2020 | Major General Diana M. Holland

This year’s Elizabeth Dole Women in Leadership lecture will be given by Major General Diana M. Holland of the U.S. Army.

“We are thrilled to have Major General Holland as our guest for this year’s Elizabeth Dole Women in Leadership lecture,” said Director Bill Lacy. “Her distinguished and storied career with the U.S. Army is an inspiration. Her lifetime of service to this country made her a natural choice.”

This program is closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.

A downloadable, printable program for this event is available here.

This special program will be live-streamed to the institute’s YouTube channel and to its website, www.doleinstitute.org. Due to continuing concerns regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic, the program will only be available online. Follow the Dole Institute on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for updates regarding this and future programming.

Holland graduated from the United States Military Academy and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers in 1990. She served in Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Joint Task Force Sapper, and Task Force Diamond in Afghanistan. She also served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. As commander of the South Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, she oversaw support to disaster-stricken states following hurricanes Irma, Maria, Florence, and Michael.

In 2015, Holland was the first woman appointed commandant of Cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point. In that same year, she was the first woman to hold the title of deputy commander of support in a light infantry division. She currently serves with the Army Corps of Engineers as the commanding general of the Mississippi Valley Division, and as the president of the Mississippi River Commission, both firsts for a woman in these appointments.

Holland’s military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal, to name a few.