A historic changeover ceremony will occur in Maine on Friday as Brig. Gen. Diane Dunn becomes the first woman to take over as adjutant general, head of the Maine National Guard and commissioner of defense, veterans affairs and emergency management.
During a ceremony on Friday in Augusta, Gov. Janet Mills praised Dunn for her previous service and for her willingness to return to active duty just two years after retiring from the Guard.
"General Dunn is the absolute right person to take on the immense responsibilities of leading Maine's National Guard and the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management," Mill said.
Dunn worked her way up from a junior officer to the rank of general and chief of staff during more than three decades with the Maine Army National Guard. Dunn replaces Adjutant General Douglas Farnham, who is retiring after roughly 40 years with the Maine Air National Guard.
Dunn talked with Morning Edition host Irwin Gratz about her historic appointment and some of the challenges facing the Maine Guard.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Gratz: I'm wondering if when you began your military career, you could have imagined rising through the ranks to so high a level?
Dunn: Well, I can say that it was definitely not an immediate goal that I had at any given point in time. But I am fortunate to have had other senior leaders that were women that were currently serving at that time — albeit quite few. But most importantly, I think it's important to recognize that my mentors, regardless of gender, have always expressed opportunity for everyone to serve in the capacity that I now am blessed to be able to serve in.
You're going to succeed a well-regarded leader, Douglas Farnham. What did you learn from him?
I don't think we have enough time on this interview to express all of the learning that I have gained over many, many years. The No. 1 thing is I have observed and absorbed Gen. Farnham's quiet leadership. And for an extrovert like myself, that has been very helpful, to really pay close attention to when he speaks, what he says and why he's speaking.
What are you looking forward to doing during your tenure as leader?
We are obviously at a pivotal point in time in our history, as there's so much new technology and innovation that is happening around us every given day. So I think it will be important to have a full assessment of our status of the National Guard, emergency management, veterans services — where we are, where we need to go — whether it's a federal military mission, it's the needs of our homeless population, veterans accessing services or being prepared for disasters across our state and being a good partner with our state agencies.
Recruiting is still an issue for the Guard here.
Absolutely. Our numbers here in the state of Maine and nationally — and I think in many industries — our growth numbers are not exactly what we would want. Everyone wants more employees, they want a workforce that meets the needs of whatever the industry is, and we are no different here in the National Guard.
Your predecessor had promised some improvements to the way the Guard was dealing with sexual assault, even though a review had found general compliance with military policies. What has been accomplished in that area?
One of the major successes — I think there are several — but one major piece of that is the implementation of the integrated primary prevention program for Maine. That is funding for additional full-time staff to work with existing programs, and looking at the resources that we have for preventing this horrific behavior and weeding that out, something that the entirety of society continues to deal with. And we definitely don't want it to be in our military forces. There's great success and implementation of that program, that Gen. Farnham worked very hard with other members of the governor's advisory council to make sure that we were addressing those needs.
Your formal title is a mouthful, of course — you're also commissioner of defense, veterans and emergency management. I want to focus on that last piece for a minute. Gov. Janet Mills talked about the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, doing more to boost the state's resilience. I just wonder if you're comfortable overseeing that part of your duties, or whether in this environment, the state might want to consider branching off Emergency Management Services?
I don't think I'm in a position to answer any adjustments to the organizational structure. That would be premature for sure. But I can talk to my comfort in terms of experience within the world of emergency management. And I feel quite confident in my abilities, my experience, I have had national-level training and responsibility for responding and planning resource management for our partner states across the country.
Last question, are you excited?
I'm absolutely excited. To have a dream opportunity, to be a part of an organization for 33 years, to step away for two years and then to have this opportunity to come back. It feels like coming home.
