Leading the Way

As an undergraduate at Penn State, she signed up for ROTC as soon as it opened for women, with her sights set on a career in the military like her father. On a base with 50,000 men in 1975, she became one of only 83 female cadets at an inaugural boot camp for women. She had to work hard to prove her worth, address sexism and un­fairness, and learn to pick her battles.

She initially served in the U.S. Army in South Korea along the demilitarized zone before being stationed in Germany.

“To be honest, I was bored in Germa­ny,” she said with characteristic frankness. “The early 1980s were peaceful, and there was not the same sense of urgency that I’d found in South Korea.”

She considered leaving active duty and finding a graduate program where she could build on her aptitude for languag­es. And that’s how Monterey became her home for the next two years.

“After five years in the military, a male-oriented hierarchical culture, it was a big change to come to the Institute,” she said, adding that it was great way to accli­mate back to life in the U.S. and prepare for a civilian career. “I loved Penn State, but it was big; MIIS is the opposite—small, liberal, and so California!”

Jill recalled occasionally having to fight stereotypes when people automatically as­sumed that she was conservative because of her military background. “It’s actually kind of fun to shatter people’s expecta­tions,” she said, laughing.

Still in the Reserves while at the In­stitute, Jill was stationed in Fort Ord, which was at the time a vibrant military community and home to the 7th infantry. She experienced many “firsts” as a female leader in the U.S. Army and while serving in Bosnia and Iraq. For her performance in Iraq, she was awarded the Bronze Star, and upon retirement, she received the Legion of Merit. In her leadership roles, she relied on many of her learned skills, including her aptitude for languages. In Bosnia, where she commanded 37 sol­diers from 19 different countries, she had to overcome suspicions of her as a woman and a U.S. commander. “It helps when they see you are trying to communicate in their language.”

She said she’s always had a book in her, and for a long time, she thought it would be a spy novel. “But it turns out I only had one really great scene,” she said. Then she considered an autobiography, but that did not seem right either. Finally she figured she should write about what she has been trained for since she was 18—leadership.

Courage to Take Command: Leadership Lessons from a Military Trailblazer (Mc­Graw Hill 2015) is filled with stories and lessons, and reads more as a practical guide than academic study. Currently, Jill travels the world giving talks about lead­ership and hosting workshops, such as the one she recently held for the U.S. Depart­ment of State for 120 women from Central Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Jill and her husband, the brother of her good friend and classmate Kathy Ozyuart (neé Chambers) maips ’83, live in Chica­go, but are considering a move back to California. Missing the California life and the weather, she loves visiting Mon­terey and seeing “how well the Institute is thriving.”