General Confirmation

GSM: You are the first female Army medical entomologist to be nominated and confirmed by the U.S. Senate for promotion to Brigadier General. What does that mean to you?
B.G. ALVEY: There has never been a male or female active component or Reserve component medical entomologist selected for Brigadier General. Being selected after only two years as a Colonel is unprecedented. I’m very honored to have earned that confidence from the active and Reserve General Officer Corps.

GSM: As Brigadier General, what are your main responsibilities?
B.G. ALVEY: As a Brigadier General, I am now Deputy Commanding General for Operations for the 807th Medical Command (Deployment Support), which is headquartered at Fort Douglas, Utah. The Command manages all the Army Reserve deployable field medical units in the upper Midwest to Ohio and west to California. There are more than 11,000 Soldiers that comprise over 100 subordinate units in the Command and is separated into five brigades in California, Texas, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio. Units of the 807th provide general, surgical, dental, emergency, behavioral, preventive, and veterinary support to Army units and civilian populations. The 807th also conducts military and humanitarian operations in Africa, South and Central America, Asia and Europe.

GSM: What are the greatest challenges you face?
B.G. ALVEY: The greatest challenge I face is balancing the civilian and military careers without losing focus on family and friends. Most people don’t realize the personal sacrifice that Reservists make to serve their country on a “part-time” basis, knowing that their duty is never part time. “One weekend a month” is never one weekend a month—it’s evening and weekend work outside of the normal battle assembly.

GSM: You’ve lived and/or been stationed in multiple locations all across the world. Is it difficult?
B.G. ALVEY: My family has moved several times while I’ve been on active duty. With small children we’ve lived in Georgia, Arizona and Maryland, as well as in foreign countries such as Honduras, Germany and Japan. My husband was enlisted and an officer in the U.S. Army and my son Douglas is now a 1Lt. in the U.S. Marine Corps. That said, we’ve also traveled the world on family vacations because I value the cultural exposure and experiences gained from traveling and living overseas. The most positive aspect is providing my children with an education and understanding of other cultures, their unique customs and courtesies, as well as their economic, political, and public issues.

GSM: How does an entomologist become a Brigadier General? Walk us through that journey.
B.G. ALVEY: I earned my Master of Science in Medical Entomology from Georgia Southern University under Dr. Dan Hagan, who introduced me to the military entomology community in 1989. In 1990, I transferred from the Ordnance Corps to the Medical Service Corps. Since there has never been an entomologist selected for Brigadier General, I created my own path by diversifying my assignments and education. Both in my military and civilian careers, I learned entomology, public and environmental health, preventive medicine, military ordnance and transportation, and the intelligence and acquisition fields. I have always challenged myself by stepping out of the normal government entomology positions to take assignments that expanded my knowledge of military structure, capabilities and strategy.

GSM: How did Georgia Southern prepare you for the future and the person you have become today?
B.G. ALVEY: Georgia Southern University gave me the advanced education in medical entomology at the graduate level to conduct the required disease vector surveillance, identification and control operations for insect-borne diseases. The coursework I received gave me the tools to assess any medically important insect vector that impacts military operations around the world, as well as an understanding of chemical, biological, mechanical, environmental and cultural control methods that reduce pest populations as well as protect those exposed. I couldn’t do my job in the Army without it.
 
GSM: What one word comes to mind when you think about your time at Georgia Southern?
B.G. ALVEY: Football! Football always comes to mind as my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Georgia Southern football games under the coaching of Erk Russell.

GSM: To alumnae reading this, what would be your advice to them as they pursue their passions and careers, especially in traditionally male-dominated fields?
B.G. ALVEY: When I advise young officers and civilians I always emphasize the need to diversify your career potential. After you master the basics of your career field, reach outside of your comfort zone and take on more challenging, unpredictable assignments. This can be uncomfortable, intimidating or even risky but doing so provides the catalyst that is essential to grow, learn and become more confident at higher levels of responsibility and leadership. As far as male-dominated fields, I have always been in male-dominated fields, and while organizations are getting better at tempering the issues we all hear about, determination, perseverance, and fairness are the key to overcoming the perceptions in the workplace.