power aerospace weapons system inventory. She also developed maintenance policy and determined an annual budget of more than $20 billion to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of Management and Budget and Congress.

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Attributions
Major General Harris (Ret., 1943-2018) was the first Black woman to reach the rank of Major General in the U.S. Air Force. When she retired in 1997, she was the highest-ranking woman officer in the Air Force and the highest-ranking Black woman in the entire U.S. military. Prior to her retirement, she served as director of maintenance and deputy chief of staff for logistics at the U.S. Air Force Headquarters in Washington D.C. She managed a workforce of over 125,000 personnel and oversaw a $260 billion Global Reach Global Power aerospace weapons system inventory. She developed maintenance policy and determined an annual budget of more than $20 billion to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of Management and Budget and Congress.
Attributions
Attributions
Birth
January 16, 1943, Houston, Texas
Death
September 7, 2018 (age 75), Miami, FL
Resting Place
Arlington National Cemetery
Language(s)
Spouse(s)

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Maurice Harris

Partner(s)
Relatives
Associate(s)
Alma Mater

•1964 Bachelor of arts degree in speech and drama, Spelman College, Atlanta

•1975 Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

•1983 Air War College by seminar, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

•1986 Bachelor of science degree in business management, University of Maryland

•1989 Senior Officers in National Security Course, Harvard University, Mass.

•1990 CAPSTONE General and Flag Officer Course, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.

•1994 National and International Security Management Course, Harvard University, Mass.

•1995 Senior Managers in Government, Harvard University, Mass.1

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Colleague(s)
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Awards & Honors
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Occupation
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Education
Organization(s)

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

NAACP (Treasurer, Atlanta Branch)

Appointment(s)

Board of Visitors of the Air Force Academy

2010-2016, by President Barack Obama

Notable Works
Notable Performances
Notable Moments
Military Rank/Branch
Major General, U.S. Air Force
Years of Service
Political Affiliation
Associations
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Legacy
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Website
*some sources say April 6, 1845

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