In 1973, Rear Adm. Marsha Evans became the first woman surface assignments officer at the Bureau of Naval Personnel, while concurrently serving as senior Navy social aide to the president. Following selection as a CNO Scholar in 1975, Evans earned a master’s degree in law and diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. In 1990, she assumed command of Naval Station Treasure Island in San Francisco, becoming the first woman to command a U.S. naval station. In 1992, she became the executive director of the Standing Committee on Military and Civilian Women in the Department of the Navy, where she chaired a task force that developed a strategy to address gender-based issues in the U.S. Navy following the Tailhook scandal. She retired from the Navy in 1998 after nearly 30 years of service. She then served as executive director of the Girl Scouts of the USA from 1998 to 2002, and president and CEO of the American Red Cross from 2002 to 2005.

Last Updated: 29 March 2023