By MaryBeth Matzek | Photography by Hillary Schave
Marcia Anderson calls her entry into the military accidental. In 1977, she was a student at Creighton University and needed a science credit when she came across the registration table for military science and the Reserve Officers Training Corps.
“There was no line, so I signed up. Once I got in and learned about the history and traditions, I really enjoyed it,” says Anderson, who became the first African American woman to achieve the rank of major general in the U.S. Army in 2011.
After graduation, Anderson was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army and was required to attend the officer basic course, which, as she explains, “is an introduction to your specialty and the Army.” In the ensuing years, Anderson was a reserve officer and was called to active duty from time to time — including after 9/11 “as a consequence of the War on Terror,” she says. She also continued to climb the ranks.
“It was a lot of hard work, and you have to perform well,” Anderson says. “There’s also a lot of education involved, and I worked hard after work in the evenings and on the weekends so I could keep moving ahead.”
That culminated with her promotion to major general. She took a leave of absence as U. S. bankruptcy clerk for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court-Western District of Wisconsin to serve in the Pentagon from 2011-2014 as the deputy chief Army Reserve, where she had oversight for an $8 billion budget and over 200,000 civilians and reserve soldiers.
Anderson led at the various levels (groups of 400 up to 6,000 soldiers) as an officer throughout her career and served in multiple senior staff positions. She was also the deputy commanding general for the U.S. Army Human Resources Command from 2010-11.
She says she always gave credit to people for their hard work and showed confidence in her ability to make a positive impact. When opportunities for advancement presented themselves, she always took the chance.
“I knew there were people behind me, so I wanted to crack that glass ceiling for them,” Anderson says. “I stayed in the Army as long as I did because I realized if you’re not at the table, then you’re on the menu. Having diversity and perspective of experience — especially in the military — is crucial.”
Outside of her military career, Anderson received a law degree from the Rutgers School of Law. She worked for various law firms and within the federal court system. She retired from her bankruptcy clerk position in 2019.
