{"id":67012,"date":"2023-07-05T13:25:58","date_gmt":"2023-07-05T13:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/alumni-news-media\/?p=67012"},"modified":"2023-07-24T19:44:23","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T19:44:23","slug":"in-and-after-the-navy-rear-admiral-gretchen-herbert-84","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/alumni-news-media\/2023\/07\/05\/in-and-after-the-navy-rear-admiral-gretchen-herbert-84\/","title":{"rendered":"In and after the Navy: Rear Admiral Gretchen Herbert \u201984"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In and after the Navy: Rear Admiral Gretchen Herbert \u201984<\/h1>\n

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Sports, the military, and a career full of milestones have marked this alumna\u2019s life<\/h3>\n

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\"Gretchen

Rear Admiral Gretchen Herbert \u201984<\/p><\/div>\n

When Gretchen Herbert was a teenager, her parents were very realistic with her about the cost of college: They could afford to support four years at a state school or two at a private one. That\u2019s when Herbert\u2019s father started handing her Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) brochures\u2014a timely move because he knew how much his daughter wanted to go to the URochester, her dream school.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a high school student, I wasn\u2019t too enthusiastic about NROTC at first, but I knew a scholarship would make it possible for me to go to Rochester,\u201d says Herbert. \u201cSo, I filled out the paperwork, was accepted into the program and the University, and looked forward to all the opportunities ahead of me\u2014academically, athletically, and in the Navy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herbert\u2019s experience at the University turned out to be everything she hoped it would be. She loved science and majored in geology. She played soccer as a defender for three years and basketball as a power forward for all four years. NROTC filled her days, too, as she woke up early for training, participated in drills, and completed other Navy coursework throughout the week. She thrived amidst all the hard work.<\/p>\n

At Rochester<\/h3>\n

Herbert\u2019s soccer coach, Terry Gurnett \u201977, and her NROTC commanding officer, Colonel Larry Ogle (USMC), provided steady inspiration throughout her college years and beyond. \u201cThey were major influencers in my life,\u201d she says. \u201cI learned so much from them and from sports and NROTC\u2014I enjoyed all the training, competition, and studying with my teammates and colleagues, too. We always had each other\u2019s backs, and many of us have become lifelong friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herbert\u2019s plan was to graduate, serve her required four years in the Navy, and then pursue a civilian career. She didn\u2019t expect to love the Navy, but she did. Those early days in the NROTC formed the bedrock of what would evolve into a 30-year naval career. She retired in 2014 as a rear admiral\u2014one of the military\u2019s higher-ranking positions. Only about six percent of active duty and retired Navy admirals are women.<\/p>\n

\u201cGretchen was always prepared to practice and play,\u201d Gurnett says. \u201cShe was the consummate teammate, a joy to coach, and a natural-born leader\u2014everyone loved and respected her. It\u2019s no surprise to me that she went on to have such a successful career.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”]

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Rochester taught me how to be focused, yet flexible. It showed me how to manage priorities, responsibilities, and obligations to myself, my teammates, and my fellow students. It also provided me lessons both on and off the field, which I\u2019ve used throughout my career to better prioritize, manage my time, work as a team towards a common goal, and to collaborate with others.<\/span><\/h6><\/blockquote>[vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Being a Navy Woman<\/h3>\n

\"GretchenWhen Herbert graduated in 1984, the U.S. Department of Defense’s combat exclusion policy was still in effect, part of the Women\u2019s Armed Services Integration Act. Passed in 1948, it gave women the ability to join the armed forces during times of peace, but they were not permitted to serve in combat positions. This policy meant that Herbert\u2019s assignment options were more limited than those available to men.<\/p>\n

As graduation neared, Herbert sat down with Col. Ogle to talk about what kind of naval assignment she\u2014and any woman\u2014could pursue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a fortuitous conversation that led to my first assignment, an operational role in an important anti-submarine warfare program that was established during the Cold War,\u201d says Herbert, who spent her first five years in the Navy engaged in anti-submarine warfare, tracking Soviet submarines throughout the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n

After repeal of the combat exclusion policy in 1993, Herbert served as a satellite communications officer in London. A few years later, she embarked on her first shipboard tour as the combat systems officer on the USS George Washington, a nuclear aircraft carrier that still operates today with 5,000 service members on board. \u201cThat post ended up being the best experience of my career\u2014exciting work, great people, and a mission that was critical to our country’s national security,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

During the early years of her career, Herbert notes, women made up just more than 10 percent of the Navy\u2019s active duty force. Even before the combat exclusion law was rescinded, all of her junior officer assignments were at commands that were well integrated with women. “I never felt like a minority during those tours,” she says. “The gender demographics were similar to what I experienced in the NROTC program at Rochester.”<\/p>\n

Being a woman in the Navy continued to be a non-issue for Herbert when she was assigned to commands where women were disproportionately outnumbered by men. \u201cThroughout my career, I have always been encouraged, supported, motivated, and respected,” she adds. “The Navy afforded me tremendous opportunities. I couldn\u2019t ask for a better career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pursuing Excellence<\/h3>\n

\"Gretchen<\/p>\n

Herbert then spent four years working at the Pentagon until 2011, when she was selected to lead the Navy\u2019s Cyber Forces Command. Its mission was to staff, train, equip, and certify combat-ready cyber forces throughout the Navy. The command was created in recognition of the growing importance of cybersecurity and the need for skilled individuals to protect the country\u2019s intellectual property, operational plans, and military capabilities.<\/p>\n

Herbert will tell you that she served alongside those with a wide range of educational backgrounds, including engineering, history, English, and more. She also underscores that the specific degree is not as important as the pursuit of excellence through the educational experience.<\/p>\n

Finding Opportunity<\/h3>\n

Herbert\u2019s career advice for young people? Bloom where you are planted. \u201cIn the Navy, you don\u2019t apply for a job because you think it sounds interesting; you are assigned based on your skills, experience, and the military’s needs,\u201d she says. \u201cEvery opportunity, no matter how challenging or unplanned, offers something to learn and grow from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Upon retirement, Herbert wasn\u2019t interested in continuing in a technical or defense contracting field. Although consulting was an option, she decided to pursue other opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to dig in the dirt, hike every day, and try my hand at more artistic pursuits like refinishing furniture,\u201d she says. \u201cSo that\u2019s what I do\u2014I\u2019ve commandeered our garage and have a brush sitting in a bucket of water on most days, ready to bring new life to an old dresser. I also serve on a few boards, including the National Outdoor Leadership School with my husband, Roger, a retired Navy Seal, and I volunteer at our local animal shelter, walking rescue dogs three times a week. Life continues to be an adventure.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” use_row_as_full_screen_section_slide=”no” text_align=”left” background_color=”#e9e5d7″ side_padding=”15px” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h3>\n